The Role of Relationship Marketing Dimensions in the Customer Retention Cover Image

Santykių marketingo dimensijų vaidmuo išlaikant vartotojus
The Role of Relationship Marketing Dimensions in the Customer Retention

Author(s): Renata Žvirelienė, Ilona Bučiūnienė
Subject(s): Economy
Published by: Vilnius Gediminas Technical University
Keywords: Relationship marketing; relationships with customers; customer retention; relationship marketing dimensions; satisfaction; trust; commitment.

Summary/Abstract: Advancement of science and technology, growth of service sector, strengthening of competition and, what is the most important, diversity of customer needs and regular changes thereof, determined the necessity for a new approach to the development of operations. Relationship marketing is defined as “the new marketing”, oriented towards the main objective of the company’s operations - fulfillment of customer needs and building of long-term relationships with customers. However, loyalty from the customers’ side is not guaranteed. Customer’s wish to maintain loyal relationships depends on the company’s ability to foresee the needs of potential customers and to fulfil them before the competitors do that. A company that seeks to earn the customer loyalty and maintain a competitive advantage has to be well versed in the qualitative dimensions of relationships – the main principles for maintaining of relationships. As shown in the analysis of scientific literature on the subject of relationship marketing, only a few of scientific researches were devoted to operationalization of the key dimensions of relationship marketing. After taking into consideration the interpretations of commentation on relationship marketing dimensions, presented by the scholars, and their significance to the company’s relationships with business partners, the following main relationship marketing dimensions were identified: empathy, communication, cooperation, satisfaction, trust and commitment. Manifestation of these dimensions in conjunction with formal measures of the company such as organizational rules of behaviour and the code of ethics determine the strength and development of relationships between the parties that maintain them. Empirical research into manifestation of relationship marketing dimensions in relationships of cargo vehicles manufacturers’ representative offices with their customers allowed to establish that the manifestation of relationship marketing dimensions in relationships of these companies with customers was sufficiently strong and in turn determined closeness of these relationships.

  • Issue Year: 2008
  • Issue No: 4
  • Page Range: 272-280
  • Page Count: 9
  • Language: Lithuanian