AN ANALYSIS OF THE ROLE OF DIGITAL MARKETING IN THE FREIGHT FORWARDING INDUSTRY IN CHENNAI

To assess how Digital Marketing Practices (DMP) and Communication Practices (CP)
impact Customer Awareness (CA), Brand Trust (BT), and Business Impact (BI) in the
freight forwarding sector in Chennai, this study gathered primary data from 50
logistics and import/export professionals via a structure questionnaire, then used a
combination of Correlation Analysis, Multiple Regression, Sobel Test and Structural
Equation Modeling (SEM) to examine the stated hypotheses and validate our model.
Digital Marketing Practices are the strongest predictor of Customer Awareness with
an R² value of 0.690 (p < 0.001). In addition to DMP directly impacting Business
Performance, both DMP and CP significantly influence Business Performance
indirectly (through CA) thus indicating partial mediation. BT does not significantly
affect either DMP or CP therefore indicating that Trust in B2B Freight Forwarding
relationships is generally formed via dependable operations, consistently delivered
services and long-term relationship management but not through Digital Channels.
Our recommendations are for Logistics companies to implement Digital Marketing
strategies in conjunction with dependable service provision and customer-focused
relationship management if they seek to develop a lasting competitive advantage. KEYWORDS
Digital Marketing Practices, Freight Forwarding, Customer Awareness, Brand Trust,
Business Impact, B2B Logistics