Origin of the Concept of Relationship Marketing and Theoretical Approaches to Defining It

Abstract:

The relevance of the topic is due to a wide range of competing concepts of relationship marketing. In the last decade, their disagreement has been increasing. The ambiguity of terminology as well as of the system of methods, and metrics significantly complicate the processes of preservation and development of competitive advantages of companies against the turbulent background of the modern consumer market. The comparative analysis of scientific perspectives showed their limitations, their focus on the solution of specific issues, and insufficiency to build a common platform for research. The problematics, its theoretical and practical significance determined the purpose and system of interrelated tasks of the study. The purpose of this article is to review the national and foreign literature on the theoretical problems of relationship marketing. Its results can make a contribution to the process of the development of a common platform for further research. In accordance with the purpose of the study, the authors address the following main issues. We considered the historical aspects of the development of relationship marketing, defined the stages of its formation, and made a detailed analysis of the appearance origin. We considered the main definitions of relationship marketing presented in the studies of national and foreign scientists, systematized the main approaches to its definition as well as classified the main scientific schools of relationship marketing. We have concluded that despite the variety of scientific positions, what they have in common are a value-based approach, a long-term mutually beneficial cooperation between a company and a consumer, and the joint creation of economic value. The obtained results can be used by regional and municipal authorities, as well as by managers of companies implementing the concept of relationship marketing as the most important elements of the mechanism to ensure their competitiveness taking into account the transformation of the modern consumer market. The main research methods: monographic, analysis and synthesis, comparative, grouping, observation, systematic, and complex.