ENTREPRENEURIAL MARKETING STRATEGY AND CUSTOMER LOYALTY: AN EMPIRICAL EVIDENCE FROM COFFEE SHOPS

Abstract

For many decades, the main focus of successful businesses has been customer orientation. However, the role of the entrepreneur in shaping the landscape of marketing and business performance was recognized recently. Entrepreneurial marketing (EM) is described as the marketing done by entrepreneurs or business owners of entrepreneurial businesses by employing different strategies that are distinct from the typical textbook marketing to attract new businesses. In EM, the entrepreneur is a crucial actor in the marketing process (Adel et al., 2020). Grounded on the concept of entrepreneurial marketing and business performance, the aim of this study revolves around analysing the relationship among entrepreneurial marketing, business performance, antecedents of entrepreneur, and customer loyalty. Six hundred customers who regularly visit the coffee shops in Muwaileh, Sharjah, were a part of this study. The study used a descriptive research method. Entrepreneurial marketing was measured using five sub-variables namely, Product strategy, Pricing strategy, Promotion strategy, Behavioural strategy, and Locality/Area characteristics (Al-Shaikh, 2022). Statistical techniques like descriptive analysis, reliability analysis, structural equation modelling (SEM), and mean comparison tests were performed in this study. The study found that all the factors of entrepreneurial marketing have a significant impact on business performance. It was also evident from the study that the antecedent of entrepreneur, as well as customer loyalty, have a positive influence on business performance.