From the 4Ps to Omnichannel Capability: Marketing Policy Gaps among SMEs in Tu Liem, Hanoi

Small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly combine traditional marketing-mix decisions with digital channels, yet resource constraints can produce uneven adoption across the 4Ps. This study provides a place-based assessment of marketing policy among 120 SMEs operating in Tu Liem Ward, Hanoi. Primary data were collected from January to May 2026 using a standardized five-point Likert questionnaire administered to owners, directors, marketing managers and personnel responsible for sales or marketing, supplemented by in-depth interviews with managers, marketing specialists and local economic-management officials. Descriptive statistics and comparative analysis show a distinct pattern. Product policy is comparatively strong in quality control (78.3%) and product improvement (63.3%), although new-product launches remain limited (42.5%) and trademark protection is incomplete (53.3%). Pricing remains dominated by cost-plus logic (65.8%), with only 45.0% of firms applying flexible pricing. Distribution has moved online: 84.2% sell through Facebook and 79.2% report online-channel revenue, but only 57.5% claim omnichannel activity and most lack integrated customer, inventory and order data. Communication is heavily concentrated in Facebook marketing (90.0%) and paid advertising (67.5%), while SEO (38.3%), email marketing (28.3%) and CRM (34.2%) remain weak. The results indicate that the main challenge is not digital presence itself but the transition from fragmented channel use to integrated, data-enabled marketing capability.