Sugeng Mulyono

This study analyzes the complex relationships between digital marketing, Customer Relationship Management (CRM), сompetitiveness, and business performance in the creative industry Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), focusing on craft-leading products in urban areas of East Java province. According to the sample size, the number of survey respondents was 172. There were 86 male entrepreneurs (50%) and 86 female entrepreneurs (50%). Primary data were collected by distributing the questionnaires according to the number of respondents to SME entrepreneurs who are managers or company owners with competence in the business field and more than five years of business experience. The analysis used Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). The results emphasize that digital marketing affects business performance through CRM by 0.126 with p-value of 0.006, and competitiveness by 0.260 with p-value of 0.000. It can be explained that digital media can identify, recruit, and turn potential customers into loyal customers. Higher demands from customers for online services are becoming increasingly crucial for digital marketing and business activities. The essence of the results of this study is that the more effective digital marketing is, the more influential the company’s CRM is to improve the company’s business performance, including profit growth, sales growth, and employment growth. The critical role of digital strategy, CRM, and competitiveness on business performance can overcome the challenges posed by the pandemic and drive success in creative industry SMEs of superior products in East Java, highlighted in this study.

Acknowledgment
The author would like to thank the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology. Directorate General of Higher Education, Research and Technology of The Republic of Indonesia, which has supported the research implementation and permitted publication of this article.

Halal tourist destinations meet the needs of Muslim travelers while also being accessible to non-Muslim visitors. This study investigates the relationship between non-Muslim visitors’ loyalty to halal products and services and the growth of halal tourism, with a focus on the role of religion as a mediating factor. Using a quantitative approach, the data were collected from 308 non-Muslim tourists in East Java Province, Indonesia, through a questionnaire. The findings reveal that perceptions of halal products and services significantly influence tourist loyalty (t-statistic = 2.789, p-value = 0.005), although the effect size is low (0.158). In contrast, perceptions of halal tourism development have a strong impact on loyalty (t-statistic = 9.225, p-value = 0.000). The study also finds that non-Muslim religiosity has a negligible effect on the relationship between halal services and loyalty, with an interaction effect value of 0.008. Overall, while higher religiosity increases the impact of halal services and tourism development on loyalty, the effects are statistically insignificant. These findings suggest that promoting halal products and services can enhance loyalty among non-Muslim tourists, which is crucial for the growth of halal tourism. Destination marketers should focus on highlighting the benefits and inclusivity of halal offerings to attract a broader audience. Furthermore, understanding the limited influence of religiosity on loyalty can help tourism providers tailor their strategies to better engage non-Muslim visitors.