Edited by Geoffrey P. LantosCustomer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets

Citation

Fortin, D.R. (2005), "Edited by Geoffrey P. LantosCustomer Relationship Management in Electronic Markets", Journal of Consumer Marketing, Vol. 22 No. 5, pp. 289-289. https://doi.org/10.1108/07363760510611734

I don't know about you, but every time I come across a book that is essentially a reprint of a journal special issue, my level of excitement suddenly drops a few notches. Especially more so when the target audience for a book of this type is made up mostly of academics. Seems to me that a simple search on one of our full‐text databases would yield pretty much the same result…but anyway, let's focus on what's inside the covers for a moment.

Gopal Iyer and David Bejou have edited a collection of six articles on the timely topic of customer relationship management (CRM). The new wrinkle that perhaps sets this book apart from the multiple other titles in the field is the integration of CRM within electronic markets, more specifically within the context, or the help of, the internet.

Although the articles are interesting in their own right, do not expect a colorful collection of finely intertwined chapters in the Ries and Trout tradition; this is definitely more academic than the title suggests.

The first article is an introduction by the editors to the special issue. The context for the book suggests that it was “conceptualized and executed at a time when there is less hype surrounding the Internet  … ” As such, this is probably a fair comment, as the book contributors can benefit from hindsight of the dotcom bubble burst. Iyer and Bejou offer a vision for the future that integrates the tenets of CRM with the increasingly widespread use of the internet.

The second article, by McIntyre, examines CRM practices via the ubiquitous Amazon.com case. It proposes a framework for building an e‐CRM business that considers a staged process in conjunction with a number of different transaction types. This is a good chapter, as it helps the reader to relate key theoretical concepts with an example that everybody knows.

The third chapter, by Grewal et al., looks at the special case of online retailers and how they can establish and sustain loyalty in a volatile environment. The authors introduce a framework for understanding internet‐based loyalty and enrich their discussion by providing a contrast between bricks and clicks. Grewal's expertise in retailing for many years enlightens this framework and creates a very useable tool for loyalty‐building strategies. One key recommendation is to consider the consumer lifetime value approach (for more on this see Glazer) and consumer defection analysis.

The fourth article, by Pillai et al. deals with business‐to‐business (B2B) issues related to CRM and utilizes a transaction cost perspective to address the unique nature of internet‐based exchanges. The authors identify some key areas for future research that might be useful if this research domain is your particular cup of tea.

The fifth chapter, by Lichtenthal, piggybacks on the previous one and offers some insight on the business buyer relationship management (BBRM) that now occurs more and more via the internet. This provides an interesting profile on an area of marketing that historically focused almost exclusively on face‐to‐face contacts. New technologies are now changing the very fabric of those established relationships.

And the final article by Shapiro et al. provides a refreshing view of the overlapping interface between RM and IS. One key element of this process is to consider the appropriate relationship stages at which buyers and sellers find themselves over time. The chapter provides useful directions for future research.

Overall, this is an interesting book but mostly crafted for an academic audience. It is the kind of book that will find a place somewhere on your shelf … but might never actually come off again. Due to the rapidly evolving nature of the topic, one definitely should keep abreast of the current literature in the field via other means. There are quite a few online resources devoted to CRM out there, and a Google search will lead you down many pathways for multiple hours of enjoyment. If you canot get enough of this stuff, also try: www.destinationcrm.com