INFLUENCE OF ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE ON CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT (CRM) IN DIGITAL MARKETING IN BENUE STATE, NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated Influence of Artificial Intelligence (AI) on Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in digital marketing in Benue State. Two (2) research questions and two
(2) research hypotheses respectively guided the study. The descriptive survey design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised 800 (eight hundred) registered small and medium enterprises (SMEs) from Benue State. A sample of 400 (four hundred) SMEs Owners and managers was used for the study. A 10-item structured questionnaire constructed by the researcher tilted. “Influence of Artificial Intelligence and Customer Relationship Management in Digital Marketing Questionnaire (IAICRMDMQ)” was used for data collection. A reliability estimate of 0.85 was established for the instruments. Descriptive statistics of Mean and Standard Deviation were used to answer the research questions while the Chi-Square (X2) statistical tool was used to test the hypotheses at 0.05 level of significance. The findings revealed that artificial intelligence (AI) influence customer relationship management (CRM) in digital marketing through customer engagement and retention in digital marketing in Benue State. Based on the findings of the study, it was recommended amongst others that digital marketers and SMEs operators should prioritize adopting artificial intelligence (AI) tools like Chatbots and predictive analytics to enhance customer engagement and retention. SMEs owners and Managers should also leverage AI-driven data analytics to gain insights into customer behaviour, preferences, and needs. Conclusion were made and implication of the findings drawn.