Enhancing Marketing Performance Through Enterprise-Initiated Customer Engagement

• Published in: Sustainability Vol. 12; no. 9; p. 3931
• Main Authors: Marolt, Marjeta, Zimmermann, Hans-Dieter, Pucihar, Andreja
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Basel MDPI AG 01.05.2020
• Subjects: Behavior; Brand loyalty; Competition; Customer relationship management; Customer satisfaction; Customers; External pressure; Influence; Knowledge management; Marketing; Researchers; Social networks; Studies
• ISSN: 2071-1050; 2071-1050
• DOI: 10.3390/su12093931

The exponential speed of technological advancements and the ever-changing needs of customers have changed the way enterprises engage with their customers. However, despite the increasing scholarly interest in the enterprise-initiated perspective of customer engagement (CE) in recent years, it remains unclear what drives enterprises to initiate customer engagement and how enterprise-initiated customer engagement enhances enterprise performance. Thus, the purpose of this study is to develop and evaluate a conceptual model that consists of drivers and outcomes of enterprise-initiated customer engagement. After developing a conceptual model based on previous conceptual approaches to customer engagement, a quantitative survey was undertaken to gather the data from business-to-customer micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises. The data were analyzed using the partial least square path modelling. The findings showed that external pressure and organizational readiness influence enterprise-initiated customer engagement. Enterprise-initiated customer engagement was also found to influence marketing performance. The empirical findings provide insights for managers that explain what drivers may influence enterprise-initiated customer engagement and what benefits they can expect. Overall, this research extends the understanding of the CE domain and provides additional insights for the drivers and outcomes of enterprise-initiated CE.