Digital Pull Marketing and Consumer Decision Intelligence:A Study of Inbound Marketing Practices in India's White Goods Sector

Purpose: Digital innovation and AI are transforming the Indian white goods industry, aligning product discovery and purchasing with the needs of a new generation of consumers. This paper examines inbound marketing, a strategy that attracts customers through valuable digital content rather than traditional advertising. The study investigates its adoption, impact, and effectiveness in India’s white goods sector, with a particular focus on the Pune region.

Methodology: The study employs a descriptive research design with quantitative methods. The researchers collected primary data through structured questionnaires from 102 white goods retailers and 250 urban consumers in Pune. Statistical analysis involved Pearson correlation and multiple regression analysis to test seven hypotheses, with exploratory factor analysis (EFA) used to establish construct validity prior to hypothesis testing. Content marketing, social media marketing, search engine optimisation (SEO), and email marketing served as the independent variables. Online purchase intention (OPI) and sales performance were the dependent variables.

Findings: All four inbound marketing pillars had a positive and significant effect on both consumers' online purchase intentions and retailers' reported sales performance (p < 0.05). Content marketing and social media had the strongest influence on purchase intent, while SEO showed the greatest impact on lead quality. Customer engagement partially mediated the relationship between inbound marketing practices and sales outcomes.

Limitations and Implications: The scope of this study is geographically limited to the Pune region and depends mainly on self-reported data from participants. Future research should replicate these findings in Tier-2 cities and use longitudinal designs to establish causal relationships. Although anonymised data collection is helpful, researchers cannot fully eliminate common method bias.

Practical implications: The paper offers white goods companies and retailers an evidence-based framework for digital marketing investments. It suggests shifting from outbound mass advertising to integrated inbound strategies supported by AI-driven personalisation, local SEO, and consumer education content.

Originality and value: This is one of the first empirical studies to examine all four inbound marketing pillars within the Indian white goods sector. The paper introduces Consumer Decision Intelligence (CDI), a new theoretical concept that explains how AI-enhanced inbound marketing qualitatively transforms buyer decision-making in high-involvement product categories. The authors suggest a dedicated CDI measurement scale for future validation.