The State of Internet Marketing by Apparel Retail Stalls in Nairobi`s Central Business District

Abstract

The growth and spread of internet at an extraordinary pace over the past few decades has resulted in an increase in usage for various purposes including marketing. Internet as a marketing tool provides significant opportunities for business entities to increase market access for their products. The aim of this study was to establish the state of internet marketing by apparel retail stalls in Nairobi's Central Business District. Descriptive research design was used in this study which facilitated a clear understanding of the promotional methods used by these retailers. The sample size used was 81 retail stalls. Primary data was collected using questionnaires from the stall owners or stall managers who run the marketing operations. The collected data was analyzed using frequencies, percentages, means and standard deviation. This study found that a majority of apparel retailers in Nairobi‟s Central Business District still relied mainly on personal selling to promote their products. There seems to be lack of awareness of the range of opportunities offered by internet marketing for increased market access. The study established that internet marketing was used to a moderate extent by the apparel retailing stalls. The researcher concludes that to improve market access by these retailers there is need to improve on internet marketing as a method of promotion. This study recommends awareness creation for internet use in marketing, improvements in ICT literacy levels and use of popular social sites for marketing.