The effect of relational marketing tactics on relationship quality and customer loyalty

Academic thesis for obtaining a master's degree in the field: business management, domestic business orientation

Abstract

The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between marketing tactics related to the quality of relationships and the relationship between the quality of relationships and the loyalty of customers of hotels in East Gilan. A sample size of 196 people was selected based on the available non-probability method and based on the Karjesi and Morgan table. The data collection tool in this research is a questionnaire whose validity has been confirmed by management experts, supervisors and consultants, and its reliability has been obtained from Cronbach's alpha coefficient equal to 0.95. Also, in this research, the library method and the field method (questionnaire) were used to collect information, background and theoretical foundations. This research is based on the purpose of an applied research and also based on how to obtain the required data, it is a descriptive-survey type of research. To analyze the questionnaire data, statistical indicators such as frequency, tables and graphs were used in the descriptive statistics section, and Klomogrove-Smirnov tests, Pearson, Spearman correlation tests and confirmatory factor analysis available in the SPSS software package were used in the inferential statistics section. The results show that relational marketing tactics have a significant relationship with the quality of relationships, and also the quality of relationships has a significant relationship with customer loyalty. Keywords: relationship marketing-customer loyalty-quality of relationship-customer.Introduction

Organizations with the understanding they have gained of the importance of customer satisfaction are gradually distancing themselves from traditional marketing and tending to relationship marketing. Customer satisfaction is the main success factor in many organizations, and numerous researches have pointed out the relationship between customer satisfaction and word-of-mouth communication, loyalty, repeat purchases, and increased profitability of organizations (Fernandez Gonz?lez and Prado [1], 2007, p. 500). In service industries where providing services requires communication and interaction with customers, the overall satisfaction of customers is based on how they face and experience the organization. Therefore, it is not surprising that companies spend significant resources on measuring and managing customer satisfaction. In order to improve customer satisfaction and loyalty, economic enterprises must achieve their loyalty regarding factors affecting customer satisfaction (Lao et al. [2], 2004, p. 545).

The customer is the only source of profitability for companies in the present and future. But, anyway, a good customer who creates more utility is always possible to be lost; Because the competition to get good customers is fierce (Gary, Bayon, 2001, p. 8). The companies of our time should emphasize on maintaining and maintaining current customers and establishing long-term and profitable relationship with them. The main point of view of customer retention is that by offering superior value to the customer, he should be satisfied (continuously) (Kotler, Gray, 2001, p. 17).

Statement of the problem

The main foundations of the relational marketing worldview are based on a concept that was first proposed by Leonard Berry [3] and expanded by other experts. The perspective of relational marketing is due to the efforts of Christopher [4], Piney and Ballantine [5], who made a significant effort in expanding the territory and scope of its theoretical foundations. Their point of view is based on the following points:

Emphasis on the relationship between customers and suppliers that focuses on relationship building instead of transactions.

The relationship marketing perspective focuses on maximizing the value of customers as well as special segments of customers.

Relationship marketing strategies to develop and strengthen strong relationships with customers and suppliers, markets resulting from recommended customers [6], markets resulting from the influence of people with Penetration[7] and the recruitment markets and the internal market that is - within the organization - are focused.

Quality, customer service and marketing are closely related, although they are often managed separately. The relational marketing perspective establishes coherence and integration between these three elements. (Paini[8], 1998, p. 3)

Relationship marketing is a set of activities whose purpose is to create long-term and beneficial links between an organization and its customers to provide mutual benefits for the parties (Lovelock Variety, 2015). According to Porter, relationship marketing is a process by which the buyer and the provider establish effective, efficient, ethical, enthusiastic and kinship relationships that are beneficial to both parties (Ganson [9], 1994, p. 4).

Relational marketing is keeping customers and developing relationships and making this relationship with customers more attractive (Fontenot and Haiman [10], 2004). Relationship marketing includes activities aimed at developing long-term and cost-effective relationships between organizations and their customers, in order to create mutual benefits for both parties (Tajzadeh Nemin, 2012, p. 198). On the other hand, maintaining and continuously strengthening the relationship with the customer is the only one-way path that service organizations must go through in using defensive strategies and increasing the retention of their current customers (Colgate [11], Alexander [12], 1998, p. 144).

Philip Kotler defines relationship marketing as follows: relationship marketing is the creation, maintenance and strengthening of a strong relationship with customers and other interested groups. (Cutler, 1999, p. 790).

A: Do relational marketing tactics have an effect on the quality of customer relations in East Gilan hotels?

B: Does the quality of relations have an effect on customer loyalty of East Gilan hotel customers?

In this research, relational marketing tactics with the components of tangible rewards, personal communication, direct correspondence as independent variables and the quality of relations with the components of trust, satisfaction and customer loyalty as The dependent variable is considered. 1-3 The importance and necessity of research Upon entering the third millennium, many concepts in leading organizations have found another meaning. Loyal customers are very important. With a 5% increase in customer loyalty, profit increases by 25-85%, this rate is called "loyalty cost" (Mohammadi, 1382, p. 55). A loyal customer, in addition to repeatedly referring to his favorite organization to buy products or use services, as a double factor in promoting the organization's products and services, through recommending orders to relatives, friends or other people, plays an important role in improving the profitability and improving the image of the organization in the minds of potential customers (Dadkhah, 2012, p. 52). Usually, the commercial and traditional organizations of the country do not consider the new methods of customer relations and over time they lose most of their customers. In research, it has been determined that 62% of unsuccessful organizations did not consider customer loyalty to be effective (Maqsoudi, 2012, p. 261).

1-4          Research objectives

Richard Oliver defined loyalty as follows: Loyalty refers to a strong commitment to repurchase a product with superior service in the future, for the same brand or product despite the potential marketing efforts of competitors and influences. They should be purchased.

Customer loyalty is considered the key to business success, and loyal customers create more profitability, create higher repeat purchases, increase market share, and spread the company's introduction to others (Hamidizadeh, Mohammadreza, 2017, p. 1387).

A: Measuring the impact of relational marketing tactics on relationship quality

B: Measuring the impact of relationship quality on customer loyalty

1-5         Theoretical research model

What is the theoretical framework? Theoretical framework refers to sets of propositions that are theoretically capable of explaining or classifying the dependent or main research variable. These propositions may be taken from a specific theory or a combination of different theories whose convergence has been theoretically proven by the researcher (Majid Heidari Cherudeh [13], 2013, p. 1)

Based on the theory of Morgan and Hunt (1994), relationship marketing includes all marketing activities that are carried out to create, develop and maintain a long-term and successful relationship with customers.

Services A process that includes a set of more or less subtle and ordinary activities, which are not always necessary and occur as a result of interactions between the customer and service employees or physical resources or goods or service provider systems, which are presented as a solution to customer problems (Gronros, 2000, p. 46).

The quality of communication is necessary to evaluate the strength of the relationship and the degree of satisfaction of meeting the customer's wishes and expectations (Crosby and Evans and Coles, 1990; Smith, 1998)

Gieskens and Steenkamp (1995) defined trust as the degree to which a company believes that its exchange partner is trustworthy and reliable.