Building customisation capability in B2B marketing: the role of organisational capital

Abstract

ABSTRACT Building marketing capabilities is at the forefront of marketing strategy in B2B marketing. As customisation is key for creating unique value for B2B customers, the ability to customise market offerings is, or ought to be, an integral part of B2B marketing strategy. Based on the premise that different forms of organisational capital constitute important building blocks of customisation capability, in this research, we (i) differentiate customisation capability in B2B marketing from mass customisation capability, (ii) build our model from the customisation, capability, intellectual capital, structural capital, and cognitive capital literature streams, and (iii) test the model of building customisation capability using key informant from 161 marketing research firms. We conclude with a discussion of the implications of our research for customisation theory and practice, the limitations of our research, and a detailed explication of future research opportunities.