Relationship Marketing to Improve Marketing Performance of SMEs

DOI

10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_162How to use a DOI?

Keywords

Relationship Marketing; MSME Performance; Customer Loyalty; Digital Adoption; PRISMA; Systematic Literature Review

Abstract

In the highly competitive post-pandemic landscape, Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) increasingly rely on relationship marketing strategies to sustain competitive advantage. However, the existing literature regarding the nexus between relationship marketing dimensions and MSME performance remains fragmented. Consequently, this study aims to systematically synthesise empirical evidence to elucidate how relationship marketing acts as a catalyst for marketing performance. Adhering to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a rigorous systematic review was conducted. A total of 19 primary studies published between 2020 and 2025 were selected from reputable databases, including Scopus and ScienceDirect, following strict inclusion criteria to ensure methodological robustness. The thematic synthesis reveals that while traditional elements such as trust, commitment, and communication remain fundamental, there is a paradigm shift towards digital adoption. Specifically, the integration of social customer relationship management and artificial intelligence has emerged as a critical determinant in enhancing customer retention and brand advocacy. The findings demonstrate that relationship quality directly mediates the impact of marketing orientation on sales growth and customer loyalty. Theoretically, this research enriches the Trust-Commitment Theory within the digital context. Practically, it provides strategic insights for MSME managers to transition from transactional interactions to technology-enabled relationship building to ensure long-term sustainability.

Copyright

© 2026 The Author(s)

Open Access

Open Access This chapter is licensed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/), which permits any noncommercial use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons license and indicate if changes were made.

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TY  - CONF
AU  - Mutmainna Mutmainna
AU  - Abdul Razak Munir
AU  - Muhammad Asdar
AU  - Jusni
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/06/20
TI  - Relationship Marketing to Improve Marketing Performance of SMEs
BT  - Proceedings of the 10th International Conference on Accounting, Management, and Economics (10th ICAME 2025)
PB  - Atlantis Press
SP  - 2318
EP  - 2330
SN  - 2352-5428
UR  - https://doi.org/10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_162
DO  - 10.2991/978-94-6239-709-5_162
ID  - Mutmainna2026
ER  -