Title The impact of gender and age on customer loyalty – a quantitative study of Swedish customers’ experiences of a loyalty program Authors Sara Follin & Viktoria Fransson Background Building customer relationships could be done by using loyalty programs; programs which involves activities for enhancing customer loyalty (Ou, Shih, Chen & Wang, 2011). To use loyalty programs as relationship marketing tactics has become popular and it is frequently used in the grocery retailing industry (Noble & Phillips, 2004). Customer loyalty differences might be influenced by customers’ gender and age (Kuruvilla, Joshi & Shah, 2009; Patterson, 2007). It is expected that females tend to be more loyal than males, and that older customers tend to be more loyal than younger generations (Patterson, 2007; Ndubisi, 2007). Purpose The purpose of this study is to describe the impact of gender and age on customer loyalty in the grocery retailing industry. Theory & Concepts Relationship marketing, Loyalty program, Customer loyalty, Gender differences in customer loyalty, Age differences in customer loyalty Methodology This is a descriptive study with a quantitative and deductive research approach. The research strategy was survey, and data was collected from 216 respondents through a questionnaire. Data was collected around the loyalty program Willys+, which formed the sample of this study. Conclusion Customers’ gender could be one variable influencing and impacting customer loyalty, however age is not. Gender impacting customer loyalty, could be explained by potential differences in how females and males choose to shop in store as well as by the fact that the majority of the members in the loyalty program were females. Loyalty among customers belonging to different age group did not have any significant differences.

Purpose The purpose of the study is to explain what affect customers’ relationship commitment to non-profits organizations. Methodology This study employs the quantitative approach with the help of webbased survey. Findings Relationship commitment has two direct antecedents, namely trust and relationship benefits. Communication between organization and customers has an indirect effect on relationship commitment which is partially mediated by trust. The relationships between constructs are controlled by the length of the membership in the organization. Research limitations/implications The study has several managerial implications. Thus, the established associations between relationships constructs adopted from for-profit industries do not fully explain the drivers of customers’ relationship commitment in the non-profit sector. The special attention should be payed to establishing the successful two-ways communication with the customers in order to facilitate commitment. Theoretically-wise, the study re-examines the earlier established model in the new context and by doing so introduces the new model which is relevant for the context of customers of non-profit organizations. The study however has some limitation such as an application of convenience sample, a limited availability of the survey, a possible language barrier. Originality/value The study proposes the new model which explains commitment and its antecedents in the context of customers’ relationship with non-profit organizations. Keywords Commitment, non-profit organizations, relationship marketing, quantitative study

D.Comm / Despite the large amounts of money spent on sponsorships and per implication sport sponsorship, little research is available concerning sponsorship practices in South Africa. There is thus a need for a research study or project to establish how corporate sponsors and sport organisations manage relationship marketing within sponsorships. Literature shows that there is a need to understand the various relationships in sport sponsorships, in order to be able to establish and maintain long-term successful sponsorship agreements. / Prof. W.J. Hollander Prof. J.Busser

A thesis submitted to the Faculty of Commerce Law and Management, University of Witwatersrand Business School, Johannesburg, in fulfilment of the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy Johannesburg, 2015 / Arguably the most important function a business focuses on is revenue generation, which is ultimately achieved through immediate sales and the inculcation of future customer spend. For many businesses, notably in the business-to-business realm, salespeople are still required to form relationships with key customer buyers and to achieve or facilitate sales through this “dyadic” interpersonal relationship. Understanding what makes relationships and interactions between customer buyers and salespeople successful – from a sales perspective – remains an important concern for organisations and marketing theorists. In such sales relationships, the “success” of the sale and the longer term sales relationship can depend on aspects of the interpersonal relationships such as the ability of the parties to communicate well, come to agreement, and potentially even bond socially. The ability of parties to form productive and conducive interpersonal relationships in turn depends on factors such as personality and culture. This thesis argues that there is no particular “best” personality or culture for the formation of successful sales relationships, but that match between the personality traits of salespeople and customers as well as between their respective organisation’s cultures may facilitate success in sales. As indicated above, the thesis studies two main dependent variables, namely sales success and word-of-mouth. These variables are derived from the theory of customer equity management (Rust, Lemon, & Narayandas, 2005). The thesis argues that prior to generating income through either a sale or through word-of-mouth the organisation will need to have a relationship with the customer. Relationship marketing (Morgan & Hunt, 1994) provides a framework for understanding what constitutes a relationship. The current study aligns itself with prior literature arguing that relationship quality comprises three components specifically; trust, satisfaction and commitment. Personality research has remained at the heart of industrial research and managerial practise. Voluminous literature has used the Big Five personality traits for understanding customer’s interactions. The five personality traits include Extraversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism and Openness to Experience (Soto & John, 2012). The current study argues that it is not the personality traits themselves which are important, but rather the similarities or differences between the customer and the salesperson. Organisation culture has been shown to affect several different arenas within the management field, but has not been much examined within the context of dyadic relationships. The specific relationship that the study addresses is the customer-salesperson relationship. In this thesis I argue that both the customer and salesperson to some extent embody and reflect their respective organisational cultures, and in addition, sales systems can reflect organizational cultures, for instance where bureaucratic organizational culture creates sales systems with high levels of formality. In turn, match or mismatch in organizational cultures may affect sales or relationship outcomes in various ways. The well-known organisational culture index (Wallach, 1983) will be used to capture the cultures from both the salesperson and customer. The three elements of organisational culture measured by the index include bureaucratic cultural aspects, innovative cultural aspects, and supportive cultural aspects. To test these relationships, the thesis presents an empirical study based on a cross-sectional, quantitative, survey of the SME market in South Africa. One hundred salesperson-customer dyads participated in the study, and data from each member of the dyad was surveyed separately. Statistical techniques such as partial least squares structural equation modelling and polynomial regression were used in the analysis of the data. A response surface methodology allowed for graphical representation of the polynomial regression results. These results then acted as inputs for a Bayesian Networks analysis (Charniak, 1991), which are used to improve the understanding of causality. Results of the empirical survey indicate that trust, satisfaction and commitment affect the level of word-of-mouth while only trust and commitment have an effect on sales. The analysis indicates that matches or mismatches in the personality traits of extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism and openness do affect dependent variables of relationship quality, sales success and word-of-mouth, and do so in differing ways. This thesis provides several unique contributions to sales theory and literature. First, although the salesperson-customer dyad has been studied before, the differences in personality traits have not been included. This is particularly true within the South African context. Secondly, organisational culture literature has been reviewed and studied but has neglected the role that organisational culture plays in the sales environment, specifically when interacting with a customer. Third, several theories are used to explain why the constructs came together; however certain aspects of these theories are questioned. Lastly, several practical applications are provided that allow organisations to improve the hiring process and implement training objectives for their sales force. Key Words: Dyad, satisfaction, trust, commitment, customer lifetime value, relationship marketing, relationship quality, organisational culture, bureaucracy, innovation, supportive, response surface, polynomial regression, Bayesian network, customer equity management. / MB2016

According to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) (2004), it is estimated that there is a total of 1.42 million active businesses in South Africa, 84 per cent of which are classified as “family business”. Internationally, family businesses account for 70 per cent of all international businesses and 35 per cent of Fortune 500 companies (Balshaw, 2004). Despite their economic importance, family businesses still find marketing to be a challenge. Relationships are at the heart of family businesses (Petzinger, 1999; Cooper, Upton and Seaman, 2005). This is because the fundamental DNA (Deoxyribonucleic Acid) a family business is based on a symbiotic relationship between the family and the business. Families, by virtue of their DNA, cultivate deep relationships with people, which include customers, suppliers and even competitors. Hence, in a family business context, these values are transferred into the business by the associated family. This relational approach is often utilised in the marketing strategies that they adopt. This study investigates some of the characteristics of relationship marketing that exist in South African family businesses. The results from the family businesses surveyed, indicates that they cultivate deep relationship with customers. This characteristic enables these businesses to be highly proficient at both satisfying and retaining customers. However, despite a culture of customer centricity, further findings indicate that such businesses are less proficient regarding their orientation with competitors, as they are often slow to respond to competition, in the market place. Lastly, the study indicates that family businesses cultivate and maintain a healthy relationship with employees; as such relationships is a prerequisite for customer satisfaction.

Background: Previous research show that there is a need for marketing strategies in SMEs that offer professional services, such as auditing firms. Also, the combination of marketing and auditing is a fairly new concept, due to legal and ethical regulations. Besides, since marketing and auditing have different business functions, it can be challenging for the auditors to practice marketing that does not discredit the profession. Lastly, the new competitiveness in the industry, calls for a need for marketing but since these SMEs lack in resources it is believed that relationship marketing can be a beneficial strategy for these firms due to its low cost approach. Research question: How do SME auditing firms practice relationship marketing? Purpose: The study aims to describe how and why SME auditing firms use relationship marketing as a marketing strategy. Method: This study is based on an abductive approach with semi-structured interviews with twelve people with different positions at firms in Halland and Malmö. Theoretical Framework: The theory consists of four blocks, which mainly focus on relationship marketing. However, theory about SMEs, services and professional services marketing is also presented due to the choice of industry and delimitations. Findings: The findings show that many SME auditing firms lack formal plans and strategies for relationship marketing, often due to lack of resources, interest or knowledge. However,the firms practice relationship marketing even if they do not define it as such, through value adding activities or services for their customers, that lie on top of the fundamental servicethey offer.

O marketing de relacionamento surge na década de 1980, estimulado pela crescente concorrência, estagnação do crescimento dos mercados e desenvolvimento tecnológico. As ações de marketing de relacionamento visam estreitar a ligação entre empresa e cliente, estimulando a fidelidade do cliente e buscando a rentabilidade a partir de uma série de negociações com o mesmo cliente ao longo de tempo. Os investimentos em marketing de relacionamento só podem ser justificados caso a empresa conquiste seus objetivos e se aproprie de benefícios que essas ações podem trazer. A avaliação de resultados é, portanto, ferramenta fundamental, mas não existe hoje, um método consolidado de avaliação de resultados de ações do marketing de relacionamento. Nesse contexto, este estudo enfoca a avaliação de resultado do marketing de relacionamento, voltando-se para o relacionamento das empresas com o cliente final. O tema é tratado com base em uma revisão teórica que trabalha três principais blocos: i) valor percebido e vantagem competitiva; ii) marketing de relacionamento, seu conceito, benefícios esperados de ações de relacionamento e as práticas trabalhadas; iii) avaliação de resultados e controle. É desenvolvida uma pesquisa de campo, de natureza qualitativa e caráter exploratório, utilizando o método de estudo de casos múltiplos. São trabalhadas três principais empresas de um mesmo segmento. O segmento escolhido foi o de cartões de crédito, por apresentar grande prática na aplicação do marketing de relacionamento. O trabalho é finalizado com a análise das ações do marketing de relacionamento desenvolvidas e dos métodos de avaliação de resultados aplicados. Observou-se que as ações do marketing de relacionamento desenvolvidas pelas duas empresas que possuem contato direto com o cliente final muito se assemelham e apresentam grande coincidência com o que é apontado pela literatura. Uma das bandeiras, porém, não tem contato direto com o cliente final e apresenta diferenças significativas nas ações desenvolvidas. Os métodos de avaliação de resultado nas empresas pesquisadas são bastante similares ao proposto pela teoria estudada. Os principais objetivos apontados são: a fidelização do cliente, o entendimento das necessidades dos clientes e a maior lucratividade. Já as variáveis analisadas como indicadores de resultados são: grupo de controle, fidelidade do cliente, avaliação financeira, entendimento das necessidades dos clientes, satisfação do cliente, qualidade do produto, conhecimento e imagem de marca, inconveniência de o cliente mudar de fornecedor, retenção de clientes/churn, recompra, quantidade/volume vendido, custo de aquisição de clientes, aquisição de cliente e valor vitalício do cliente. / The relationship marketing begins on 1980?, stimulated by the spreading concurrency, market growing stagnation and technological development. The relationship marketing actions have the purpose of narrowing the contact between company and client, stimulating the client fidelity and looking for rentability from a series of negotiations with the same client over time. The marketing relationship investments can only be justified if the company achieves its objectives and handle the benefits which these actions can bring. The results evaluation is, therefore, a fundamental tool, but there?s not a consolidated results evaluation method in marketing relationship actions nowadays. In this context, this study focuses in marketing relationship results evaluation, turning the attention to the relationship between company and the ultimate client. The theme is treated from a theoretical review based on three principal sections: i) customer value and competitive advantage; ii) relationship marketing, its concept, the expected benefits from relationship marketing actions, and the adopted practices; iii) result evaluations and control. A research in this field was developed from a qualitative perspective and adopting an exploring character, by using the multiple case study method. Three principal companies that are part of the same segment are analyzed. The chosen segment was the credit cards one, because of its well-known practice on relationship marketing application characteristic. The job ends with the analysis on both the developed relationship marketing actions and on the applied results evaluation methods. It was noticed that the relationship marketing actions developed by the two companies which have direct contact to the ultimate client are really similar and are coincident in terms of what is pointed by the literature. One of the companies, however, doesn?t have this direct contact to the ultimate client and its actions contain significant differences. The results evaluation methods placed at the companies involved on this research are really similar to the indicated on the commented theory. The principal viewed objectives are: the client fidelity, the understanding on client needs and the major profitability. On the other hand, the variants analyzed as result indicators are: controlling group, client fidelity, financial evaluation, understanding on client needs, client satisfaction, products quality, brand image and knowledge, clients supplier changing inconvenience, keeping clients/churn, repurchase, sold volumes and quantity, clients acquisition cost, client acquisition and customer lifetime value.

Neste trabalho, abordam-se as ações de relacionamento dos fabricantes junto aos vendedores do varejo, da ótica do marketing de relacionamento. O tema torna-se relevante pela influência do vendedor varejista junto ao consumidor. A proposta é analisar como as ações são aplicadas pelos fabricantes e percebidas pelos vendedores varejistas, com a intenção de melhor compreender o processo e contribuir para sua evolução. O tema é enfocado com base nos fundamentos de marketing de relacionamento a fim de se analisar como ele se comporá quando aplicado ao ambiente comporto por canais de distribuição, venda pessoal e comportamento do consumidor. O setor de eletrodomésticos é caracterizado pelo potencial econômico, alta concentração do varejo, atuação de fabricantes de grande porte e muita sensibilidade às variáveis macroeconômicas. A análise de algumas ações de relacionamento praticadas indica que elas são fortemente orientadas para o giro de produtos no curto prazo e que programas e incentivo de vendas e treinamento são as modalidades mais aplicadas. A pesquisa realizada com fabricantes, varejistas e vendedores varejistas indica que as ações são utilizadas muito mais para auxiliar a venda, de curto prazo, promovendo giro rápido de produtos, sem nenhum efeito residual. Esse modelo é nocivo por gerar uma relação efêmera e mercenária, bem distante dos princípios do marketing de relacionamento, que busca a satisfação, o envolvimento e a lealdade a longo prazo. Desse modo, neste estudo, são detectadas oportunidades pra se estabelecer um programa de relacionamento adequado e eficiente junto aos vendedores varejistas e também são indicadas formas para que se possa atingir essa finalidade. / The subject of this study concerns the relationship os manufacturers with retailers from the point of view of relationship marketing. It becomes a relevant subject due to the influence of retailers over consumers. The purpose of this work is to analyze how market actions are put forward by manufacturers and how retailers understand these actions. This is an attempt to better understand the process and to contribute to this development. The subject is approached based on relachionship-marketing principles and on how they apply to the market (distribution channels, personal sales an consumer´s behavior). The context of this research is the sector of home appliances, marked by its economic potential, high concentration of counter sales, presence of great manufactures and high sensivity to macroeconomic changes. The analysis of some of the relationship actions indicates that they are strongly oriented to short-term product turnover. The most common modalities of actions involve promotional sales and training. Research with manufacturersm retailers and retail salespeople show that actions are used mostly to improver both short-term sales and fast-stock turnovers with no residual effect. This is a harmful model because it leads to unsteady and mercenary relationship, moving away from relationship-marketing principals that seek satisfaction, engagement and loyalty of consumers in long-term basis. In this way, this work contributes in showing opportunities and means of establishing an accurate program of appropriate relationship with retailers.

Ao longo dos anos, com o principal intuito de manter seus clientes, as organizações têm aplicado diversas abordagens para aproximar-se dos mesmos por meio do cultivo de relacionamentos lucrativos e duradouros. De que modo tais práticas poderiam ser influenciadas pelo uso de alta tecnologia dentro de um cenário cada vez mais competitivo? A fim de elucidar esta questão, este estudo teve como objetivo principal analisar os impactos da Internet sobre as práticas de Marketing de Relacionamento e suas implicações em empresas atuantes no mercado consumidor. Ao realizar um retrospecto teórico sobre o Marketing de Relacionamento, a Internet, e os resultados das interações entre ambos observados por uma diversidade de autores, foi possível angariar subsídios para pesquisar e compreender as práticas de algumas empresas no Brasil. Assim, por meio de pesquisa exploratória na forma de estudo de multi-casos, identificaram-se nas empresas pesquisadas variados níveis de evolução das práticas voltadas ao objetivo de perpetuar o relacionamento com clientes, aproveitando-se das características sem precedentes da Internet. Observou-se um amplo espectro de medidas, conforme o setor de atividade da empresa, a natureza de seus produtos/serviços, o seu grau de compreensão e assimilação do conceito de relacionamento, a sua orientação estratégica e disponibilidade de recursos, além das expectativas e do nível de familiaridade de seus clientes com a tecnologia. Este estudo sinaliza, por fim, uma compreensão e uma receptividade das empresas às diversas oportunidades de crescimento geradas pelo emprego bem sucedido deste ferramental. / In order to maintain customers in their portfolios, organizations have developed several strategies to approach them by building long term and profitable relationships. But how such strategies would be influenced by the use of high technology tools? To find answers to this question, this study aimed to analyze the impacts of Internet on Relationship Marketing practices and related implications to the consumer market companies. By developing a comprehensive theoretical research on Relationship Marketing, Internet and the their interactions, it was able to organize key knowledge to understand the current practices adopted by companies in Brazil. Therefore, by developing an exploratory research through a multiple cases study, it was identified distinct evolution levels in customer relationship practices of the sample companies which have already taken advantages of Internet. It was observed a large range of results depending on company industry, type of products/services, understanding level of relationship concept, strategic orientation, available resources, customer expectations and technology familiarities. Despite the observed different stages of Internet usage in Marketing practices, this study demonstrates the clear awareness and the interest of companies in capturing the growth opportunities allowed by Internet tools.

Relationsmarknadsföring har idag blivit en central del i många företags marknadsföring. Kort sammanfattat är relationsmarknadsföring ett marknadsföringssätt som fokuserar på att etablera och utveckla relationen till kunden. Eftersom en konsument idag, bland annat med hjälp av Internet, har tillgång till väldigt mycket information ökar medvetenheten och ger kunden en större möjlighet att välja var och av vem hon ska handla. De konventionella marknadsföringsmetoderna blir alltmer ineffektiva och företagen lägger istället mer energi på att skapa en relation till kunden som individ. Inom modebranschens detaljhandel syns detta tillvägagångssätt i form av kundklubbar, nyhetsutskick och den personliga interaktionen i butikerna. Samtidigt som mer kraft läggs på relationsbyggande åtgärder märks det ändå i underskningar att en stor andel är missnöjda med kundklubbar, nyhetsutskick och det personliga bemötandet, vilket leder fram till rapportens syfte: att undersöka konsumenternas uppfattning i detta.För att genomföra denna undersökning utformades en kvantitativ, standardiserad enkät som distribuerades via internet till män och kvinnor i åldern 18-30 år som var boende inom Borås med omnejd. Primärdata som undersökningen genererade jämfördes sedan med sekundärdata från studielitteratur, vetenskapliga artiklar, artiklar från olika tidskrifter, samt i viss mån uppsatser på minst C-nivå. Detta ledde fram till resultat som visade på att en majoritet av de svarande är kundklubbsmedlemmar samt får nyhetsutskick i någon form, att de främst är ute efter rabatter och snabba nyheter, men att de i viss mån är missnöjda med hur de får information från butikerna.Relationship marketing is today a vital part of most companies marketing. Shortly summarized, the relationship marketing is a way of marketing which focuses on establishing and developing relationships with the customers. As the consumers today, much thanks to the Internet, have access to a lot of information, it raises awareness and gives the customer a greater choice of where and by whom she should buy. Conventional marketing methods are increasingly ineffective and companies spend more energy to create a relationship with the customer as an individual. Within the fashion industry's retailing business, this approach is shown in the terms of customer clubs, newsletters and personal interaction in the stores. While more and more companies spends time and money in relationship-building measures, surveys are yet saying that a big part of the customers are dissatisfied with the customer clubs, newsletters, and the personal treatment, which leads us to the main purpose of this report: to investigate consumer attitudes in this matters.To conduct this study we designed a quantitative, standardized questionnaire that was distributed via the Internet to men and women aged 18-30 years who were living in Borås and the surrounding areas. Primary data that were generated by the survey were then compared with secondary data from the studyliterature, scientific papers, articles from various magazines, and to some essays of at least C-level. This led to results that showed that a majority of respondents are customer club members and receive newsletters in some kind of form, that they are primarily looking for discounts and fast news, but that they are dissatisfied with how they obtain information from stores. / Program: Butikschef, textil och mode