Showing papers on "Relationship marketing published in 2020"

Enhancing consumer engagement in e-commerce live streaming via relational bonds

Abstract: Enhancing consumer engagement in e-commerce live streaming is critical for e-commerce operators to build relationships and create consumer loyalty. Using the stimulus–organism–response model and theories from relationship marketing, the authors develop and test an integrative conceptual framework that combines various relational bonds, affective commitment, and consumer engagement.,Using 327 valid responses from consumers of Taobao Live, the authors employed the software Mplus7.0 to evaluate the measurement model and the structural model.,The results empirically demonstrate that social and structural bonds positively affect consumer engagement directly and indirectly via affective commitment, while financial bonds have only an indirect effect via affective commitment on consumer engagement.,The findings provide useful insights for e-commerce operators, who should invest in establishing relational bonds and stimulating affective commitment to improve consumer engagement.,This study adds to e-commerce research by being one of the first empirical studies on e-commerce live streaming, extends the marketing literature by integrating different relational bonds as antecedents of consumer engagement from the relational perspective, and enriches the affective commitment literature by distinguishing commitment to the online marketplace from commitment to the broadcaster.

Live streaming commerce from the sellers’ perspective: implications for online relationship marketing

Abstract: Live streaming has recently become a popular direct selling channel which offers small, self-employed sellers unseen levels of consumer interaction and engagement. While the extant research focused...

Linking Corporate Social Responsibility to Customer Loyalty through Co-Creation and Customer Company Identification: Exploring Sequential Mediation Mechanism

Abstract: Promoting corporate social responsibility (CSR) and co-creation has become a crucial relationship marketing strategy for the banks. This research empirically investigates how banks’ CSR activities generate positive customer responses in the form of co-creation, customer–company identification (CCI), and loyalty. This research sheds light on the influence of CSR on customer behavior by analyzing the underlying psychological processes through the sequential mediation of co-creation and CCI. Working with a sample of 280 banking customers in Pakistan, partial least square based structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is employed to test the conceptual model. CSR is a multidimensional formative construct that affects customer loyalty both directly and indirectly. Sequential partial mediations of co-creation and CCI are found between CSR activities and customer loyalty. Lastly, CCI has a direct and significant impact on co-creation and customer loyalty. Banks must include CSR in their long-term marketing plans to improve overall customer behavior because banks’ CSR activities result in customer identification and co-creation. Similarly, banks should welcome the customers’ participation in service design and use their knowledge and skills to improve overall service culture.

Understanding and managing customer relational benefits in services: a meta-analysis

Abstract: Recent meta-analyses provide clear insights into how service firms can benefit from relationship marketing, whereas investigations of customers’ relational benefits (1) are unclear about the absolute and relative strengths by which different relational benefit dimensions induce different customer responses and (2) have not simultaneously examined the various mediating processes (including perceived value, relationship quality, and switching costs) through which relational benefits reportedly affect customer loyalty. To consolidate extant research on the benefits of relationship marketing for customers, this meta-analysis integrates 1242 effect sizes drawn from 235 independent samples across 224 papers disseminated in the past two decades. The results reveal that all three relational benefits affect loyalty, though confidence benefits and social benefits have the strongest effects. Among the three identified mediation paths through which relational benefits influence customer loyalty, the sequential path through perceived value and relationship quality is the strongest. From a service research perspective, this study provides novel empirical generalizations; managerially, the findings suggest that a primary goal for service managers should be strengthening confidence and social benefits.

Online Engagement and the Role of Digital Influencers in Product Endorsement on Instagram

Abstract: The article aims to analyze the forms of engagement generated from the endorsement of products by digital influencers on Instagram, considering the characteristics of their online posts. A qualitat...

Digital marketing and business-to-business relationships: a close look at the interface and a roadmap for the future

Abstract: This study aims to introduce the special issue on digital marketing and business-to-business (B2B) relationships. In general, only modest attention has been devoted to the study of digitalization in the B2B sector and even less on the importance of the perils and promises of digitalization for B2B relationships. This study’s goal is to help focus scholarly attention on the implications of digitalization on B2B relationships.,In this conceptual paper, the authors’ approach is to carefully review relevant literature, and to lay out the field of digital marketing and B2B relationships, conceptualizing it for future research.,The authors find that the following areas are critically important to understanding future trends in digital marketing and B2B relationships: coopetition, value co-creation, B2B branding, servitization, innovation networks, relationship dynamics and power and trust.,The intersection of digitalization and B2B relationships is an under-researched topic. With this paper and the accompanying special issues papers, the authors hope to begin to fill this critical gap.

The role of social media in the co-creation of value in relationship marketing: a multi-domain study

Abstract: Social Media (SM) is an established channel by which organisations can create and seek to co-create value with consumers and other stakeholders. However, the role of SM in building relationships (i...

Exploring How Influencer and Relationship Marketing Serve Corporate Sustainability

Abstract: Influencer marketing furthers the goals of relationship marketing. Companies use influencers to advertise their products through social networks such as Instagram. This digital advertising is aimed at shifting the company’s goals from customer acquisition to retention and commitment. While several articles provide interesting advances analyzing social media and sustainability goals, research about influencer types and their impact on engagement preserving corporate sustainability is limited. Thus, the objectives of this study are: (1) Select general influencer traits as positive characteristics in promoting a product; (2) analyze them for micro and macro influencer scenarios; (3) explore potential differences in their adequacy determining customer engagement and preserving corporate sustainability. Credibility, pleasantness, and emotions are the criteria analyzed through multivariate analysis applied over two independent samples of followers. Pleasantness and appearance in the macro influencer scenario and perceived integrity in that of the micro influencer appear to conflict with the desired transparency of the message, while transmission of emotions plays an essential role in both scenarios. This is a very important finding. Companies should assess candidate influencers’ emotional projection skills, in addition to evaluating the brand sponsorship costs and defining the target audience for the advertisement, always under the premise of preserving corporate sustainability.

The Antecedents of Relationship Marketing and Customer Loyalty: A Case of the Designed Fashion Product

Abstract: Customer loyalty is a desired and essential result for companies in a business environment with a lot of competition, of which the fashion industry is no exception. For the fashion industry, the competition between businesses is increasingly fierce with the appearance of tailored fashion brands for each customer, also known as a designed fashion brand. The objective of this study is to examine the relationship between the antecedents of the relationship (reputation of designer, social media marketing) and customer relationship (trust and intimacy), and loyalty of customer for a designed fashion brand. The mixed research method is used to achieve research objectives with qualitative and quantitative research method. Qualitative data was collected through in-depth interview with 12 participants in Ho Chi Minh City, while quantitative data was collected by a survey of 799 respondents in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi City. The results show that the antecedents of relationship marketing positively affect on customer relationship and customer loyalty. Moreover, customer relationship has a positive impact on the customer loyalty when shopping for fashion products. From the research results, some managerial implications are also proposed for the designed fashion brands to improve the relationship marketing performance.

Understanding the Impact of Relationship Disruptions

Abstract: Personal relationships between salespeople and customers are essential for the success of business-to-business relationships, and research has shown that a change of the salesperson can severely ha...

Developing relationship quality in economy hotels: the role of perceived justice, service quality, and commercial friendship

Abstract: With a paradigm shift to relationship marketing, how to build high-quality relationships between customers and firms has become a key for companies, particularly hospitality companies to achieve su...

Athlete branding via social media: examining the factors influencing consumer engagement on Instagram

Abstract: Research Question: Social media platforms provide opportunities for athletes to promote their personal brands and attract engagement from consumers. Through this research, we examined the factors t...

The student as customer and quality in higher education

Abstract: This paper explores some management concepts and how applying these concepts from business to higher education can be problematic, let alone incompatible, particularly in relation to measuring quality in higher education.,It provides a conceptual understanding of the literature on quality in the higher education context. It does so by examining the literature on students as customers, customer expectations, customer satisfaction and other management theories that have been applied to higher education.,It argues that the current bases for perceiving quality such as meeting customer expectations, satisfying the customer, ensuring quality control, meeting standards and assessing the cost associated with poor quality are in disagreement with the principal aims and measures of quality in higher education.,This paper can certainly benefit from many other concepts in business that have been applied in higher education, which it lacks. It only focussed on a number of key and popular ideas in management theory that have been used in higher education more broadly.,Student-focussed quality initiatives can be devoid of the student as customer concept. How programs, subjects and experiences are curated can be solely for the purpose of continuous improvement. Second, universities that choose to treat the student as a customer may find it beneficial to apply a relationship marketing approach to higher education. Lastly, those against the student as customer concept may focus on the long-term impact of quality initiatives such as promoting lifelong learning, building long-term relationships with alumni and employers and those that further promote academic integrity.,Some considerations have been offered. These considerations revisit the basic notions of teaching and learning in higher education. It puts an emphasis on sidestepping the student as customer metaphor, that learning is not expressed in dollar terms, and that the quality of the student experience cannot be measured by student evaluation alone because it is felt much later in life.

The role of relationship quality and loyalty programs in building customer loyalty

Abstract: Despite the abundance of B2B loyalty programs (LPs), the research on their interplay with relationship marketing is scarce. The purpose of this paper is to investigate a LP (a relational practice) on a transactional business market to test if and how a B2B LP affects relationship outcomes.,The study is based on dyadic research in a multi-theory framework. Data were collected from 200 small and medium enterprises that purchase office supplies from a company and merged with the company’s internal records.The formative-reflective measurement model is estimated using structural equation modeling – partial least squares (SEM-PLS).,Relationship quality (RQ) directly affects sales and customer share of wallet. The effect is strengthened by customer activity in a LP. RQ results directly in a longer tenure and willingness to recommend only for members of a LP.,RQ is driven mainly by customer’s evaluation of prior experience with a supplier, while a LP is based on a forward-looking promise of a reward. The results of the study point to the level of customers’ activity in a LP as a boundary condition of the program’s efficacy.,RQ affects both attitudinal and behavioral outcomes but through distinct mechanisms. Once a supplier is a preferred one, LP membership strengthens the attitudinal outcome of a relationship. The effect of RQ on company performance is magnified by the level of customer activity in a LP but not by the membership status.,The theoretical framework integrates transaction costs, relational contract and relational exchange theories to investigate a LP on a transactional market. The study adds to the scant literature on LPs in business-to-business and provides evidence for similarities and differences in comparison to consumer research.

Social presence and e-commerce B2B chat functions

Abstract: Currently, online chat is in common use in e-commerce. By adding social interaction to the online context, companies hope to increase customers’ purchasing intentions. However, previous studies have not investigated how social presence is embedded in online business-to-business (B2B) chat conversations between buyers and sellers. Moreover, the functions of online chat in B2B sales have not been investigated.,The data was collected at a case company over the course of four years, from which the authors analyzed 157 online chat conversations between buyers (n = 157) and sellers (n = 9) with a theory-driven thematic analysis. In addition, data from the company’s customer relationship management system was collected to specify buyer types.,The results reveal that social presence was embedded in online B2B chat via buyers’ interactive, affective and relationship maintenance responses. Social presence differed depending on the type of buyer, with only existing customers having relationship maintenance responses. E-commerce B2B chat functions can be described as multiple and changing depending on the buyer–seller relationship stage.,Having data only from one case company limits the results to one type of industry.,The results can be used in sales training and when developing online chat services.,Results bring scientific utility to B2B sales and marketing research, as the authors build a bridge between social presence, the existing theoretical model on B2B buyer–seller relationship development and online chat as a communication medium. Other researchers may use this understanding when exploring B2B buyer–seller interaction in different digitalized communication media.

The interplay between business and personal trust on relationship performance in conditions of market turbulence

Abstract: Extant research examining interpersonal trust in business-to-business (B2B) buyer–seller relationships focuses on its multidimensionality, mainly from a business perspective. Our research captures an element of business relationships that is heretofore under-examined: the personal side of the relationship between the buyer and seller. We examine the interplay between both business and personal trust on performance in the relationship, namely analyzing customer relationship satisfaction and customer loyalty. We also test our model using perceived market turbulence as a moderating variable since turbulence in the marketplace could strain the relationship between the buyer and seller and affect the strength of the statistical relationships between business and personal trust on performance in the relationship.

Customer relationship management research in hospitality industry: a review and classification

Abstract: This study reviews research articles published in the area of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in the hospitality industry. The aim of this article is to systematically review the entire hosp...

The importance of customer trust for social marketing interventions: a case of energy-efficiency consumption

Abstract: The purpose of this study is to examine the importance of relationship marketing and particularly customer trust in energy-efficiency labels in social marketing interventions geared towards energy-efficient consumption.,A conceptual model was empirically tested on a sample of 517 users of electronic appliances living in South Africa. The study involved a cross-sectional design, and data were collected via a self-administered survey. Structural equation modelling and mediation analysis were used to test the hypothesised relationships.,The results indicated that customer trust is influenced by customers’ perception of the price and quality of energy-efficiency products, their attitude towards such products and their level of satisfaction with the environmental performance of the products. Customer trust, in turn, showed a positive influence on the customers’ intention to purchase energy-efficiency products and their loyalty to such products. As a central variable, customer trust was found to be an important mediator in the conceptual model.,The findings provide social marketers with important insights on the critical role that customer trust plays in achieving a long-term behavioural shift towards energy-efficient consumption.,Focusing on customer trust in energy-efficiency labels, this study provides empirical evidence of the mediating role of trust in influencing the intention to purchase and the decision to remain loyal to eco-friendly products. Moreover, this paper provides greater clarity on various levers to be activated to enhance the trust that customers have in energy-efficiency labels.

Built to last: relationship quality management for season ticket holders

Abstract: Long-term relationships between customers and organisations can benefit both parties. The purpose of this study is to examine the influence of service-related actions provided by a professional spo...

Editorial: service research in the new (post-COVID) marketplace

Abstract: The aim of this paper is to encourage service researchers to consider the long-term or permanent impact of the coronavirus-2019 (COVID-19) on services, service delivery, organizational structures, service providers and service systems from global perspectives.,This editorial is based on the personal reflections of the Journal of Services Marketing editors.,The services marketing discipline emerged in a time when customers and employees were encouraged to engage in social interaction and to form relationships, as many service encounters were deemed as social encounters. COVID-19 has impacted the ability of customers and employees to freely engage in social interaction, and as a result, we need to consider the steadfastness of our foundational theories and conceptual models in the “new” marketplace.,The editors put forth a series of sixteen research questions that warrant future empirical and descriptive research.,Managers can understand how COVID-19 will profoundly impact dramatic changes in the marketplace and prepare for them.,This study suggests that our theoretical and practical understandings of service industries has been significantly impacted by COVID-19.

Towards understanding customer loyalty: An empirical study on emotional attachment

Abstract: Customer loyalty is considered to be one of the most important objectives of a firm today However, despite all the efforts of companies, ‘loyal’ customers still seem to want to switch to competition Researchers believe that this is due to the way we measure and classify loyalty Three different methods have emerged, behavioral loyalty, attitudinal loyalty, and emotional attachment Research points out that emotional attachment is the best, producing the greatest results for firms Unfortunately, not much is known about what distinguishes emotionally attached customers from those with positive attitudes This research seeks to clarify this distinction The research was conducted through four case studies, through in-depth interview with 40 loyal customers in two cultural settings (individualist vs collectivist) The research has found that there are a number of key factors that are important in identifying these two types of customers Many of the factors are concurrent with past research; however, past research was not able to identify the intensity of these factors Moreover, the research has also discovered factors that lead some customers to become emotionally attached, whereas others remain in ‘lower’ categories The findings of this research are crucial to both managers as well as researchers Managers can use this data to improve their understanding of the types of loyal customers within their organization, and thereby develop appropriate marketing strategies For researchers, it builds a foundation for further research into this area to enhance our understanding of this phenomenon

Relationship marketing and third-party logistics: evidence from hotel industry

Abstract: This study examines the outsourcing criteria prevalent in the Hotel industry of Pakistan. In doing so, the study investigates the role of trust in the association between relationship marketing dimensions—communication, opportunistic behavior, reputation, satisfactory prior outcomes and specific investment—and third-party logistics provider’s (3PL) selection.,Using a close-ended questionnaire, data were collected from 97 hotels of various categories operating in Pakistan and involved in 3PL outsourcing. Partial Least Square–Structural Equation Modeling was employed to estimate the modeled relationships.,With a high predictive relevance of the model, communication, satisfactory prior outcome and reputation were found to have a significant effect on the trust, whereas the results showed a significant mediating role of trust in the association between communication, reputation and 3PL provider’s selection.,The study uses static data from selected firms and cannot be used to analyze behavior over a period of time. Hence, a generalization of results should be made carefully.,Findings imply that for fully capitalizing on the benefits by virtue of their prospective relationship, the managers must streamline their processes and activities according to path directions that endorse a higher degree of trust in their service providers and establish an effective system of communications interconnecting their mutual goals and objectives.,The outcome of the research study illustrated the perceptions of the local businesses with regards to the 3PL service provider(s) selection via the establishment of trust.

Relationship approach to crowdfunding: how creators and supporters interaction enhances projects’ success

Abstract: Crowdfunding has become a popular course for early-stage financing for a variety of campaigns. Research had focused mainly on factors contributing to campaigns’ success, examining the creators and the supporters discretely. The current study contributes to the literature by exploring the interaction between creators and supporters. This interaction comprises a central contribution to campaign success. Relationship marketing was adopted to facilitate a better understanding of the relationship-based aspects of the interaction. The study combines survey-based data collection from samples of creators and supports, and success measures retrieved from the crowdfunding platforms. Our findings revealed significant differences in views between creators and supporters regarding the role of communication, commitment, bonding, and trust in their interaction. These differences can impact campaigns’ success rates.

Antecedents and consequences of brand hate: empirical evidence from the telecommunication industry

Abstract: Purpose – The purpose of this study is to place the antecedents and consequences of brand hate in the context of negative consumer–brand relationship in the telecommunication industry. It provides a response to the existing gap in the research on brand hate in consumer behavior in service brands. Design/methodology/approach – A survey-based data was modeled after theory that aims to apply concepts to the telecommunications industry. With a solid model grounded and context-adapted, a mediation analysis of the role of brand hate in negative antecedents and consequences toward brands was performed. Findings – Brand hate was found to mediate all the negative relationships proposed, while showing to be especially significant in mediating negative word of mouth. This model appropriately fits the services’ marketing brand and revealed new insights into the function of brand hate in negative relationships that are specific to service marketing consumer brands. Research limitations/implications – Branding theory may benefit from deeper insights into the negative side of consumer–brand relationships. A broader illustration of its constituents in different industries and the recovery of the management approach to these circumstances bring innovation and a richer understanding, specially to the role of brand hate in the mediation context as seen in the literature (Hegner et al., 2017; Zarantonello et al., 2016) Practical implications – Managerial implications include assessing brands in analyzing and relating to different emotions and concepts from customers, allowing to prioritize and mapping the customer relationship touchpoints. Originality/value – The present study presents a first insight of brand hate in the context of the service industry of telecommunications in southern Europe while testing brand hate as a mediator involving negative predictors leading to negative outcomes in consumer–brand relationships.