Relationship between online marketing and sustainable performance of SACCOs amid Covid-19

Online marketing is widely used as a marketing method for businesses nowadays to promote their products and services along with rapidly increasing internet users. Online marketing gets attention and has been used among the Kenyan Deposit Taking Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (DT-SACCOs), particularly DT-SACCOs that have large-sized and medium-sized total assets and are located in a capital city of Kenya or near the city with good internet network conditions. However, most Farmers and Community Based DT-SACCOs situated in rural areas with low network conditions were behind in adopting online marketing. This research aims to investigate the income status from 2018 to 2020 DT-SACCOs and their online marketing usage by DT-SACCOs’ type comparatively, focusing on social media marketing and mobile marketing. We examine a correlation between online marketing and income growth in the Covid-19 pandemic (2019-2020) based on the quantitative data. In addition, we observe whether online marketing is feasible in the DT-SACCOs’ local context and whether it became a crucial method to ensure their stable income in the DT-SACCOs’ view through the qualitative interviews that complemented a quantitative analysis. In conclusion, we suggest what may be considered for the Farmers and Community Based DTSACCOs in the future if online marketing activity is crucial for them to provide financial services to the members and secure sustainable income.