Title: Online branding strategies of Saudi Arabian bakeries: a qualitative approach

Authors: Raghdah Aljuwaiser; Panayiota J. Alevizou

Addresses: Taif University, College of Business Administration, Al Hawiyah, Taif, 26571, Saudi Arabia ' University of Sheffield, Management School, Conduit Road, Sheffield, S10 1FL, UK

Abstract: This paper reports on qualitative research that sheds light on online retail branding in the bakery sector. This paper highlights owner-managers' (OMs) perceptions of branding, as well as their online branding approaches. We adopted an interpretivist enquiry, and as such, we conducted semi-structured interviews with seven OMs of small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in Saudi Arabia, as the OM is considered pivotal in developing and operationalising the online branding strategy. Our findings highlight a threefold OM perspective of branding, which implies an abstract rather than strategic view of branding. Our findings also indicate a fragmented and inconsistent use of online branding strategies amongst bakery OMs, which may be clouding their brand identity and creating additional resource requirements. The paper contributes to the knowledge on SMEs' online branding through a qualitative approach and from an owner-manager perspective.

Keywords: SME; communication; online branding; social media; influencers; owner-manager; Saudi Arabian.

DOI: 10.1504/IJTTC.2023.129719

International Journal of Technology Transfer and Commercialisation, 2023 Vol.20 No.1, pp.99 - 116

Received: 01 Dec 2020
Accepted: 23 Jan 2022
Published online: 21 Mar 2023 *