Driving innovation performance and sustainable marketing through big data analytics and the moderating role of marketing agility and customer experience management

Abstract Despite the strategic importance of digital transformation, the mechanisms by which big data analytics translates into innovation performance remain a “black box” in small and medium-sized enterprises. Our study uniquely integrates big data analytics and Sustainable Marketing to examine innovation performance while investigating the moderating effects of customer experience management and marketing agility, which have been overlooked in prior research. Using structural equation modeling, data from 300 managers in textile SMEs in Bangladesh were analyzed to examine the nature of the relationships among variables. The results show that while big data analytics is a critical antecedent of innovation performance, its impact is significantly amplified by the mediating role of Sustainable Marketing. Crucially, we identify a “synergy effect” in which marketing agility and customer experience management serve as essential boundary conditions that strengthen the big data analytics-innovation performance nexus. The findings suggest that to enhance innovation performance, firms should prioritize not only big data analytics and Sustainable Marketing but also invest in customer experience management and marketing agility. The proven relationship extends to the study of innovation management, Sustainable Marketing, customer experience management, and marketing agility literature, demonstrating that strategic marketing tools, such as Sustainable Marketing, customer experience management, and marketing agility, not only provide customer-related outcomes but also enhance innovation performance.