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More importantly, this work suggests that a long-term view of customers is conducive to a more holistic definition of sustainable success. This study is important because it may contribute to improvements in relationships between marketers and customers. If relationship marketers learn how to be partners in their customers’ journeys, marketers may earn a sustainable competitive advantage from committed customers. The relationship marketing key may only unlock the door to sustainable profits when the organization has built enough relationship value.
Finally, the outcome of the study benefits marketing theory so that the field can build upon prior knowledge. This study contributes an emotionally based developmental-stages perspective to a relationship marketing and CRM context.
The Theory: Bringing Relationship Development to Relationship Marketing
The relationship development perspective gives researchers a framework to investigate patterned relationship changes. Traditional relationship development or evolution theory assumes that partners move through different stages, leading toward deeper intimacy. Intimate communication spawns emotional bonding, which tends to move relationships to “the next level.” Relationship development appears to be a universal phenomenon implying a sociobiological evolutionary origin. Because customer relationships are developmental in nature, relationship marking and CRM can benefit from a better understanding of the customer’s emotionally driven journey.
Today, traditional CRM software tends to frame the customer’s decision process, while failing to address emotional-relational processes.