Customer Relationship Management in the Digital Era

Dear Colleagues,

Customer Relationship Management (CRM) is a holistic philosophy and the ultimate purpose of marketing business strategies. It aims to create a long-term relationship with key customers and customer segments (Payne and Frow, 2005). CRM intends to increase profitability by shifting from transaction marketing to relationship marketing. The evolving technological environment requires that businesses need to seriously consider more up-to-date marketing tools and CRM strategies to understand customers, engage them in collaborative exchange, and to co-create mutually beneficial value (Greenberg, 2010).

The digital era has created tremendous challenges and opportunities for firms in their relations with customers. This revolution is characterized by the increased use of digital media platforms and tools, adoption of cross-channel strategies, and use of big data and analytics. The digital revolution aligned with the rapid evolution of artificial intelligence tools and applications (e.g., chatbots, robotics, machine learning, and big data analysis) provide new ways of interacting with customers and developing personalized approaches. They enhance the firm’s ability and efficiency in collecting and analyzing data on customer pattern and profiles, interpreting customer behavior, and developing predictive models in order to optimize interactions with customers, respond timely with customized solutions, and create value for both parties (Kennedy, 2006). However, these positive effects should not underscore the negative effect of technologies in relation to CRM approaching strategies, causing distrust, privacy concerns, emotional disconnection, and perceptions of unfairness among customers (Grandinetti, 2017; Nguyen et al., 2020).

This special issue intends to discuss the development of customer relation management approaches, strategies, and tools in the digital area. Conceptual and theoretical development, literature review (e.g., systematic, bibliometric, and synthesis), and empirical studies are welcomed, both in B2C and B2B contexts.

Potential topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Conceptual development of CRM in the digital era.
• Evolution of the CRM approaches and strategies.
• Customer experience in multichannel context.
• Social customer relationship management.
• Electronic customer relationship management.
• Digital marketing and CRM in B2B.
• The complementarity between CRM, social CRM, and e-CRM.
• Artificial intelligence revolution and CRM development.
• Augmented reality and CRM.
• Measure of CRM (e-CRM, social CRM) performance.
• CRM in utilitarian and hedonic service sectors.
• Customers’ emotion and CRM in digital era

Bibliography

Kennedy, A (2006).: Electronic Customer Relationship Management (eCRM): Opportunities and Challenges in a Digital World. Irish Marketing Review, 18 (1/2). 58-69.

Grandinetti, R. (2017). Exploring the dark side of cooperative buyer-seller relationships. Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing, 32(2), 326–336.

Greenberg, P. (2010). The impact of CRM 2.0 on customer insight. Journal of Business and Industrial Marketing, 25(6), 410-419.

Harrigan, P., Miles, M. P., Fang, Y., & Roy, S. K. (2020). The role of social media in the engagement and information processes of social CRM. International Journal of Information Management, 54, 102151.

Payne, A., & Frow, P. (2006). Customer relationship management: from strategy to implementation. Journal of Marketing Management, 22(1-2), 135-168.

Nguyen, B., Jaber, F., & Simkin, L. (2020). A systematic review of the dark side of CRM: the need for a new research agenda. Journal of Strategic Marketing, 1-19.

Verhoef, P. C., Venkatesan, R., McAlister, L., Malthouse, E. C., Krafft, M., & Ganesan, S. (2010). CRM in data-rich multichannel retailing environments: a review and future research directions. Journal of interactive marketing, 24(2), 121-137.

Prof. Dr. Riadh Ladhari
Prof. Dr. Nizar Souiden
Dr. Mathieu Lajante
Guest Editors

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• customer relationship management
• customer experience
• digital marketing
• digital era
• big data analysis
• artificial intelligence
• augmented reality
• social media platforms
• bibliometric analysis
• systematic review