Title: In terms of complexity theory via fsQCA: the role of inbound digital marketing in purchase decision making

Authors: Abeer Elsayed Fayed

Addresses: Marketing Department, Faculty of Business Administration, University of Tabuk, Saudi Arabia

Abstract: The present study has dealt with identifying the impact of using inbound digital marketing techniques on customers' purchase decision-making using complexity theory via the fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) to identify causal recipes that can lead to high levels of impact on the customer's purchase decision-making. Data were collected from 714 elements of consumers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The study has concluded that there is no single factor affecting the customers' purchase decision, but there is a combination of four configurations, causal recipes that provide high levels of impact on the customers' purchase decision, attraction stage, conversion stage, closing stage, delight stage, all of which impact on the customers making a purchase decision. The results of this study will benefit marketers in providing modern techniques and methods that can motivate customers to make a purchase decision on products.

Keywords: inbound digital marketing; complexity theory; customers' purchase decision; attraction stage; conversion stage; closing stage; delight stage.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTMKT.2025.143056

International Journal of Technology Marketing, 2025 Vol.19 No.1, pp.60 - 79

Received: 14 Jul 2023
Accepted: 25 Jun 2024
Published online: 02 Dec 2024 *

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