A Literature Review and Classification of Relationship Marketing Research

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A Literature Review and Classiﬁcation of Relationship Marketing

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Article in International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management · April 2012

DOI: 10.4018/ijcrmm.2012010104
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56 International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management, 3(1), 56-81, January-March 2012
A Literature Review and

Classification of Relationship
Marketing Research
Ashish Gupta, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India
G. P. Sahu, Motilal Nehru National Institute of Technology, Allahabad, India
ABSTRACT
This paper presents a literature review and classification of Relationship Marketing (RM) research. A range
of online databases were searched to gain comprehensive knowledge on RM. Several articles were identified
and reviewed for their direct relevance to RM, relevant were subsequently selected. Each of these articles
has been further reviewed and classified. Papers and research on RM categorized into five broad categories
(Relationship Marketing – Understanding, Industry Applications, Market Development, Technological con-
cern and Firm Performance) and further sub-categories. The most popular areas covered by the papers in
the sub-category understanding of RM, Market Development; and RM general, concept, and study followed
by papers in different areas of management like-retail, banking, construction etc. The bibliography provides
an academic database of the literature from various journals. The classification approach provides a means
to conceptualize the coverage of relationship marketing and the relative popularity of CRM topic areas. This
paper provides a roster of field projects accompanied by a comprehensive bibliography that will be useful to
both academics and practitioners for studying existing research as well as for contemplating future research.
Keywords: Classification of RM, Literature Review, Market Development, Relationship Marketing (RM),
RM Publications
1. INTRODUCTION It involves a process of attracting, maintaining

and enhancing relationships with customers
Relationship marketing (RM) is widely ac- and stakeholders (and, when necessary, termi-
knowledged as a useful tool in gaining customer nating them) at a profit, so that the objectives
loyalty in various sectors. In the world of busi- of the parties involved are achieved through
ness, the concept of relationship marketing mutual exchange and the fulfillment of prom-
(RM) is widely understood, both academically ises (Zineldin & Philipson, 2007; Das, 2009;
and professionally. Its goal is to maintain strong Adamson et al., 2003; Gronroos, 1994, 2004;
relationships and convert indifferent customers Kotler & Armstrong, 1999; Berry, 1995). In
into loyal ones (Berry & Parasurarnan, 1991). business, RM brings stability and decreased
uncertainty to a company by acting as a barrier
to competitor entry and maintaining a stable and
DOI: 10.4018/jcrmm.2012010104
Copyright © 2012, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.
International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management, 3(1), 56-81, January-March 2012 57
solid base of customers (Alexander & Colgate, 3. CLASSIFICATION

2000). For customers, RM provides closer and
longer-term relationships that yield three types The classification framework, shown in Figure
of benefits: 1) social (familiarity, friendship and 1, is based on the literature review and the na-
information-sharing), 2) economic (discounts or ture of relationship marketing research, which
other money-saving benefits) and 3) customiza- mean to give an understanding how the subject
tion (tailor made services/products), as noted has evolved and progressing. The articles were
by Sheth and Parvatiyar (1995), Berry (1995), classified into five broad categories and each is
Gwinmer et al. (1998), and Peterson (1995). divided into subcategories (Figure 1).
RM is relatively more emotional and behav-
ioural, focusing on concepts such as bonding, 3.1. Understanding of Relationship
empathy, reciprocity and trust (Sin et al., 2005; Marketing
Yau et al., 2000).
In this part, we will discuss the emerging concept
in marketing i.e., relationship marketing, its
2. RESEARCH METHODOLOGY evolution, concepts & definitions, model de-
velopment for relationship marketing. Today’s
In this paper, relationship marketing literature marketing managers are required to place an
has been classified into five categories based on increased emphasis on relationship marketing
literature review study available on relationship to create new customer as well as retain existing
marketing from various journals and research customer through effective relationship. The
papers and variable are derived which are most cost of creating new customer is comparatively
appropriate for understanding RM and its ap- lesser than to retain a customer with the product
plications. Literature is studied to understand & services with happiness.
the basics of relationship marketing through
the research has been already conducted in this 3.1.1. Evolution of
field and to find out gaps, issues which are still Relationship Marketing
uncovered. First part is focusing on understand-
ing of Relationship Marketing which include In 1983 Leonard L. Berry, distinguished pro-
concepts of RM, Objectives, Definitions & fessor of Marketing at Texas A&M University,
Models related with Relationship Marketing. coined the word Relationship Marketing when
In second part review in context of industry he presented a paper entitled Relationship Mar-
initiatives to implement relationship marketing keting at the American Marketing Association’s
programmes, practices adopted by industries Services Marketing Conference. The paper
and competitive market strategy development was published in the conference proceedings
through relationship marketing. In third part and for the first time the phrase Relationship
relationship between relationship marketing and Marketing appeared in the Marketing literature.
market development reviewed which include The phenomenon Relationship Marketing was
customer retention, customer loyalty & increase first identified by some of the insightful writ-
customer satisfaction, how to increase customer ers like Berry et al. (1983), Gronroos (1990),
base & market share. Fourth part contains review and McKenna (1991). Although McKenna has
related to firm performance in terms of B2B often been credited with the term “relationship
exchange, customer-firm affection, corporate marketing”, but it was Berry who first defined
brand development is discussed. In last part and analyzed in scientific literature. However
review related to technology is discussed with there was also a parallel development in in-
development of real time system development, dustrial marketing which contributed to the
online feedback system and E-CRM concept development of RM (Gronroos, 1990). Accord-
of relationship marketing. Finally issues in the ing to Berry et al. (1983) customer relationship
literature review are identified and discussed. can be best established around a core service,
Figure 1. Proposed model for classification of relationship marketing research
which ideally attracts new customers through (Dwyer et al., 1987; Palmatier et al., 2006;
its need-meeting character. However, creating Sheth & Parvatiyar, 1995).
customer loyalty among the old customers is one
of the main goals of Relationship Marketing. 3.1.2. Relationship Marketing:
At the same time, Gronroos (1990) developed Concepts, Definitions
relationship marketing as a central theme of and Dimensions
service marketing with no separation between
production, delivery, and consumption, thus the This part of research paper focus on basics
buyer-seller interaction must be considered as of RM like its concept, Definitions given by
part of marketing’s task which can be fulfilled marketing expert & researchers and its dimen-
through relationship with the customer. Rela- sions which lead effective relationship between
tionship marketing is now considered to be a buyer and seller.
feasible strategy in mass consumer markets
(Christy et al., 1996; Gronroos, 1996; Sheth & 3.1.2.1. Concept of Relationship Marketing
Parvatiyar, 1995). The evolution of relationship
marketing has been one of the most signicicant The earlier definition of marketing by Ameri-
developments in marketing over the decades, can Marketing Association (1985), states that
particularly in relation to industrial marketing “Marketing is the process of planning and
executing the conception, pricing, promotion 3.1.2.3. Dimensions of Relationship

and distribution of ideas, goods and services Marketing
to create exchange and satisfy individual and
organizational objectives”. However, this Marketing literature provides some important
view of marketing was considered outdated, dimensions (Table 2) of relationship marketing
and its’ relevance was found only to certain like –commitment, trust, cooperation etc which
types of firms and markets (Hakansson, 1982; is more important for any firm to consider these
Gummesson, 1987, 1994; Gronroos, 1989). factors in their marketing programs.
Such criticisms have led to the suggestion
that a paradigm shift in marketing is needed 3.1.3. Paradigm Shift in Relationship
if marketing is going to survive as a discipline Marketing
(Gronroos, 1995) and companies must move
from short-term transaction-oriented goal to Lacey (1996) defines a paradigm as “a shared
long-term relationship-building goal (Kotler, assumption, or an accepted theory which gov-
1992). Some of the selected definitions on erns the outlook of an epoch and its approach
relationship Marketing are further compiled in to scientific problems...[giving]... standard
Table 1 and analyzed to conclude relationship forms of solutions to problems”. Relationship
marketing in current business practices. marketing is the new paradigm in marketing
literature (Kotler, 1991, Grönroos, C.1994,
3.1.2.2. Definitions of Relationship Gummesson, 1997; Brodie et al., 1997) that
Marketing challenges the existing and entrenched Philoso-
phies in marketing literature. The new paradigm
Definitions of relationship marketing are found asserts that intelligent marketers should view
out from literature review study which depicts existing customers as a tremendous growth
the meaning, variables and role of relationship opportunity (Claycomb & Martin, 2002). For
marketing to the industries. academicians it is a paradigm shift in marketing
Now, we can see relationship marketing as (Table 3) philosophy urging the importance of
an approach to develop a long term association long term relationship and retaining existing
with customers, measure the satisfaction level customers over getting new customers; since
and develop effective programs to retain the a bird in hand is better than the two in a bush.
customer with the company. For practitioners Relationship marketing is a
Relationship marketing focuses on: competitive advantage (Day, 2000), a tool to
reduce the customer churn (Schneider & Bowen,
1999), a tool to overcome service failures
• Attracting, maintaining, and enhancing
(Crosby & Stephens, 1987), an opportunity
relationships between firms & customers.
for marketing additional products and services
• Creating, communicating, and delivering
to a more receptive customer base (Priluck,
value to customers.
2003). However today relationship marketing
• Enhance mutual economic value at re-
gets a wide makeover to take “Holistic market-
duced cost.
ing” view (Kotler & Keller, 2006) to achieve
• Developing and maintaining successful
customer attraction as well as retention by a
relational exchanges.
mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises
(Gringos, 1990).
Relationship marketing is an emerging
field in the marketing and various dimensions 3.2. Industry Initiatives and
for study. I have found several dimensions of Applications
relationship marketing from literature available
on relationship marketing. Relationship marketing is now days a part of
corporate strategy because to retain a customer
Table 1. Definitions of relationship marketing
Authors (year) Definitions

Berry (1983) Relationship marketing (RM) is attracting, maintaining and in multi-services organizations
enhancing customer relationships.
Jackson (1983) RM is managing strong, lasting relationships with individual accounts.
Jackson (1985) In industrial marketing Relationship marketing refers to marketing oriented towards strong,
lasting relationships with individual accounts.
Dwyer et al. (1987) Relationship marketing focuses on attracting, maintaining, and enhancing relationships
between firms.
Turnbull and Wilson The formation of long-term buyer-seller relationships through the creation of structural and
(1989) social bonds between companies.
Gronroos (1990) The purpose of marketing in the new context is to establish, maintain, and enhance relationships
with customers and other partner, at a profit, so that the objectives of the partners involved
are met. This is achieved by a mutual exchange and fulfillment of promises.
Berry and Parasura- Relationship marketing concerns attracting, developing and retaining customer relationships.
man (1991)
McKenna (1991); Relationship marketing attempts to involve and integrate customers, suppliers and other
Shani and Chalasani infrastructural partners into a firm’s developmental and marketing activities.
(1991)
Shani and Chalasani An integrated effort to identify, maintain, and build up a network with individual consumers
(1992) and to continuously strengthen the network for the mutual benefit of both sides, through
interactive, individualized and value-added contacts over a long period of time.
Morgan and Hunt Relationship marketing refers to all marketing activities directed toward establishing, de-
(1994) veloping and maintaining successful relational exchanges.
Evans and Laskin The role of relationship marketing is to augment the vendor’s core product, i.e., to dif-
(1994) ferentiate the firm’s total offering in the marketplace. They define relationship marketing
as a process that includes inputs (understanding customer expectations, building service
partnerships, empowering employees, and total quality management); outcomes (customer
satisfaction, customer loyalty, increased profitability, and quality products); and ongoing
assessment (customer feedback, integrating relationship marketing into the firm’s strategic
planning framework).
Sheth and Parvatiyar Developing close interactions with selected customers, suppliers, and competitors for value
(1995) creation through cooperative and collaborative effort.
Cravens (1995) Relationship marketing, as a field of study, began to attract attention in the early 1990s as
firms began to enter into long-term associations to counter the effects of increased customer
demands and intensifying global competition.
Perrien and Ricard An asymmetrical and personalized marketing process that takes place in the long-run results
(1995) in some bilateral benefits and rests on an in-depth understanding of customer needs and
characteristics.
Sheth and Parvatiyar RM can be defined as the process of developing cooperative and collaborative relationship
(1995b) with customers and other market actors.
Morris et al. (1998) Relationship Marketing is a strategic orientation adopted by both the buyer and seller orga-
nizations, which represents a commitment to long-term mutually beneficial collaboration.
Galbreath (1998) CRM integrates marketing, sales and service functions through business process automation,
technology solutions and information resources to maximize each customer contact. CRM
facilitates relationships among enterprises, their customers, business suppliers and employees.
continued on the following page
Table 1. continued
Gummesson (1999) Relationship marketing is marketing based on interaction within networks of relationships.
Harker (1999) An organization engaged in proactively creating, developing and maintaining committed,
interactive and profitable exchanges with selected customers (partners) over time is engaged
in relationship marketing.
Parvatiyar and Sheth Relationship marketing as the “ongoing process of engaging in cooperative and collaborative
(2000) activities and programs with immediate and end-user customers to create or enhance mutual
economic value at reduced cost.”
Gronroos (2000) Process of identifying and establishing, maintaining, enhancing, and when necessary terminat-
ing relationships with customers and other stakeholders, at a profit, so that the objectives of all
parties involved are met, where this is done by a mutual giving and fulfillment of promises.
Vavra (1995); Patoka RM includes efforts to keep customers satisfied after purchase, taking steps to increase the
(2001) likelihood of cross-purchasing, measuring the extent to which customers are satisfied, and
translating the sales process into an effective program complete with two-way dialogue
American Marketing Marketing is an organizational function and a set of processes for creating, communicating,
Association (AMA) and delivering value to customers and for managing customer relationships in ways that
(2004) benefit the organization and its stakeholders.
Table 2. Dimensions of relationship marketing in literature
Authors (years) Dimension Definition

Sharma and Patterson (2000) Attractiveness of alternatives The client’s estimate of the likely
satisfaction available in an alterna-
tive relationship
Gounaris (2005) Bonding The (psychological) process through
which the buyer and the provider
build a relationship to the benefit of
both parties
Gounaris (2005) Commitment The desire for continuity mani-
fested by the willingness to invest
resources into a relationship
Anderson and Narus (1990); Communication The formal as well as informal
Vatanasombut et al. (2008) sharing of meaningful and timely
information between
firms
Selnes (1998); Sichtmann (2007) Competence The buyer’s perception of the sup-
plier’s technological and commercial
competence
Anderson and Narus (1990) Conflict The overall level of disagreement in
the working partnership
Anderson and Narus (1990); Cooperation Similar or complementary coor-
Lages et al. (2008) dinated actions taken by firms in
interdependent relationships to
achieve mutual outcomes or singular
outcomes with expected reciproca-
tion over time
Table 2. continued
Mohr et al. (1996); Payan (2007) Coordination The extent to which different parties
in a relationship work well together
to accomplish a collective set of
tasks
De Wulf and Odekerken Schroder Customisation The extent to which a seller uses
(2000); Danaher et al. (2008) knowledge about a buyer to tailor
his offerings to the buyer
Gao et al. (2005) Dependence The extent to which there is no
equivalent of better alternatives
available in the market
Sin et al. (2005) Empathy Seeking to understand the desires
and goals of somebody else
Wilson (1995); Coote et al. (2004) Goal compatibility/ The degree to which partners share
goal congruence goals that could only be accom-
plished through joint action and the
maintenance of the relationship
De Ruyter and Wetzels (1999); Opportunistic behaviour The behaviour of a party that
Delerue-Vidot (2006) endangers a relationship for the
purpose of taking advantage of a
new opportunity
Hunt and Nevin (1974); Ashnai et Power The ability of one individual or
al. (2009 group to control or influence the
behaviour of another
Sin et al. (2005) Reciprocity The component of a business rela-
tionship that causes either party to
provide favours or make allowances
for the other in return for similar
favours or allowances at a later stage
Morgan and Hunt (1994); Sweeney Relationship benefits Partners that deliver superior ben-
and Webb (2007) efits will be highly valued and firms
will commit themselves to establish-
ing, developing and maintaining
relationships with such partners
Wilson (1995); Perry et al. (2002) Relationship-specific investment The relational-specific commitment
of resources that a partner invests in
the relationship
Garbarino and Johnson (1999); Satisfaction An overall evaluation based on the
Barry et al. (2008) total purchase and consumption
experience with a good or service
over time
De Ruyter and Wetzels (1999 Service quality A comparison between customer
expectations and performance
Morgan and Hunt (1994); Vatana- Shared values The extent to which partners have
sombut et al. (2008) beliefs in common about what
behaviors, goals and policies are
important, unimportant, appropriate
or inappropriate, and right or wrong
Table 2. continued
Burnham et al. (2003); Switching costs The one-time costs that customers
Barry et al. (2008) associate with the process of switch-
ing from one provider to another
Moorman et al. (1993); Orth and Trust A willingness to rely on an exchange
Green (2009) partner in whom one has confidence
Noordewier et al. (1990) Uncertainty The unanticipated changes in the
circumstances surrounding an
exchange
Table 3. Paradigm shift in marketing to arriving at relationship marketing
Year Evolution of marketing to arriving at relationship marketing

1960’s Direct mail becomes an increasingly part of marketing mix. Many new direct mail association
were born to provide mail order and direct mail to customers.
1970’s Direct response advertising is used in order to create sales leads. It used direct mail, Tele- market-
ing and one to one marketing techniques for better interaction.
Late1970’s Direct marketing was done in order to blend the above two transactional techniques.
Early 1980’s Database marketing-at this phase marketers began to use computer technology for information
gathering and systematic processing of such data for making the activity directed to satisfy customers.
Late 1980’s One to one marketing-Marketers began to use more affordable technology to communicate with
customers’ individually.
Early 1990’s Loyalty Marketing-here marketers realized that by keeping the faith or trust they could retain
they’re existing customers and extend their life as a customer.
Late 1990’s Relationship Marketing- it help marketer to recognized that a person was a customer, they were
not necessarily loyal. It shows a transitory relationship among them.
with the company for a long time or even more a major change to adjust the corporate focus
requires lot of efforts. Now industries are from product to customer. Most of the com-
planning to initiate the relationship marketing panies begin their RM programmes with two
programmes specially to maintain relationship key components: data warehousing or customer
with the parties with whom they trading or service call centers.
supplying. Effective relationship marketing
programme provides better results in terms of 3.2.2. RM Practices Adopted by
increased customer base, sales & profitability. Industries
3.2.1. Implementation Programmes Relationship marketing practices (Table 5) in

industries is widely accepted due to increase
Customer loyalty programme has become a competition in the market, it is very difficult to
central tool in customer relationship marketing retain the customers with the company for a long
efforts, playing a critical role in retaining cus- period. now days most of the companies adopt-
tomers and developing relationships between ing relationship marketing practices in their
customers and companies (e.g., Kumar & Shah, companies like-financial firms are adopting RM
2004). The decision to implement Relation- practices because to sell any financial product
ship Marketing programmes (Table 4) implies to the customer, which require customer trust
Table 4. Literature on implementation programmes
Authors (year) Findings

Reichheld (1993) A successful loyalty programme produces benefits for customers such as economic,
psychological, and social rewards and for the company such as customer attitudinal and
behavioural loyalty.
Harrison (1993); Mann CRM systems allow organizations to build detailed customer profiles that facilitate precise
(1990); Shani and Cha- matching of marketing offers to prospects and can be used to track the effectiveness of
lasani (1993) marketing programmes, as well as providing the basis for future planning.
Landberg (1998) Outlines a three-stage evolutionary process in customer management strategy when
implementing CRM in financial services companies. In the first phase, the emphasis is on
cross selling; in the second, on additional product or distribution capability; and finally
through value added services.
Bolton et al. (2000); A customer loyalty programme is a marketing practice designed to build and sustain a
Lacey et al. (2007) loyal customer-company relationship by offering rewards to its customers in return for
their business with the company.
on the company, it can be built through strong 3.3.1. Customer Loyalty

relationship with the customers in the market. and Profitability
3.2.3. Competitive Market Strategy Customers remain loyal, not because of promo-
Development tions and marketing programs, but because of
the value they receive. Customer loyalty (Table
Relationship marketing (RM) is frequently em- 7) is defined as “a deeply held commitment
ployed by firms to improve their dealings with to rebuy or repatronize a preferred product/
customers despite the absence of a universally service consistently in the future, thereby caus-
acceptable. The marketing environment has ing repetitive same-brand or same brand-set
changed considerably over the past few decades purchasing, despite situational influences and
and firms are increasingly attempting to build marketing efforts have the potential to cause
relationships with their customers to shield off switching behavior” (Oliver, 1999). In a busi-
competitors’ offerings. So, now there is a need ness context of loyalty has come to describe a
to develop a market strategy to maintain strong customer’s commitment to do business with a
relationship with customers, suppliers, Buyers particular organization, purchasing their goods
and govt. etc. (Table 6). and services repeatedly, and recommending the
services and products to friends and associates
3.3. Market Development (McLlroy & Barnett, 2000). Loyalty depends
Market development is one of the major task of on industry, culture and market behavior.
relationship marketing, it includes – increase
3.3.2. Customer Satisfaction
market share, customer loyalty & profitability,
customer satisfaction, increase customer trust Satisfaction is defined as an emotional post-
towards firm etc. through market development consumption response that may occur as the
firm can develop itself in present market and result of comparing expected and actual perfor-
plan for expansion. mance (disconfirmation), or it can be an outcome
that occurs without comparing expectations
Table 5. Literature on RM practices adopted by industries

Moriarty et al. (1983) Suggested the concept of relationship banking is based upon the acceptance that the
bank can increase its earning by maximizing the profitability of total customer rela-
tionship overtime.
Christopher et al. (1991) Claimed that nearly every major player in retail financial services institutions adopted
some form of customer care programme (one of the practice of RM).
Perrien et al. (1992) Observed that there is strong competitive pressure which forces financial institutions to
revise their marketing strategies and to stress long-lasting relationship with customers.
Cassidy et al. (1993) The relevance of relationship marketing in health care is widely recognized.
Wagner et al. (1994) Discussed the relevance of the relationship marketing programs, integrated marketing
strategy and data base marketing for favourable image leading to improved hospital
performance.
Sheedy (1997) Claim that in the Banking sector RM has not always been implements very carefully.
Table 6. Literature on competitive market strategy development
Authors (years) Findings

Porter (1980) Typology has been used extensively in marketing strategy literature (Slater and
Olson, 2000) probably because it captures the way in which firms create value
(i.e., differentiation or low cost) and defines their scope of market coverage (i.e.,
focused or market-wide).
Sudarshan (1995) It has been postulated that marketing strategy is a product of marketing relation-
ships, marketing offerings, marketing timing, resources allocation.
Slater and Olson (2001) Aggressive marketing strategy is characterized by high-quality innovative
products, close relationships with customers, extensive marketing research and
market segmentation to identify premium target markets, selective distribution,
and intensive advertising.
Liang et al. (2009) Found that an investment in customer relationships provides the basis for devel-
oping strategies for creating customer value, and that such strategies provide the
foundation for sustainable competitive advantage, which in turn leads to solid
financial performance.
(Bennett & Rundle-Thiele, 2004). Customer with a particular company on an ongoing basis”
satisfaction (Table 8) is a substantial issue in In the present economic environment, character-
relationship marketing, particularly those in ized by intense competition and technological
services industries (Keiningham et al., 2005; dynamism, the problems of customer reten-
Garbarino & Johnson 1999). Satisfaction is an tion and customer profitability have become
overall evaluation based on the total Purchase paramount for the success of any business
and Consumption experience with a good or (Gurau & Ranchhod, 2002). Customer retention
service over time. brings some remarkable benefits such as lower
price sensitivity, higher market share, positive
3.3.3. Customer Retention word-of-mouth, lower costs (Reichheld, 1994).
Furthermore, customer retention has often been
Retention (Table 9) can be defined as “a com- assumed as a sign of the customer loyalty.
mitment to continue to do business or exchange
Table 7. Literature on customer loyalty and profitability

Howell and Soucy (1990) The objective of customer profitability analysis is to assign the revenues, expenses,
assets, and liabilities of an organization to the customers who cause them.
Baldinger and Rubinson (1996); Customer loyalty is also a key determinant in predicting market share and profit
Jacoby and Chestnut (1978); levels.
Reichheld (1996)
Kavali et al. (1999); Lee et al. Empirically examined that the relationship marketing determinants such as trust
(2007) and commitment are crucial in building long-term relationship quality which is a
crucial antecedent of customer loyalty.
Anderson and Mittal (2000) Customer relationship profitability arises through the acquisition and retention of
“high quality” customers with low maintenance costs and high revenue.
DeWulf, Odekerken- Schro- Successful relationship marketing efforts improve customer loyalty and firm
der, and Iacobucci (2001); Sird- performance through stronger relational bonds.
eshmukh, Singh, and Sabol (2002)
Bolton, Kannan, and Bramlet Assessed loyalty programs in credit card business. The main conclusion of their
(2000) research is that loyalty programs have a positive influence on customer retention
and frequency of use of service.
Garland (2002) Examined 1,100 retail bank customers to determine the non-financial drivers of
customer profitability.
Reinartz and Kumar (2002) Findings from four industries (high technology, postal service, retail food and
direct brokerage) still indicate that a larger proportion of the long-term customers
than of the short-term customers exhibit high profitability, and a larger proportion
of the high-profitability customers than of the low-profitability customers are
long-term customers.
Lemon, White, and Winter (2002) Analyzed the influence of loyalty programs on intention to buy in enter- tain-
ment industry. Their research proved the effectiveness of loyalty programs and
importance of relationship marketing.
Bolton et al. (2000); Verhoef Research has shown that loyalty have a significant, positive impact on customer
(2003) retention, service usage, and/or share of customer purchases (e.g.).
Verhoef (2003) The factors that affect customer loyalty such as: satisfaction, emotional bonding,
conformity of price.
Bennett and Rundle-Thiele (2004) A study on 4 Australian big banks demonstrates that banks have 23-32 percent
dissatisfied customers while their profits are in the top six public companies in
Australia. This shows that dissatisfied customers can remain loyal.
Palmatier et al. (2006) Customer loyalty and repurchase decisions are highly regarded by the firm as they
determine firm’ profitability and growth.
Ndubisi (2007) Empirically examines the influence of relationship marketing determinants such
as trust, commitment, communication and conflict handling on customer loyalty
in the context of banking sector in Malaysia.
Palmatier et al. (2007) Found a positive relationship between value received by the customer and loyalty
to the firm.
Homburg et al. (2009); Huang Studies have found a strong positive correlation between Customer orientation
(2008) and loyalty to the firm.
3.3.4. Customer Trust elevated the topic to a capital research priority.

Third, empirical evidence is particularly scarce
Consumer trust (Table 10) “as existing when one in this CLV domain.
party has confidence in the exchange partner’s
reliability and integrity” (Morgan & Hunt, 1994, 3.4. Technology
p. 23), and as the expectations held by the con-
sumer that the service provider “can be relied Today, relationship marketing integrating
on to deliver on its promises” (Sirdeshmukh marketing, sales and service functions through
et al., 2002, p. 16). Trust is a precondition business process automation, technological so-
for increased commitment (Miettila & Moler, lutions and information resources to maximize
1990). Trust is a fundamental relationship each customer contact. The primary anteced-
model building block and is included in most ents to altering RM practices are technology,
relationship models (Wilson, 1995). Trust has specifically internet and IT. Key tasks involved
been defined in various ways in the relation- in relationship marketing such as: gathering,
ship marketing literature: as a willingness to coordinating and analyzing accurate data on
rely on an exchange partner in whom one has customers, and the development of marketing
confidence (Moorman et al., 1992). strategies that personalize the relationship and
maximize the benefit to the organization by
3.3.5. Customer Share Development focusing greater resources on higher value.
Customer share (Table 11) is defined as the 3.4.1. e-CRM

ratio of a customer’s purchases of a particular
category of products or services from supplier X Organization can gain benefits from e-CRM
to the customer’s total purchases of that category implementation (Table 13), since it significantly
of products or services from all suppliers (Pep- helped the information flow in the Organiza-
pers & Rogers 1999). Customer share depicts the tion as well as relationships with customers.
repeat purchase by the customer with the same Kotorov (2002) defined e-CRM as the ap-
company; it can be increased through positive plication of information and communication
relationship between company and customer. technology to increase the scale and scope of
customer service. Another definition of e-CRM
3.3.6. Customer Life Time Value presented by Kelley et al. (2003) is that e-CRM
refers to the marketing activities, tools and
Customer lifetime value (Table 12) for a firm is techniques delivered over the Internet (using
the net profit or loss to the firm from a customer technologies such as web sites and e-mail,
over the entire life of transactions of that cus- data-capture, warehousing and mining) with
tomer with the firm. Hence the lifetime value of a specific aim to locate, build and improve
a customer for a firm is the net of the revenues long-term customer relationships to enhance
obtained from that customer over the lifetime of their individual potential.
transactions with that customer minus the cost of
attracting, selling, and servicing that customer, 3.4.2. Online Feedback (KYC)
taking into account the time value of money
(Berger & Nasr, 1998). Reinartz and Kumar With the help of technology enabled services
(2000) explained that the interest in customer now days it is possible that companies are
lifetime value research has increased recently, approaching their customers through online
mainly for three reasons. First, firms are now system to provide product information, display
more and more interested in customer manage- images, receive their feedback on products &
ment processes for which an understanding of services. At present taking online feedback or
customer lifetime value concept is a prerequi- review of products /services is a very com-
site. Second, the Marketing Science Institute has mon practice used by the companies, so there
Table 8. Literature on customer satisfaction

Anderson et al. (1994); Crosby Satisfaction in this study as the emotional state that occurs as a result of a customer’s
et al. (1990) interactions with the firm over time.
Muller (1991); Kotler (1999) Have pointed out that customer satisfaction is also an important factor in initiating
a consumer’s repurchases.
Berry (1994) Studies in customer satisfaction show that highly satisfied customers tend to pur-
chase more and more likely to remain as customers.
Sheth and Parvatiyar (1995) The perpetual importance of satisfaction as an important variable in business
relationships who state that partners should deliver high-level satisfaction during
each business transaction.
Bolton et al. (2000); Verhoef Research has shown that loyalty have a significant, positive impact on customer
(2003) retention, service usage, and/or share of customer purchases.
Szymanski and Henard (2001) Meta analysis shows that satisfaction has a positive impact on self-reported cus-
tomer loyalty.
Bennett and Rundle-Thiele A study on 4 Australian big banks demonstrates that banks have 23-32 percent
(2004) dissatisfied customers while their profits are in the top six public companies in
Australia. This shows that dissatisfied customers can remain loyal.
Table 9. Literature on customer retention

Claycomb and Martin (2002) Surveyed 205mostly large service firms in the USA to determine the specific objec-
tives these firms had for “establishing and nurturing relationships with customers.
Weinstein (2002) In reality,80 percent or more of marketing budgets are often earmarked for attracting
new customers, leaving only 20 percent allocated to retaining existing customers.
Kotler (2003) Many organizations overspend on courting new customers and under-spend on
retaining existing customers.
Ve r h o e f (2003); Ry a l s Relationship marketing initiatives have been shown to have a measurable impact
(2005) on customer retention, market share, and firm profitability.
Bolton, Lemon, and Verhoef From the point of view of academics, understanding customer retention
(2004); Sheth and Parvatlyar and its antecedents is central to relationship marketing theories.
(1995); Verhoef (2003)
is a need to develop a user friendly system by decisions nimbly, and monitoring the pulse of
which a customer can easily interact with the business as it occurs. It is the task of customer
online queries. care officer to update the information for cus-
tomers and solve their as soon as possible.
3.4.3. Real Time CRM System
3.4.4. Security Issues
The goal of the real-time system (Table 14) is
to act on events as they happen. It is the es- Security issues now days are major concern for
tablished practices of event-driven marketing, every firm to protect the information related to
process automation, just-in-time provisioning, customers, firm & suppliers. With the imple-
and business intelligence all rolled into one. It is mentation e-CRM companies are connecting
about getting information out quickly, making with their customer easily but the unauthor-
Table 10. Literature on customer trust

Berry and Parasuraman (1991) Trust is a key area of Relationship Marketing, particularly important within services
marketing due to the intangibility of services.
Moorman et al. (1993) Investigated the relationship between the market research agency and its client
examining trust development from the client’s perspective.
Ganesan (1994) Studied trust development between vendor and buyers in distribution channel
relationships.
Jevons and Gabbott (2000) Trust has been heavily researched in the past; however this is mostly from a Busi-
ness to Consumer (B2C) approach, rather than a B2B approach.
Ratnasingam and Pavlou (2003) The literature indicates there are many types of trust, but in business relationships,
there are two key types of trust– trading partner trust and technology trust.
Nykanen, Jarvensivu, and Moller Trust reduces risk in a relationship.
(2009)
Table 11. Literature on customer share development

Bowman and Narayandas (2001) A positive relationship between satisfaction and customer share has been demon-
strated in a single product category, this does not necessarily imply that satisfaction
also positively affects customer share development for a multiservice provider.
Verhoef, Franses, and Hoekstra Satisfied customers are not necessarily more likely to purchase additional products
(2001) or services.
Roehm, Pullins, and Roehm It is reasonable to assume that during participation in a loyalty program, a customer
(2002) might be motivated by program incentives to purchase the program sponsor’s
brand repeatedly.
Table 12. Literature on customer life time value

Reichheld and Teal Mention that long-lifetime customers are profitable because they pay premium prices, refer
(1996) other customers, are cheaper to serve, and pay more.
Jain and Singh (2002); Researchers from the direct marketing field emphasized the role of customer lifetime value
Gupta and Lehmann (CLV) in determining marketing resource allocation targets.
(2003)
Rust, Lemon, and Na- The relationship marketing domain currently witnesses a tremendous growth in research in-
rayandas (2004) vestigating customer equity and customer lifetime value predominantly in consumer markets.
Kumar and Reinartz CLV is a disaggregate metric that can be used to identify profitable customers and allocate
(2006) resources accordingly.
Kumar and Luo (2006) Showed how an individual’s brand value affects his or her CLV.
Kumar (2006b) CLV is the long-run profitability of an individual customer. This is useful for customer
selection, campaign management, customer segmentation, and customer targeting.
Table 13. Literature on e-CRM

Scullin et al. (2002) To pinpoint the important benefits of successful e-CRM implementations, such as
increased customer loyalty, more effective marketing by having detailed customer
information, predicting the type and timing of purchases, producing targeted campaigns
and tracking their effectiveness.
Skouloudis (2003) E-CRM can use alternative channels such as e-mails, websites, wap sites, voice portals,
interactive TV, SMS, MMS, WAP and IVR.
Hamid and Kassim (2004) Have demonstrated that e-CRM improves understanding of consumer behaviour and
delivering personalized services as well as consumer loyalty.
Liu et al. (2006) Consider “responsiveness” to customer inquiries and “efficiency” of the e-CRM
implementation in terms of cost reduction, time saving, and alleviation of e-CRM
load as two main measures of e-CRM success.
Da-wei (2007) A satisfied and loyal customer base is the ultimate goal of CRM and online businesses
have to have e-CRM as an integral part of their business processes to help create e-loyalty.
ized use of information from database creating 3.5. Performance

mistrust among customers. Sivakumar’s (2002)
study where e-CRM effectiveness measures Firm performance is another issue which is gain-
include accessibility of the system, operability ing interest of research; relationship marketing
and support for multiple users, system respon- has an impact on the performance of the firm
siveness, customer touch point integration, and which includes promoting trust and commit-
security and privacy technologies. ment, helpful in establishing strong emotional
bond. Relationship marketing positively affects
3.4.5. Technology Adoption business performance, mediated by relationship
quality and interdependence (Lee et al., 2001;
Adoption of technology (Table 15) in rela- Sin et al., 2006). For managers, strong and
tionship marketing is another issue which is stable customer relationships deliver favorable
gaining importance now days. O’Callaghan word of mouth (Verhoef, Franses, & Hoekstra
et al. (1992) examined the adoption of a B2B 2002), justify price premiums (Bolton, 1998),
technology (EDI) and identified three main reduce employee training costs, and even lower
factors that influence technology adoption in staff turnover (Sheth & Parvatiyar, 1995), all
a B2B environment. The rapid growth of the of which leads to higher firm profits.
internet and its associated technologies has
greatly increased the opportunities for market- 3.5.1. Customer-Firm Affection
ing and has transformed the way relationships
between companies and their customers are Customer–firm affection (Table 16) reflects
managed (Bauer et al., 2002). Patterson et al. affectionate, enduring bond, often formed
(2003) identified seven factors that impact an through multiple favorable experiences and
organizations decision to adopt a B2B technol- interactions. By assuming a broader relational
ogy. The factors include: supply chain strategy perspective, current studies expand research
integration, supply chain member’s pressure, on customer–firm transactions to include inter-
transaction climate, environmental uncertainty, personal relationships between customers and
organizational performance, organizational size service employees. This development, which
and organizational structure. separates customer evaluations of the service
firm from those of service employees, proves
Table 14. Literature on real time CRM system

Lang and Colgate (2003) Customers dissatisfied with the amount of technology use in their
relationships (that is, they would prefer to use more or less) perceive
their relationship to be weaker than those satisfied with the amount
of technology use.
Bull (2003) Has shown that while CRM is a business process that is based on the
effective management of customer relationships, another very important
view of CRM is its technological orientation.
Moller and Halinen (2000); Payne and Frow Further Impetus for the acceptance of RM was enhanced by Rapidly
(2005) developing information technology, which enabled the managing of
customer relationships through databases and direct marketing.
Table 15. Literature on technology adoption

Lang and Colgate (2003) Customers dissatisfied with the amount of technology use in their
relationships (that is, they would prefer to use more or less) perceive
their relationship to be weaker than those satisfied with the amount
of technology use.
Moller and Halinen (2000); Payne and Frow Further Impetus for the acceptance of RM was enhanced by Rapidly
(2005) developing information technology, which enabled the managing
of customer relationships through databases and direct marketing.
Bull (2003) Has shown that while CRM is a business process that is based on
the effective management of customer relationships, another very
important view of CRM is its technological orientation.
Grover (1993) Identified organizational factors, support factors, policy factors,
environmental factors, and IOS factors, as the major determinants
of an organization’s decision to adopt a B2B technology.
Hart and Saunders (1997) Focused on relationships, an area that has been inadequately covered
in the technology adoption literature.
salient for both business-to-business (B2B) 3.5.3. Corporate Brand Development

and business-to-consumer (B2C) services
(Iacobucci & Ostrom, 1996). The close relationship strategy, which implies
that by being more active in the relationship,
3.5.2. B2B Exchanges a firm could create more satisfied and loyal
customers. Relationship marketing provides a
Relationship marketing research and practice framework for understanding how a firm can
operate according to the paradigm that firms achieve customer loyalty and develop their
should invest in relationship marketing to build brands by focusing on important aspects of
better relationships, which will generate sales. the relationship with their customers (Table
Relationship is also important in business to 18). As a strategic issue, corporate branding
business exchanges for relationship effective- is applied in relationships with shareholders,
ness (Table 17). business associates, customers, employees, and
in banking, notably with regulators.
Table 16. Literature on customer-firm affection

Shimp and Madden Customer–firm affection represents positive feelings; its lower bound is defined as the absence
(1988) of any particular feelings for a service firm.
Hut and Speh (1995) Relational services demand longer duration, help customers gain a better understanding of
the aims and operations of the firm, and prompt stronger commitment.
Gonzaga et al. (2001) Customer–firm affection also involves strong behavioral outcomes through a two-step
relationship continuation process. First, the affective experience motivates customers to
approach the firm more frequently. Second, as interdependence and commitment grow,
customers ignore other alternatives, willingly sacrifice for the relationship, and display pro
relationship behaviors.
3.5.4. Business Performance manager or firm strives toward retaining cus-

tomers they should focus on customer satisfac-
The business firm which adopts relationship tion and provide life time value. Measuring the
marketing as a strategy, it will improve its performance of RM implementations from the
business performance (Table 19). Relationship customers’ point of view as an alternative to the
marketing orientation provides a framework to company perception is very important and de-
create, develop and maintain the firm to im- serves attention from researchers. Furthermore,
prove its performance with strong relationship this research also facilitates an understanding
development. Business performance refer to the of how relationship marketing helps marketer
improvement of the firm’s market position, that to formulate marketing strategy.
is, building product awareness and penetration
in the market; shaping customers’ perceptions of
the organization and their products (Srivastava 5. RESEARCH GAP ANALYSIS
et al., 1999); and the rise in customer loyalty
Although many research carried in the field
and retention (Evans & Laskin, 1994).
of relationship marketing but on the basis of
3.5.5. Country Perspective literature review, studies show that there is need
to do research in the areas of customer lifetime
Country perspective research provides a view of value, customer loyalty, firm performance etc.
international as well domestic research findings research gaps (Table 21) are identified from
specifically for relationship marketing, their existing literature review (Table 22) to make
study objectives, the context in which they relationship marketing concept more viable as
were conducted and valuable findings which a marketing strategy.
insist the research to find the gap and conduct
future research (Table 20). 5.1. Research Questions
4. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS 1. Can adoption of relationship market-

ing practices leads towards better firm
This Literature review on relationship market- performance?
ing research provides implications for effective 2. Analyze the imperative factors those per-
management of relationship with customers. If suade the effective relationship marketing
Table 17. Literature on B2B exchanges

Venkatraman (1989) As predicted by the alignment perspective, we posit that RM generates the highest returns when
the salesperson’s relationship-building efforts match the buyer’s relational governance needs.
Anderson and Narus Propose that each industry has an “industry bandwidth of working relationships” that “reflects
(1991, p. 96) the explicit or implicit relationship strategies.”
Bensaou and Venkatra- Have discussed the patterns of inter organizational relationships based on information
man (1995) exchange between two parties as well as matching of information processing needs (envi-
ronment, partnerships etc.) with its capabilities (process, IT etc.).
Weitz and Bradford Suggest that firms should encourage employees to build relationships by implementing
(1999) systems that reward relationship quality with exchange partners.
Johnson and Sohi Researchers demonstrate that both firms and individuals exhibit relatively stable orientations
(2001); De Wulf Ode- toward relational exchange.
kerken-Schröder, and
Iacobucci (2001)
Dibb and Meadows Relationship Marketing is most essential in a B2B context due to the fragile nature and
(2004) importance of inter-firm relationships.
Cao and Gruca (2005); RM is not effective for all customers and that customers sometimes seek to avoid relationships.
Reinartz and Kumar
(2000); Berry (1995);
Crosby et al. (1990)
Table 18. Literature on corporate brand development

Berger and Udell (1998) In banking, SMEs tend to rely heavily on strong relationships, as they perceive
that this leads to an increased willingness among banks to support customers
during recession.
Rao, Agrawal, and Dahlhoff One additional side effect of corporate branding is that the successful establish-
(2004) ment of a corporate brand provides economy of scale in marketing and thereby
reduces marketing costs.
Da Silva and SyedAlwi (2006) Focus on cognition is a relatively new line of research on corporate branding that
has attracted some attention.
Table 19. Literature on business performance

Rich (2000) Observes that the process of establishing relationships that have meaningful sales
results will require that individuals in both the buying and selling organizations
desire such relationships.
Hogan (2001) Proposes a methodology for measuring expected relationship value using a Monte-
Carlo simulation to measure expected relationship value as a probability distribution
of the net present value of current and future relationships outcomes.
Sin et al. (2002) Analyze the impact of relationship marketing orientation on business performance
in a service context.
Table 20. Literature on relationship marketing in country perspective
Authors (year) objective Context Findings

Ruaud (2005) This study shows that how culturally based Managerial This exploratory study
relationship are based in western econo- applications has taken a step forward
mies. of manage- towards a better under-
ment prac- standing of the ways
tices, theories, in which relationship
and concepts marketing has emerged
in the Western economy.
Hatmy (2007) This paper reviews the gap between differ- Construction This study analyzes to
ent cultures and their impact on business Industry better understanding
dimensions and relationships in the U.A.E. of marketing strategies
to bridge the gap in
culture, in UAE there is
a need to develop brand
building, customer
retention.
Hansen (2008) This study tries to analyze the paradigm Russian Findings show that
shift from transactional to relationship economy hoe Russian economy
marketing changing their view
from traditional
economy to relationship
based economy.
Chou (2009) Analyze effect of experiential and relation- international Study reveals that cus-
ship marketing on customer value American tomers in casual dining
casual dining chains in Taiwan was
chains in female college students
Taiwan they were recommended
from families and
friends, word of mouth
approach was effective
for advertising.
Kabiraj and Shanmu- This study analyzes the effect of imple- Automobile This study analyze that
gan (2009) mentation of CRM practices in indigenous industry how to maximize the
firms. customer satisfaction for
successful CRM.
Petison (2010) Examine the cross cultural problems in Automobile This study analyzes
buyer-supplier marketing relationships be- industry. that cross cultural gaps
tween Thai suppliers and Japanese buyers. between Thai suppliers
and Japanese Buyers
rising conflict in devel-
oping and maintaining
relationship marketing.
Rakshit and Examines the impact of relationship mar- Mobile tele- Findings shows that
Eyob (2010) keting antecedents on the quality of firm communica- relationship quality
customer relationships and customer tions market related items should be
loyalty in the Ethiopian mobile telecom- personalized in telecom
munications market. sector according to
needs of the customer.
Table 20. continued
Olotu, Maclayton, and Examined the practice of Relationship Banking Finding shows that the
Opara (2010) Marketing Orientation (RMO) in Nigerian Industry banking service sector in
banks. Nigeria need to greatly
improve on the practice
of Relationship Market-
ing Orientation.
Omar and Ali (2010) The study tries to determine the Brand Loy- Banking The value of this study
alty and Relationship Marketing in Islamic industry lies in the fact that it
Banking System places the role of brand
management firmly
in Bank Islam. The
employees of Bank
Islam play a key role in
enhancing good relation-
ship with Bank Islam
customers and exert
considerable influence
on the structure and
culture of a company.
Table 21. Research gap analysis
Research gap Area

RG – 1 Literature shows a positive association of relationship marketing Firm performance
with better firm performance. So, there is a need to study those factors
which leads towards a profitability for long term existence of firm.
RG – 2 Available Literature shows that few research studies are conducted Customer life time value
in the domain of customer life time value in indian context.
RG – 3 Available Literature shows there is a need of further research Customer retention, loyalty, customer share
on customer retention, loyalty for market development in indian context development
with changing market situations.
Table 22. Research issues and supporting literature
Research Issues Supporting Literature

Firm Performance Shimp and Madden (1988), Jain and Singh (2002),
Dowling and Uncles (1997), O’Brien and Jones (1995),
Hut and Speh (1995)
Customer Loyalty DeWulf, Odekerken-Schröder, and Iacobucci (2001);
SirdeshmukhSingh, and Sabol (2002), Homburg et
al. (2009), Huang (2008), Verhoef (2003), Homburg
et al. (2009)
Customer lifetime value Blattberg and Deighton (1996), Rust, Lemon, and Naray-
andas (2004), Kumar (2006b), Reichheld and Teal (1996)
Customer Retention Verhoef (2003); Ryals (2005), Bolton, Lemon, and
Verhoef (2004), Sheth and Parvatlyar (1995), Verhoef
(2003), Claycomb and Martin (2002)
and enhance the excellence in relationship defection rates (Reichheld & Sasser, 1990).
marketing. The literature review show that an increasing
3. Develop a relationship marketing strategy volume of relationship marketing research has
for increasing customer life time value and been conducted for a diverse range of areas and
maximum satisfaction. few areas are identified where more research
4. What are the relationship marketing initia- is required like market development issues
tives taken by the companies? requires more research on customer retention,
5. How successful are relationship marketing customer lifetime value, Trust and commit-
program in retaining customers & provide ment, customer loyalty, customer satisfaction,
lifetime value? and profitability with changing market needs
and customer preferences. Research is required
5.2. Research Issues on market development through relationship
marketing, what are the reasons of non accep-
In today’s marketing environment where tance of relationship marketing programmes
sustainability of the consumer life time value in industries, initiatives taken by industries to
with a particular organization may not have retain their valuable customers. Although many
any validated assurance. In such a scenario the research carried out in relationship marketing
most important tool available with the firms is and customer relationship marketing but there
to make the customers happy. Such concepts is a need to revive market through development
give birth to “relationship marketing”. It is the of relationship marketing strategies which will
time to honour our customer by finding out their lead to customer share development and retain
need and building mutually satisfying relation customers for life time.
with them. On the basis of literature review
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Ashish Gupta is a research scholar in the School of Management Studies, MNNIT, Allahabad,
India. He is pursuing his research in field of marketing. His research area includes – Relationship
Marketing, CRM and Customer Retention. He holds degree in Management and qualified Uni-
versity Grant Commission’s National Eligibility Test for Lecturership in the area of Management.
G. P. Sahu is an associate professor, School of Management studies, MNNIT, Allahabad, India.

He received his PhD in Management from Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi. His research
interests are in the areas of MIS and e-governance. He has published several research papers in
International journals and conferences. He has coordinated several international conferences.
He has also edited five books in the area of e-governance. Dr. Sahu has acted as a reviewer for
several international journals. He is also a Guest Editor with International Journal of Electronic
Governance. Dr. Sahu has been on the jury for the CSI- Nihilent e- governance National Awards,
India. He is convener for CSI-Nihilent E-governance National Awards for E-Districts.
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A Literature Review and Classiﬁcation of Relationship Marketing

Article in International Journal of Customer Relationship Marketing and Management · April 2012

Dr. Ashish Gupta G. P. Sahu

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A Literature Review and

1. INTRODUCTION It involves a process of attracting, maintaining

solid base of customers (Alexander & Colgate, 3. CLASSIFICATION

Figure 1. Proposed model for classification of relationship marketing research

executing the conception, pricing, promotion 3.1.2.3. Dimensions of Relationship

Table 1. Definitions of relationship marketing

Authors (year) Definitions

continued on the following page

Table 2. Dimensions of relationship marketing in literature

Authors (years) Dimension Definition

continued on the following page

continued on the following page

Table 3. Paradigm shift in marketing to arriving at relationship marketing

Year Evolution of marketing to arriving at relationship marketing

3.2.1. Implementation Programmes Relationship marketing practices (Table 5) in

Table 4. Literature on implementation programmes

Authors (year) Findings

on the company, it can be built through strong 3.3.1. Customer Loyalty

Table 5. Literature on RM practices adopted by industries

Authors (year) Findings

Table 6. Literature on competitive market strategy development

Authors (years) Findings

Table 7. Literature on customer loyalty and profitability

Authors (year) Findings

3.3.4. Customer Trust elevated the topic to a capital research priority.

Customer share (Table 11) is defined as the 3.4.1. e-CRM

Table 8. Literature on customer satisfaction

Authors (year) Findings

Table 9. Literature on customer retention

Authors (year) Findings

Table 10. Literature on customer trust

Authors (year) Findings

Table 11. Literature on customer share development

Authors (year) Findings

Table 12. Literature on customer life time value

Authors (year) Findings

Table 13. Literature on e-CRM

Authors (year) Findings

ized use of information from database creating 3.5. Performance

Table 14. Literature on real time CRM system

Authors (year) Findings

Table 15. Literature on technology adoption

Authors (year) Findings

salient for both business-to-business (B2B) 3.5.3. Corporate Brand Development

Table 16. Literature on customer-firm affection

Authors (year) Findings

3.5.4. Business Performance manager or firm strives toward retaining cus-

4. MANAGERIAL IMPLICATIONS 1. Can adoption of relationship market-

Table 17. Literature on B2B exchanges

Authors (year) Findings

Table 18. Literature on corporate brand development

Authors (year) Findings

Table 19. Literature on business performance

Authors (year) Findings

Table 20. Literature on relationship marketing in country perspective

Authors (year) objective Context Findings

continued on the following page