Relationship Marketing Theory Research Articles

Relational exchanges in the sales domain: A review and research agenda through the lens of commitment-trust theory of relationship marketing

The commitment-trust theory (C-T theory) of relationship marketing ushered in a new marketing paradigm that shifted attention from discrete transactions to establishing, developing, and maintaining successful relational exchanges not only within buyer–seller dyads, but also across a broad spectrum of internal and external relationships involving a focal firm. Because of its relevance and implications, the theory has had a profound impact on the marketing discipline and beyond. This article employs the four broad categories of relational exchanges (i.e., supplier, lateral, buyer, and internal partnerships) identified in the C-T theory as an organizing framework to (1) review extant research on relationship marketing in the sales literature and (2) identify research gaps to stimulate future research within these four categories. Additionally, several promising avenues for future research on relationship marketing in the sales domain are also identified. Overall, this article underscores the significant impact of C-T theory on the sales literature.

The influence of servicescape on behavioral intentions of customers in hospitals post the COVID-19 pandemic

PurposeBased on the stimuli-organism-response model and relationship marketing theory, the effect of different dimensions of Servicescape (Ambience, Cleanliness, Functionality, Spatial Layout, Employee Service Quality) on Customer Satisfaction and Behavioral Intention in hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic are considered.Design/methodology/approachThe study takes a quantitative approach, applying structural equation model using partial least square structural equation modeling to test the hypotheses. A total of 360 responses were collected using questionnaires distributed to different individuals who visited private hospitals in the past two months in India.FindingsContradicting previous research, this study found that among servicescape dimensions, employee service quality had the maximum influence on customer satisfaction and cleanliness does not have any significant impact on customer satisfaction as hypothesized. Mediation results show that customer satisfaction has a partial mediation effect for all servicescape dimensions except ambience, as both direct and indirect effects are significant. Importance-performance map analysis was performed on the responses collected, and it was found that employee service quality is the most important dimension affecting servicescape, followed by functionality and spatial layout. Thus, health-care institutions should focus on these factors to keep their customers satisfied.Originality/valuePast studies have focused on the roles of servicescape and customer satisfaction separately. The authors have extended the literature by examining the combined effects of both servicescape and customer satisfaction. The findings from the study, therefore, help in developing a deeper understanding of the literature on the behavior intention relationship in the context of health care, as well as in service marketing.

Face or Relational Benefits? Research on the Influencing Mechanism on Repurchase Intention for Agricultural Inputs

Drawing insights from interpersonal relationship theory and relationship marketing theory, this study investigates the impacts of “face” and relational benefits on farmers’ repurchase intentions for agricultural inputs, and the moderating effect of relational benefits on the relationship between face and repurchase intention. A survey method was employed to test the hypotheses and data were collected from a sample of 578 farmers in rural China. The findings obtained through hierarchical regression analysis indicated that face and relational benefits (including social benefits and special-treatment benefits) exert positive effects on farmers’ repurchase intentions. However, relational benefits negatively moderate the relationship between face intentions and repurchase intention. This research sheds light on the dilemmas faced by farmers when choosing between maintaining face and seeking actual benefits while making repurchase decisions related to agricultural inputs. Moreover, the results contribute to the existing literature on the marketing of agricultural inputs and offer valuable practical implications for agricultural retailers.

Bank-Customer Relationship and Performance of Selected DMBs in Imo State, Nigeria

The concern of this study was to empirically investigate the relationship between bank -customer relationship marketing and performance of selected money deposit banks in Imo State, Nigeria. Emphasis was on determining the extent to which relationship identification, establishment, maintenance, enhancement, modification and termination have impacted on deposit money banks returns on equity and assets in Nigeria while adopting stakeholders’ theory of relationship marketing. Data for the study were primarily sourced using structured research questionnaires. These generated data were quantified using 5-point likert scale of strongly agreed, agreed, neutral, disagreed and strongly disagreed. These generated data were analyzed using Ordinary Least Square (OLS) multiple regression technique. The analyses covered demographic analysis, descriptive analysis, correlation analysis, regression analysis, F-test, t-test, R2 -test and diagnostic tests. SPSS statistical software was used to carry out these analyses. Specifically, results from these robust analyses revealed that identification, establishment, maintenance, enhancement, modification and termination of bank-customer relationship have positive and significant impacts on deposit money banks’ return on equity (ROE); relationship identification, establishment, maintenance and modification also have positive significant effects on return on assets (ROA) of deposit money banks in Nigeria; relationship enhancement has a negative insignificant impact on the ROA of deposit money banks in the country; the impact of relationship termination is positive but insignificant; and these measures of identification, establishment, maintenance, enhancement, modification and termination have joint significant impacts of 93.4% and 79.1% on ROE and ROA of deposit money banks in Nigeria. Hence, there is need for high level of professionalism in the recruitment process of bank staff in this part of the world, as the corner

The Influence of Relational Benefits on Behavioral Intention and the Moderating Role of Habit: A Study in a Personal Service Business.

The intention to repurchase is a key component in relationship marketing. However, minimal attention has been paid to how customers' habitual behavior moderates the relationship between customers' evaluation of benefits received from a service provider and the intention to revisit, specifically in a personal service business where customer-service provider interactions likely constitute the core of a sustainable relationship. To address this gap, the current study proposes and tests a comprehensive model to advance the theory of relationship marketing (RM) and additionally contributes to social exchange theory (SET), as well as the theory of repurchase decision making (TRD), in the business service context. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was employed to examine the relationships of the research model. Based on data collected from 482 customers on their perceptions of hairstylists, the empirical findings revealed that relational benefits significantly affect post-experience behavior, satisfaction, trust, and relationship commitment, and subsequently boost the intention to revisit. Furthermore, habit as an unconscious factor moderates the paths between revisiting intention and its determinants. Although several limitations exist, the findings practically and theoretically contribute to the literature on relationship marketing.

Exploring the Influential Factors of Personal Media Bloggers on Followers’ Continuous Following Intention Based on Relationship Marketing Theory

The use of personal media has become increasingly popular in recent years. However, gaining and retaining followers has become increasingly challenging, given the fierce competition among bloggers and the constant changes in personal media. In this context, this study aims to explore the factors that influence followers' continued usage intentions toward personal media bloggers and strategies to improve their loyalty. Drawing upon the theory of relationship marketing, a structural model is constructed to examine the impacts and mechanisms of personal media bloggers' attributes and communication on social presence, fanship, intention to use, and word of mouth. This research focuses on two dimensions of personal media bloggers' attributes: expertise and attractiveness. A sample of 155 highly active personal media users in China was collected through a questionnaire for analysis and validation. The findings reveal that expertise and communication have positive impacts on followers' intentions to continue following a blogger, while attractiveness has a significant, positive, and direct impact on word of mouth. Furthermore, this study shows that social presence and fanship play mediating roles in the effects of expertise and communication on followers' usage intentions and word of mouth. The research results provide valuable insights for personal media operators and marketers seeking to improve followers' loyalty and encourage potential users to become more loyal fans.

E-Government as a Key to the Economic Prosperity and Sustainable Development in the Post-COVID Era

Our paper focuses on the role of e-government in relation to economic development within the post-COVID era. Nowadays, e-government represents the service which utilizes digital technology to create electronic pathways to improve the efficiency of public services, increase economic prosperity, and improve the standard of living. In this paper, we argue that e-government presents the only proper and viable model for public administration in the 21st century by embedding internet-based technologies to ensure smooth interactions between the government and its citizens, solving the most socially important problems, enabling internal communication between public servants, and delivering public services to the entire population regardless of age or gender. In addition, we show that stakeholders and policymakers should foster the development of an adequate and non-discriminatory environment for e-government through regulatory frameworks, policy guidelines, and government guarantees. Our study is based on the results of our own survey that was administered using a snowball and quasi-random sample of 400 respondents (aged 19–26 years; 56.2% females and 43.8% males) from the Czech Republic (N = 136) and the Russian Federation (N = 264), of whom 58% were women and 42% were men (M ± SD = 45.53 ± 11.46, median age 44). Our results show that the e-government enhancement concept has been perceived as an effective tool for fostering economic prosperity, tackling corruption, and helping to avoid uncertainty. Based on the theories of customer-focus and relationship marketing, this study suggests that the most significant factor influencing the success of e-government projects is citizen orientation, followed by channel and channel orientation, and technology orientation. We show that the governments of developing countries should prioritize e-government applications in their requests for international assistance and cooperation, as well as international financial support. Moreover, we argue that digital transformation should become the key element of the changing business and market needs in the post-COVID era.

Channel integration in grocery retailers via mobile applications

PurposeThis study aims to explore the impact of channel integration on usage intention through mobile applications (apps) for customers in grocery retailers. Moreover, the study examines the moderating effect of customer commitment in the model.Design/methodology/approachStructural equation modeling was conducted on a sample of 536 consumers in Taiwan.FindingsThis study found that information integration, marketing integration and operational integration are three significant dimensions of channel integration in grocery retailers. Channel integration positively affects satisfaction and trust, which, in turn, increases usage intention. Moreover, customer commitment significantly moderates the relationships in the model.Research limitations/implicationsSample bias may exist because the sample was obtained from an online survey conducted on social media platforms.Practical implicationsThis study suggested that practitioners should confidently implement channel integration through mobile apps in stores. They may develop more valuable services connected with different channels or devices to assist customers in buying in-store. To improve customer trust in the service, practitioners can enhance their confidence in using mobile apps in their stores. Moreover, practitioners segment customers based on high and low levels of customer commitment to provide different strategies to increase usage intention in the retailer.Originality/valueThis study advanced the extant knowledge of channel integration theory and relationship marketing theory in the context of omnichannel retailing.

Antecedents and consequences of consumer hope for digital payment apps services

PurposeThis study aims to examine the impact of customer brand value dimensions on relationship marketing dimensions through consumer hope in the context of digital payment applications (apps) services. The study considers the role of consumer engagement using a moderated mediation, and applies customer perceived value, affect theory of social exchange and relationship marketing theories.Design/methodology/approachThe study is based on data collected from 301 digital payment app users. Structural equation modeling results were analyzed using Smart PLS. The authors performed moderated mediation, with different levels of customer engagement as a moderating variable, using Model 8 of PROCESS. The authors considered customer perceived value dimensions, digital quality value, perceived value, hedonic value and social value as antecedents to consumer hope and explored the role of trust, commitment and continued usage as a consequence of consumer hope.FindingsThree levels of perceived consumer value, digital quality, price value and social value, positively influenced consumer hope, which has positively influenced trust, commitment and continuance usage. Using moderated mediation analysis, consumer hope influenced continuance usage through trust at different levels of engagement, but consumer hope did not influence continuance usage through commitment at different levels of engagement.Originality/valueThe study highlights the role of consumer hope in linking customer value dimensions with relationship marketing dimensions. The study can guide managers to ensure continued usage of digital payment apps, which is a strategic objective. The results are relevant for the digital setting.

Development of mutual relations between agricultural universities and business structures based on trust as a tool for increasing competitiveness

The results of the domestic and foreign scientists research on the concepts of relationship marketing for the selection of partners, the formation of ong-term partnership relations and the optimization process of making managerial decisions of the enterprise, including taking into account the specifics of higher education services, are summarized. The conditions for using the theory of relationship marketing regarding the interaction of universities and business structures are determined. The theoretical aspects of the partnership relations formation of agricultural universities and business structures based on trust were systematized and practical recommendations regarding the organizational support of their development were substantiated. A system of methods was used: systematization, logical-structural, comparative and causal analysis of scientific literature, general scientific research methods, formalization of criteria, algorithmization, method of comparative analysis. It is substantiated that the marketing of mutual relations not only allows to increase the competitiveness of the university, but also has a positive effect on the effectiveness of other partners activities on the new coordination of all participants interests of the educational and scientific environment. The features of the trust concept, the stages of development and the main forms of interaction in the system of relations between higher education institutions and business are determined. It is proposed to take into account the influence of trust on the investment attractiveness of rural areas and regions, as well as on the development of smart-specialization and digitalization projects, the success of which is determined by the scale and strength of partnerships between agricultural universities and business structures. Organizational approaches to the expansion of partnership in educational, scientific-innovative and social areas of educational organizations activity are highlighted and stimulating factors of mutual relations are determined in order of importance. The components and elements of organizational support for the development of relations between agrarian universities and business structures are proposed and determined in order to increase competitiveness by building trusting relationships between participants. It has been proven that the implementation of these elements will contribute to the transition of mutual relations to a strategic partnership and, as a result, to the creation of positive prerequisites and conditions for increasing the competitiveness of agricultural universities. Factors that prevent and promote the development of interaction between universities and agribusiness are systematized, and the effects that participants receive from the partnership are highlighted. It was established that formal and informal institutions are used to achieve the goals and priorities of activities by the participants of the interaction in the organization of mutual relations. Amendments to strategic development documents, partnership programs, and organization of interaction participants activities are proposed. Key words: agribusiness, business structure, institution of higher agricultural education, competitiveness, concepts of relationship marketing, scientific and innovative services, employers, educational services.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Journal of Relationship Marketing (2002–2019)

Journal of Relationship Marketing (JRM) is a Journal of high repute. The journal invites high-quality publications that are original and peer-reviewed in relationship marketing (RM) theory and practice. JRM is an interdisciplinary and international journal. The research topics frequently appearing in the journal include the evolution of RM in the new economy and changing paradigms; theoretical and methodological issues in RM; internal communication, quality, trust, commitment, satisfaction, loyalty, and dissolution in RM; applications of RM in different domains and industries; international perspectives in RM; and RM strategies in services economy. The journal completed 20 years of publishing in 2021. The current paper analyzes the journal’s impact using bibliometric analysis from 2002 to 2019 on 289 publications. Network analysis is performed using VOSviewer software. The findings are reported in citations, coauthorship and bibliographic coupling, and other network analyses.

THE IMPACT OF RELATIONSHIP MARKETING ON CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND LOYALTY IN LUXURY HOTELS

The purpose of this paper is to determine the key dimensions of relationship marketing that influence customer satisfaction, as well as the impact of customer satisfaction on customer loyalty in a luxury hotel context. A survey was conducted on a convenience sample of 311 Croatian citizens who stayed in 5-star hotels in the year prior to the study. The research results show that not all dimensions of relationship marketing influence customer satisfaction. Competence, trust, and communication, as relationship marketing dimensions, have a statistically significant impact on customer satisfaction. The findings also suggest that customer satisfaction has a statistically significant influence on customer loyalty. This study contributes to the theory of relationship marketing. In addition, the obtained results have implications for hotel managers seeking to implement relationship marketing strategies to achieve customer satisfaction and loyalty.

The Mediating Role of Relationship Quality in the Linkage between Perceived Quality and Customer Loyalty

This study is the first attempt to approach the quality of university-business relationships based on the theory of relationship marketing and test the mediating role of this concept in the impact of perceived service quality (PSQ) on the loyalty of corporate customers. A combination of online and in-depth interview instruments was adopted to gather the data from 486 enterprises. Estimation of the structural model and hypothesis testing were performed via structural equation modeling. The findings of our empirical research in the context of researching the university-business relationship in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam have determined that PSQ not only has a direct effect on the loyalty of corporate customers but also has a much stronger effect on customer loyalty when impacting through relationship quality (RQ) mediation. Current results imply that better relationship quality is likely to induce more loyal customers, given the same PSQ.

The comparative effects of gratitude and indebtedness in B2B relationships

Reciprocity is inherent to business-to-business (B2B) exchanges and paves the way for salespeople and customers to experience the emotional states of gratitude and indebtedness. Despite advancements in understanding customers' experience of these two emotions and the notion that salespeople, too, are subject to emotional influence, there is limited understanding of salesperson gratitude and indebtedness and the ensuing implications for managers. Using emotion and relationship marketing theory, this study addresses this gap by gathering salesperson data from a large B2B organization to identify relationship characteristics eliciting these emotions in salespeople and the effects on relational outcomes, including relationship quality, relationship satisfaction, and positive word of mouth (WOM). The findings demonstrate differences in the relational characteristics associated with these emotions and the beneficial consequences of gratitude and not indebtedness, thereby presenting theoretical and managerial implications and suggestions for future research.

Value of corporate social responsibility for multiple stakeholders and social impact – Relationship marketing perspective

Despite extensive corporate social responsibility (CSR) literature most of research has examined corporate performance as its only outcome. We aim to fill this gap by assessing companies' perceptions of their CSR activities’ benefits for society and specific stakeholders. We discuss societal trends such as diversity and inclusion embedded in employee-focused CSR conceptualization as a prerequisite for the perception of CSR’s societal impact. We bring together CSR and relationship marketing theories to test a conceptual model on a sample of 411 business-to-business (B2B) companies. The results confirm a positive relationship between employee-oriented CSR and the perceived usefulness of CSR actions for society, customers and employees (but not suppliers). In order to maximize relationship quality, CSR activities should be targeted at specific stakeholders (customers and employees) and not at society at large. Finally, differences are observed between SMEs and large B2B firms with opposite perceptions of antecedents and outcomes of relationship quality.

Customer Relationship Proneness: Is It Important for Customer Loyalty?

Abstract. As customer satisfaction and loyalty are crucial elements in increasing company profits, companies must strive to establish good relationships with customers, including in mobile services. Opinions in previous research differ regarding the effect of customer extroversion on satisfaction toward impacting customer loyalty. The present study provides related input and potential solutions. It employs relationship marketing theory with the mediating variable of customer relationship proneness (CRP) added in, testing previous research and ultimately not finding a significant relationship between customer personality (extroversion) and customer satisfaction. Data was obtained via the survey method and structural equation modeling (SEM). The questionnaire serving as the main instrument of data collection is measured by a Likert scale, having been administered to 140 customers of mobile service providers. The findings have practical implications for identifying the effects of personality on customer satisfaction and obtaining customer loyalty in mobile services. This information can better enable mobile service providers to target and retain customers. Keywords: Conscientiousness, extroversion, customer relationship proneness, customer satisfaction, customer loyalty

Marketing relations in online advertising

Introduction. The relevance of the research is due to the fact that the model of communication between customers and suppliers within the online space has long influenced all marketing stages in the introduction of goods and services, starting with customer awareness, attitudes towards customers, soliciting potential customers to testing new products, sales, and customer retention. The purpose of the research is to identify features of the Internet as a space of marketing relationships and formulate the principles of interaction with users. Materials and methods. The reviewed sources included contemporary periodicals: Journal of Targeting Measurement and Analysis for Marketing, Electronic Markets, Marketing, etc. The study of Internet resources was based on the authors’ own data received by analysing the portals WebCanape, WebsiteSetup, Statista, etc. Results. There are nearly half a billion new users on social media; trillions of dollars have been spent in online stores, according to the annual Global Digital 2021 report. As of October 2021, the most popular social networks in the world by the number of active users (in millions) are Facebook (2,894), YouTube (2,291), WhatsApp (2,000), Instagram (1,393), Facebook Messenger (1,300), Weixin/WeChat (1,251), TikTok (1,000), etc. The Internet as a new business environment differs from traditional economic sectors by a higher level of heterogeneity. From the standpoint of marketing, the Internet makes it possible to simultaneously bring a message to a large number of users (mass communication is ensured), on the other hand, to customise the offer for specific consumers according to their needs. Conclusion. Contemporary marketing follows the consumer, i.e. uses the online environment as a point of contact with the consumer to promote and distribute products. Relationship marketing theories are based on the need for companies to invest in relationships between themselves and consumers. Relationship marketing focuses on taking relationships between the company and the consumer from a state of engagement to that of loyalty. Each customer has a personality and his/her relationship with a particular brand becomes the dominant factor influencing his/her decision regarding purchase or service.

Antecedents of customer loyalty in mobile telecommunication companies in Cameroon

The mobile telecommunication (telecom) sector has become the basic source of information nowadays, especially in Cameroon. It is used to transfer and deliver information through voice, video, data, graphics, and more at perpetually increasing speeds. The quality of mobile services does not only impact the attraction of new customers but also to maintain the existing ones. The study uses relationship marketing theory and a quantitative and cross-sectional method with 200 respondents. Information was obtained from users of MTN and Orange mobile telecommunication networks. The analyses were done using SPSS version 20. Tangibility, reliability, and assurance dimensions of staff service quality showed a positive relationship with customer loyalty in mobile telecom companies in Cameroon. The findings also highlight the influence of service quality dimensions on customer loyalty in the mobile telecom companies of the country.

Future of e-Government: An integrated conceptual framework

The information and hyper-connectivity revolutions have caused significant disruptions in citizens’ interactions with governments all over the world. Failures in implementing e-government interventions suggest the lack of an integrated approach in understanding e-government as a discipline. In this study, we present an overarching and integrated conceptual framework of e-government grounded in robust qualitative research to describe the factors that must be integrated to implement e-government successfully. Drawing insights from 168 in-depth interviews conducted with multiple stakeholders in India, this study defines e-government as a multidimensional construct with customer orientation, channel orientation and technology orientation as its antecedents. Building on customer orientation and relationship marketing theories, this study proposes that the most significant factor impacting success in implementing e-government projects is citizen orientation, followed by channel orientation and technology orientation. The study also identifies the digital divide, economic growth and political stability as moderators of e-government. Furthermore, the study proposes the tangible and intangible outcomes of e-government with perceived privacy and shared understanding as moderating conditions. Finally, the study presents relevant theoretical and practical implications with future research directions.

Personal-loyalty and pricing benefits from hairstylist-client commercial friendship

Purpose Hairstyling entrepreneurs are experiencing increasing customer demand alongside the market competition. Building commercial friendships are one of their strategies to beat the competition. However, the marketing benefits in terms of loyalty and pricing from this strategy are unknown. Following suggestions from the relationship marketing theory (RMT) that business benefits are gained from commercial friendships, this study aims to use ideas from RMT and those from models proposed by Bove and Johnson (2002) and Han et al. (2008) to examine the impact of hairstylist-client commercial friendship on four dimensions of personal loyalty to individual hairstylists and clients’ willingness to pay a premium price (WTPP). Design/methodology/approach Quantitative methods were used to collect and analyse data obtained from 562 hairstylists’ clients who had maintained the same hairstylist for 10 months in Johannesburg metropolis. Structural equation modelling using SmartPLS was used to test a conceptual model with eight hypotheses. Findings The results revealed that commercial friendship positively impacted affective, intention and behavioural personal loyalty dimensions and explained 49%, 47.9% and 46.9% of the variances, respectively. Of the four dimensions of personal loyalty, only behavioural loyalty positively influenced WTPP. Originality/value Unlike previous studies’ main focus on business-to-customer relationships and loyalty from a unidimensional perspective, this study contributes by revealing four dimensions of personal loyalty applicable in the haircare service sector. The findings confirm the business benefits suggested by the RMT, by showing that commercial friendship generates clients’ WTPP when they are behaviourally loyal. This guarantees profits and highlights the importance of nurturing close relationships in personal services.