Relationship marketing of small to medium sized textile retailers in the Northwest Province
Abstract
This study concentrated on the concept of relationship marketing and its
implementation by small and medium sized textile retailers in the Northwest
province of South Africa. This study addressed the gap between the
relationship marketing theory and its implementation by small and medium
sized textile retailers in the textile industry of the Northwest province.
Researchers in relationship marketing have started to realise that there is a
definite need for detailed empirical evidence on how relationship marketing
could be implemented in order to establish a beneficial customer-business
relationship. This need was one of the bases for carrying out this study.
This led to the identification of prerequisites for relationship marketing
orientation. These prerequisites are internal marketing and customer
orientation. This is due to the fact that relationship marketing raises the need
for customer orientation, and customer orientation raises the need for
customer-oriented employees. The latter can be achieved through internal
marketing.
Without customer oriented employees, there is no customer orientation
implementation because employees are the ones that have to make it happen
(Reuters, 1999:8). If there were no customer orientation (which leads to
customer satisfaction), there will be no relationship marketing because
unsatisfied customers will never develop good relationships with the business
(Engel, Blackwell & Miniard, 1995:47).
This study found that small to medium sized textile retailers in the Northwest
province have shown some problems in implementing the relationship
marketing 01-ientation. This study concluded that small to medium sized textile
retailers are not relationship marketing oriented. These conclusions are based
on findings. indicating that the relationship marketing concept is not fully
understood by the management of most of these small to medium sized textile
retailers in the Northwest province. To address this problem, this study recommends some solutions, such as
internal marketing and a customer orientation. This study also recommends
ten steps that might help to solve ,the relationship marketing disorientation
problem of small to medium sized textile retailers in the Northwest province.
These steps are called the ten daily relationship marketing orientation basics.
These steps act as a tool for small to medium-sized textile retailers in the
Northwest province to be successful in the market. It is a system that enables
the business member to focus on what his job is and then to check that the
business is maximising the profit in its outlet through planned daily
relationship marketing duties.