Customer Relationship Management in the E-Retailing Environment

Customer Relationship Management in the E-Retailing Environment by Nikki R. Hicks MBA, Averett University, 2006 BS, Hampton University, 1994 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University January 2018 Abstract Small business enterprise (SBE) managers often lack resources, expertise, and impact when selling in an online environment. SBEs can overcome increased competition by adopting customer relationship management (CRM) into their business model for survival and longevity. Using the conceptual framework technology, organization, environment (TOE), this multiple case study explored effective marketing strategies thatSmall business enterprise (SBE) managers often lack resources, expertise, and impact when selling in an online environment. SBEs can overcome increased competition by adopting customer relationship management (CRM) into their business model for survival and longevity. Using the conceptual framework technology, organization, environment (TOE), this multiple case study explored effective marketing strategies that small store retail managers use to successfully sell apparel and accessories in online markets. The study population included leaders from independent small online retail enterprises with brick-and-mortar stores located in the Central, Tri-Cities, or Southside areas in Virginia. The data collection process included semistructured, on-site interviews of 4 SBE owners or managers and reviewing organizational documents and online postings from those 4 organizations. Using topic coding, the data were organized into nodes grounded in the context of TOE. The thematic analysis yielded 5 themes: social media engagement, price congruency, organizational knowledge benefit, customer satisfaction, and customer engagement. The study findings revealed that a significant strategy for SBEs operating in online markets was social CRM, an inexpensive and critical tool for CRM. Further, CRM tools such as social media required consistent monitoring and the devotion of financial and human resources to deliver constant customer engagement. The implication for social change includes the potential to improve the life cycle of SBEs in smaller communities, which improves community entrepreneurial and startup success. Entrepreneurship contributes to community vitality and economic prosperity by providing employment, skill development, and job training. Customer Relationship Management in the E-Retailing Environment by Nikki R. Hicks MBA, Averett University, 2006 BS, Hampton University, 1994 Doctoral Study Submitted in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Business Administration Walden University January 2018 Dedication This long-awaited completion of a project I started when my daughter was 3 years old (she is now 9) is dedicated to my husband, daughter, parents, brother, in-laws, church family, family, and all of those who supported me along the way. Acknowledgments I thank God for instilling in me a heart of determination and perseverance. I am where I am today because of His grace and mercy. I want to thank my family for their unwavering support. My husband, who at the same time was completing his doctorate, supported me throughout and evolved into the mentor I would need at the end. I thank my daughter for allowing her mommy to be consumed with homework and papers; I hope my love for research rubs off on her. I thank my father for pushing me when I wanted to give up. I thank my mother for always offering words of encouragement. I also thank my brother for inspiring me to be that big sister he could always look up to. Posthumously, I thank my father-in-law and mother-in-law for inspiring me to be an educator. It was their love for eduation that led me to this career and desire to pursue my doctorate. I truly appreciate the best doctoral study committee I could have hoped for. Thank you Dr. Klein, your perspective on how to get through this process was invaluable. Thank you Dr. Vadell for your feedback and patience. Finally, Dr. East, I truly appreciate the feedback. To my doctoral study committee, your guidance made me a better researcher and writer.