Relational Marketing and Customer Satisfaction: A Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

Relationship marketing reflects a business philosophy and strategic orientation that allows companies to focus on satisfying the needs of current customers to retain them rather than acquiring new ones. This investigation analyzes how the relationship between relationship marketing and customer satisfaction is processed. In this sense, a systematic review of the bibliometric literature was carried out based on 61 scientific articles published in the Scopus™ database. The literature review reveals that relationship marketing influences customer satisfaction in several ways. It is concluded that personalizing the service and the product is fundamental in building long-lasting and successful relationships and increasing customer satisfaction. In addition, relationship marketing builds trust and commitment, resulting in higher customer satisfaction and willingness to participate in mutually beneficial relationships. Finally, we classify future research agendas into three broad categories: the impact of emerging technologies on customer satisfaction; the role of personalization and customization in relationship marketing and its impact on customer satisfaction; and the relationship between sustainability, ethical practices, and customer satisfaction.