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The unique role of relationship marketing in small businesses’ customer experience

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  • Gilboa, Shaked
  • Seger-Guttmann, Tali
  • Mimran, Ofir

Abstract

The current study explores what defines customer experience in small businesses. Unlike the technology-oriented customer experience characterizing large enterprises, small businesses’ distinctive customer experience lies in their human interaction with customers. Two aspects of relationship marketing, namely, social relationship and personal care, have been found to be crucial components of this experience. Combining in-depth interviews with small business owners and customers, as well as customer survey, we identified two parallel relationship strategies: communication and personal care enhances trust in the business, and social relationship foster commitment. Both strategies lead to positive customer outcomes.

Suggested Citation

  • Gilboa, Shaked & Seger-Guttmann, Tali & Mimran, Ofir, 2019. "The unique role of relationship marketing in small businesses’ customer experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 152-164.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:51:y:2019:i:c:p:152-164
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.06.004
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    2. Rizomyliotis, Ioannis & Kastanakis, Minas N. & Giovanis, Apostolos & Konstantoulaki, Kleopatra & Kostopoulos, Ioannis, 2022. "“How mAy I help you today?” The use of AI chatbots in small family businesses and the moderating role of customer affective commitment," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 153(C), pages 329-340.
    3. Marwa Salah & Mohamed A Abou-Shouk, 2019. "The effect of customer relationship management practices on airline customer loyalty," Post-Print hal-02454932, HAL.
    4. Rangson Chirakranont & Sirijit Sunanta, 2021. "Applications of Experience Economy in Craft Beer Tourism: A Case Study in Thailand’s Context," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(18), pages 1-23, September.
    5. Kim, Junic, 2021. "Platform quality factors influencing content providers’ loyalty," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 60(C).
    6. Salah, Marwa & Abou-Shouk, Mohamed A., 2019. "The effect of customer relationship management practices on airline customer loyalty," MPRA Paper 98032, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    7. Cheng-Feng Cheng & Chien-Che Huang & Ming-Chang Lin & Ta-Cheng Chen, 2023. "Exploring Effectiveness of Relationship Marketing on Artificial Intelligence Adopting Intention," SAGE Open, , vol. 13(4), pages 21582440231, December.
    8. Gilboa, Shaked & Seger-Guttmann, Tali & Partouche-Sebban, Judith, 2022. "Increasing customer loyalty and WOM in an age of terror: Cross-cultural development and validation of the customers’ reactions to terror scale (CRTS)," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).
    9. Rosenbaum, Mark S. & Friman, Margareta & Ramirez, Germán Contreras & Otterbring, Tobias, 2020. "Therapeutic servicescapes: Restorative and relational resources in service settings," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 55(C).
    10. Uzir, Md. Uzir Hossain & Al Halbusi, Hussam & Thurasamy, Ramayah & Thiam Hock, Rodney Lim & Aljaberi, Musheer A. & Hasan, Najmul & Hamid, Mahmud, 2021. "The effects of service quality, perceived value and trust in home delivery service personnel on customer satisfaction: Evidence from a developing country," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 63(C).
    11. Salah, Marwa & Abou-Shouk, Mohamed A., 2019. "The effect of customer relationship management practices on airline customer loyalty," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 5(2), pages 11-19.
    12. Cambra-Fierro, Jesús & Gao, Lily (Xuehui) & Melero-Polo, Iguácel & Trifu, Andreea, 2021. "How do firms handle variability in customer experience? A dynamic approach to better understanding customer retention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    13. Gliga, Gabriela & Evers, Natasha, 2023. "Marketing capability development through networking – An entrepreneurial marketing perspective," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 156(C).
    14. Pekovic, Sanja & Rolland, Sylvie, 2020. "Recipes for achieving customer loyalty: A qualitative comparative analysis of the dimensions of customer experience," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 56(C).
    15. Ekström, Karin M. & Jönsson, Håkan, 2022. "Orchestrating retail in small cities," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 68(C).
    16. Anna Sieczko & Anna J. Parzonko & Wioletta Bieńkowska-Gołasa, 2020. "Principles of the experience economy in designing an agritourism product," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 66(4), pages 175-182.
    17. Kalanit Efrat & Shaked Gilboa, 2020. "Relationship approach to crowdfunding: how creators and supporters interaction enhances projects’ success," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 30(4), pages 899-911, December.
    18. Cambra-Fierro, Jesús & Polo-Redondo, Yolanda & Trifu, Andreea, 2021. "Short-term and long-term effects of touchpoints on customer perceptions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 61(C).
    19. Yeo Amy Chu May & Lai Marcus Ee Ken, 2020. "The Influence of B2B Relationship Quality on Opportunism and Firm Performance," HOLISTICA – Journal of Business and Public Administration, Sciendo, vol. 11(3), pages 59-87, December.
    20. Lewlisa Saha & Hrudaya Kumar Tripathy & Soumya Ranjan Nayak & Akash Kumar Bhoi & Paolo Barsocchi, 2021. "Amalgamation of Customer Relationship Management and Data Analytics in Different Business Sectors—A Systematic Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(9), pages 1-35, May.
    21. Radia, Karan Nilesh & Purohit, Sonal & Desai, Shachi & Nenavani, Jitendra, 2022. "Psychological comfort in service relationships: A mixed-method approach," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 64(C).

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