Relationship Marketing in Retail Companies: Positive and Negative Aspects

Abstract

The objective of this study is to understand the relationship of trade from the perspective of customers, employees, and owners of retail companies. The research is qualitative, and was done using ethnography as a method. Data were collected in five retailers of a small city in southern Minas Gerais - a supermarket, a pharmacy, a bakery, a petrol station, and a shop for fresh produce - during the period of one year (December 2008 to December 2009). Participant observation and in-depth interviews were used as data collection techniques. For treatment of this data, we used the content analysis. Through this analysis, we identified that marketing relationships are made by both positive and negative aspects. However, the positive aspects are predominant, especially the fact that the cultivation of relationships in the retail companies analyzed is a natural occurrence and can therefore be characterized as "genuine." In theoretical terms, one of the main findings from this research is that relationship marketing can also bring negative implications for companies, confirming the findings of Grayson and Ambler (1999) when they assert that relationship marketing can bring benefits but also has inherent disadvantages. In management terms, we must highlight the key role that employees play in building lasting relationships. Thus, greater attention should be given to developing skills of those relationships that are face to face with the customer.