From Marketing Mix to Relationship Marketing: Towards a Paradigm Shift in Marketing

Previous research on the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty has
largely neglected the issue of moderator variables. The authors develop a set of
hypotheses related to the moderating effect of selected personal characteristics on the
satisfaction-loyalty link. These hypotheses are tested in a consumer durables context
using multiple group causal analysis. Empirical findings provide reasonable support for
the theoretical arguments. Specifically, variety seeking, age, and income are found to be
important moderators of the satisfaction-loyalty relationship.

/pdf/personal-characteristics-as-moderators-of-the-relationship-18vg84p2z7.pdf

Personal characteristics as moderators of the relationship between customer satisfaction and loyalty—an empirical analysis

The authors advance a conceptual model of channel member satisfaction that distinguishes between economic and noneconomic satisfaction. The resulting model then is tested using meta-analysis. Meta-...

https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=6186&context=lkcsb_research

A meta-analysis of satisfaction in marketing channel relationships

Discusses the nature and sometimes negative consequences of the dominating marketing paradigm of today, marketing mix management, and furthermore discusses how modern research into, for example, industrial marketing and services marketing as well as customer relationship economics shows that another approach to marketing is required. This development is supported by evolving trends in business, such as strategic partnerships, alliances and networks. Suggests relationship marketing, based on relationship building and management, as one emerging new marketing paradigm of the future. Concludes that the simplicity of the marketing mix paradigm, with its Four P model, has become a strait‐jacket, fostering toolbox thinking rather than an awareness that marketing is a multi‐faceted social process, and notes that marketing theory and customers are the victims of today’s mainstream marketing thinking.

Keynote paper From marketing mix to relationship marketing ‐ towards a paradigm shift in marketing

Logistics excellence has become a powerful source of competitive differentiation within diverse marketing offerings of world-class firms. Although researchers have suggested that logistics competencies complement marketing efforts, empirical evidence is lacking on what logistics service quality means to customers and whether it has different meanings for separate customer segments. The authors present empirical support for nine related logistics service quality constructs; demonstrate their unidimensionality, validity, and reliability across four customer segments of a large logistics organization; and provide empirical support for a logistics service quality process. Although structural equation modeling offers support for the logistics service quality process across customer segments, the authors find that the relative parameter estimates differ for each segment, which suggests that firms ought to customize their logistics services by customer segments.

Logistics Service Quality as a Segment-Customized Process

RANKINGS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE VARIABLES BY DEALERS, END USERS AND ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FIRMS IN THE OFFICE SYSTEMS AND FURNITURE INDUSTRY WITH CONCLUSIONS ON THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ROLE IN MARKETI- RANKINGS OF CUSTOMER SERVICE VARIABLES BY DEALERS, END USERS AND ARCHITECTURE AND DESIGN FIRMS IN THE OFFICE SYSTEMS AND FURNITURE INDUSTRY WITH CONCLUSIONS ON THE CUSTOMER SERVICE ROLE IN MARKETING-

Establishing customer service strategies within the marketing mix

The ability to nurture marketing channel relations is essential to long‐term corporate survival. This study empirically investigates how and why relationships between manufacturers and dealers in the office systems/furniture industry develop and how and why these relationships are maintained. The results demonstrate the benefits of considering the actions and reactions of channel partners when developing tactical and strategic marketing plans. These findings emphasise the importance of mutual dependency, behaviour and financial performance in creating effective working environments.

Long‐term Channel Member Relationships

Although significant advances have been made in customer service
research, a majority of this research has concentrated on defining and
measuring the importance of customer service in isolation from the other
components of the marketing mix. In order to achieve a competitive
advantage from customer service, it is necessary to establish service
levels as part of the firm′s overall marketing strategy. This monograph
reviews the development of customer service; evaluates past customer
service research; presents a methodology for integrating customer
service and marketing strategy, and provides some suggestions for future
research.

Customer Service Research: Past, Present and Future

Purpose – This paper aims to report a research methodology that is used to identify business buyer segments by relating demographic indicators to the needs of various market segments.Design/methodology/approach – The research was based on a survey in the office systems industry. The respondents were asked to evaluate the importance of marketing services that are used by dealers to select, evaluate, and retain vendors.Findings – Market segments were identified and categorized using demographic and need‐based data. Discriminant analysis was able to distinguish between demographic market segments and to identify these segments based on their market needs.Practical implications – This paper demonstrates a methodology to identify customer needs based on demographic data, lowering the cost of identifying the product and service needs of different market segments.Originality/value – Demographic and need‐based business segmentation methods are widely used, However, empirically based research that bridges the gap ...

Jay U. Sterling

Papers

Establishing customer service strategies within the marketing mix

Long‐term Channel Member Relationships

Customer Service Research: Past, Present and Future

Segmenting business‐to‐business markets: a micro‐macro linking methodology

Decision support system for strategic logistics planning