New research out of Finland proves that viewing the use of digital channels in marketing from a customer relationship perspective offers several benefits to a marketer. From a customer perspective, the Internet has given more power to get up-to-date information, to compare products and services more easily, and to get in touch with marketers.

In “The Effects of Digital Marketing on Customer Relationships”, an article from the recent release of Electronic Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications (edited by Dr. In Lee, Western Illinois University, USA) Helsinki School of Economics (Finland) professor Dr. Marko Merisavo examines how marketers can use digital channels to develop and strengthen customer relationships.

“From the customer perspective, perceived value of using digital channels and interacting with a marketer can come in several ways,” writes Merisavo. “It could be money, time, information, convenience, pleasure, entertainment, assistance, social interactivity, prestige, or something else the customer appreciates.”

Merisavo says that more research and empirical evidence is needed to better understand what are the most suitable forms of digital marketing that strengthen customer relationships. He believes the ideas presented in his research must be further tested and improved by empirical studies.

(Portions of this article are excerpted from Electronic Business: Concepts, Methodologies, Tools, and Applications edited by Dr. In Lee.)