Customers and Relations
This theme includes research on all kinds of customers' experiences of and responses to brands, product and service offerings, marketing communication, marketing activities as well as other conditions in the markets.
Responsible faculty member:
Prof. Kristina Heinonen
Researchers focusing on the area:
Prof. Peter Björk
Prof. Emeritus Christian Grönroos
Prof. Maria Holmlund-Rytkönen
Prof. Veronica Liljander
Prof. Bård Tronvoll
Prof. Magnus Söderlund
Prof. Tore Strandvik
Assoc. Prof. Pia Polsa
Assoc. Prof. Annika Ravald
Asst. Prof. Johanna Gummerus
Asst. Prof. Christian Kowalkowski
Post-doc. Karl-Jacob Mickelsson
Specific topics
- Customer experiences in B2C and B2B
- Customer value formation
- Service/product quality, customer satisfaction
- Customer involvement and engagement
- Customer activities and practices
- Customer network relationships
- Relationship marketing, customer rel.man.
- Value selling, solutions selling
- Service interface, service encounters, servicescapes
- Customers' social media use
- Brand relationships and image
Focus industries studied in the area
- Financial services and banking industry
- Tourism and hospitality industry
Our latest publications on customers and relations
Technology in use - characterizing customer self-service devices (SSDS) Journal of Services Marketing vol. 33 no. 1 pp. 44-56 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2018-0292 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10227/229178/3/Gumerrus_et_al._2019_Post_Print_version.docx
How consumers' need for uniqueness, self-monitoring, and social identity affect their choices when luxury brands visually shout versus whisper Journal of Business Research vol. 84 no. March pp. 72-81 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.11.012
Sharing-Dominant Logic? Quantifying the Association between Consumer Intelligence and Choice of Social Access Modes Journal of Consumer Research vol. 46 no. 2 pp. 201-222 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucy074 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10227/226189/1/aspara_wittkowski_sharing_dominant_logic_AUTHORS_OWN.docx
What Do Business Customers Value? An Empirical Study of Value Propositions in a Servitization Context Technology Innovation Management Review vol. 8 no. 5 pp. 36-43 DOI: https://doi.org/10.22215/timreview/1157 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/196717/1/Sakyi_GyinaeHolmlund_TIMReview_May2018.pdf
A4A relationships Journal of Service Theory and Practice2015 vol. 27 no. 5 pp. 1040-1056 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSTP-05-2017-0085
Customer engagement in a Big Data world Journal of Services Marketing vol. 31 no. 2 pp. 161-171 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-10-2016-0352
Emosjoner i kundedrevet samskaping av tjenester Magma: Econas tidsskrift for økonomi og ledelse vol. 4 pp. 50-58 https://www.magma.no/emosjoner-i-kundedrevet-samskaping-av-tjenester
Emotions elicited by local food consumption, memories, place attachment and behavioural intentions Anatolia : An International Journal of Tourism and Hospitality Research vol. 28 no. 3 pp. 363-380 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13032917.2017.1322111
Network orchestration for value platform development Industrial Marketing Management vol. 67 no. November pp. 106-121 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2017.08.002
PSS business model conceptualization and application Production Planning & Control vol. 28 no. 15 pp. 1251-1263 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/09537287.2017.1363924 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/199006/1/Adrodegari_et_al._2017_PSS_Business_Model_Conceptualization_and_Application_PPC.pdf
Relational price discounts: Consumers' metacognitions and nonlinear effects of initial discounts on customer retention Journal of Marketing vol. 82 no. 1 pp. 115-131 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.16.0267
Relationship marketing and service: an update Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science : Bridging Asia and the World vol. 27 no. 3 pp. 201-208 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2017.1318666
Relationship marketing readiness: theoretical background and measurement directions Journal of Services Marketing vol. 31 no. 3 pp. 218-225 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2017-0056 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/168565/1/Gr_nroos_RM_Readiness_JSM_2017_final.docx
Relative contribution of souvenirs on memorability of a trip experience and revisit intentions: a study of visitors to Rovaniemi, Finland Scandinavian Journal of Hospitality and Tourism vol. 19 no. 1 pp. 1-26 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/15022250.2017.1354717 https://haris.hanken.fi/ws/files/8676322/Relative_contribution_of_souvenirs_final_submission_last_version.docx
Servitization and deservitization Industrial Marketing Management vol. 60 no. January pp. 4-10 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.12.007 https://ssrn.com/abstract=2890856
The Actor: The Key Determinator in Service Ecosystems Systems vol. 5 no. 2 pp. 1-14 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/systems5020038 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/173873/1/systems_05_00038.pdf
"Running Is My Boyfriend": Consumers’ Relationships with Activities Journal of Services Marketing vol. 31 no. 1 pp. 24-33 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-03-2016-0108 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/167786/1/Mickelsson_2017_Consumers_Relationships_With_Activities_Author_s_copy.pdf
Mere employee presence and its impact on customer satisfaction Psychology and Marketing vol. 33 no. 6 pp. 449-464 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/mar.20890
Organizational Behavior in Innovation, Marketing, and Purchasing in Business Service Contexts Journal of Business Research vol. 69 no. 7 pp. 2457-2462 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.014 https://haris.hanken.fi/ws/files/6510570/Holmlund_et_al._2016_Journal_of_Business_Research_postprint.pdf
Service growth in product firms Industrial Marketing Management vol. 60 no. January pp. 82-88 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2016.10.015 https://haris.hanken.fi/ws/files/7113639/Kowalkowski_Gebauer_Oliva_2017_IMM_postprint.pdf
Customer-dominant logic: foundations and implications Journal of Services Marketing vol. 29 no. 6/7 pp. 472-484 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JSM-02-2015-0096
Do Ethical Social Media Communities Pay Off? An Exploratory Study of the Ability of Facebook Ethical Communities to Strengthen Consumers' Ethical Consumption Behavior Journal of Business Ethics vol. 144 no. 3 pp. 449-465 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-015-2830-y
How buyer-seller relationship orientation affects adaptation of sales processes to the buying process Industrial Marketing Management vol. 52 pp. 37-46 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2015.07.013
Managing relationship gaps: A practitioner perspective Journal of Business Research vol. 69 no. 7 pp. 2490-2497 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2016.02.018
Service productivity as mutual learning International Journal of Quality and Service Sciences vol. 7 no. 2-3 pp. 296-311 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJQSS-03-2015-0035
Two sides of a coin: Connecting corporate brand heritage to consumers’ corporate image heritage Journal of Brand Management vol. 22 no. June/July pp. 467-484 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2015.20
Young consumers’ responses to suspected covert and overt blog marketing Internet Research vol. 25 no. 4 pp. 610-632 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IntR-02-2014-0041
Am I worth it? Gifting myself with luxury Journal of Fashion Marketing and Management vol. 18 no. 2 pp. 112-132 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JFMM-04-2013-0062 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/44992/2/Kauppinen_Ra_isa_nen_et_al._2014_Am_I_worth_it.pdf
Contemporary insights to the dynamic pre-trip information sourcing behaviour Tourism and Hospitality Research vol. 15 no. 1 pp. 39-53 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1467358414553871
Conveying conscientiousness: Exploring environmental images across servicescapes Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services vol. 21 no. 4 pp. 520-528 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2014.04.001
Customer experience from a self-service system perspective Journal of Service Management vol. 25 no. 5 pp. 677-698 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-01-2013-0016
Invisible value formation: a netnography in retail banking International Journal of Bank Marketing vol. 32 no. 6 pp. 590-607 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/IJBM-03-2014-0041 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/167496/1/MedbergHeinonenIJBM_EmeraldPostprint.pdf
Negative critical waves in business relationships Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing vol. 29 no. 4 pp. 284-294 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-08-2013-0159 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/44993/2/Edvardsson_et_al._2014_Negative_critical_waves.pdf
Preferential treatment in the service encounter Journal of Service Management vol. 25 no. 4 pp. 512-530 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-02-2014-0048
Critical service logic: making sense of value creation and co-creation Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science vol. 41 no. 2 pp. 133-150 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-012-0308-3
Crystallization and research in Asia Qualitative Market Research: An International Journal vol. 16 no. 1 pp. 76-93 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/13522751311289776
Cultural values and health care service quality in China International Journal of Health Care Quality Assurance vol. 26 no. 1 pp. 55-73 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09526861311288640
Customer Activity in Service Journal of Service Management vol. 24 no. 5 pp. 534-552 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2013-0095 http://www.emeraldinsight.com/journals.htm?issn=1757-5818&volume=24&issue=5&articleid=17094369&show=abstract
Development and implementation of customer solutions Industrial Marketing Management vol. 42 no. 7 pp. 1083-1092 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2013.07.026 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/41901/2/Biggemann_et_al._2013_IMM.pdf
Diagnosing Service Brand Strength: Customer-Dominant Brand Relationship Mapping Journal of Service Management vol. 24 no. 5 pp. 502-519 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JOSM-04-2013-0094
Disintermediation in Business-to-Business Service Channels: Mechanisms and Challenges Journal of Business-to-Business Marketing vol. 20 no. 4 pp. 179-192 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/1051712X.2013.813717
Generative mechanisms in project marketing – an agenda for inquiry Journal of Global Scholars of Marketing Science : Bridging Asia and the World vol. 23 no. 2 pp. 196-212 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/21639159.2013.769330
Sales activity systematization and performance Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing vol. 28 no. 6 pp. 494-505 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/JBIM-04-2013-0101
The Crossover-Dialogue Approach : Journal of Business Research vol. 66 no. 3 pp. 288-297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2011.08.008
The impact of storytelling on the consumer brand experience: the case of a firm-originated story Journal of Brand Management vol. 20 no. 4 pp. 283-297 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/bm.2012.15
Value Creation Processes and Value Outcomes in Marketing Theory - Strangers or Siblings? Marketing Theory vol. 13 no. 1 pp. 19–46 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1470593112467267
Conceptualising value co-creation: A journey to the 1970s and back to the future Journal of Marketing Management vol. 28 no. 13-14 pp. 1520-1534 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0267257X.2012.737357
Customer Engagement in a Facebook Brand Community Management Research Review2010 vol. 35 no. 9 pp. 857 - 877 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/01409171211256578
Customer Needing: A Challenge for the Seller Offering Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing vol. 27 no. 2 pp. 132-141 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/08858621211196994 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/37178/2/TSMHBE_JBIM2012.pdf
My Customers Are in My Blind Spot Journal of Service Research vol. 15 no. 2 pp. 150-165 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/1094670511435540
Comparing the perceived quality of private and public health services in Nigeria Journal of Management Policy and Practice vol. 12 no. 7 pp. 18-26
Cooperation with Competitors and Internationalization Journal of Euromarketing vol. 18 no. 2 pp. 89-100 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10496480903022238 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/167494/1/VVMHSK_JEuroM_SecondSubmLangChecked2009.pdf
Seller-initiated relationship ending An empirical study of professional business-to-business services Managing Service Quality vol. 19 no. 3 pp. 266-285 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09604520910955302 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/169706/1/HH_MSQEditedSecondSubmission28112008.pdf
A definition, model, and empirical analysis of business-to-business relationship quality Journal of Service Management vol. 19 no. 1 pp. 32-62 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/09564230810855707 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/169561/1/HolmlundPRQ_LanguageCheckedFinalVersion2007.pdf
How to Diagnose Business-to-Business Relationships by Mapping Negative Incidents Journal of Marketing Management vol. 24 no. 3-4 pp. 361-381 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1362/026725708X306149 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/167495/1/TSMHNIMJoMMresubmitted.pdf
Initiation of business relationships in service-dominant settings Industrial Marketing Management vol. 37 no. 3 pp. 339-350 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.indmarman.2007.07.009 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/123456789/169562/1/BEMHTSRelainitIMMFinalAfterLanguageCheck.pdf
Exploring and Managing Negative Incidents in Business Relationships Journal of Customer Behavior vol. 4 no. 2 pp. 227-250
Stress in Business Relationships Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing vol. 20 no. 1 pp. 12-22 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/08858620510576757 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/153470/1/MHRTS_JBIM2002.pdf
Analyzing Business Relationships and Distinguishing Different Interaction Levels Industrial Marketing Management vol. 33 no. 4 pp. 279-287 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0019-8501(03)00057-9 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/153261/1/IMM_MH_InteLev_SPELLCHECKED.pdf
Perception Configurations in Business Relationships Management Decision vol. 37 no. 9 pp. 686-696 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749910299020 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/153263/1/PercConfManDec.doc.pdf
What are Relationships in Business Networks? Management Decision vol. 5 no. 4 pp. 304-309 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/00251749710169693 https://helda.helsinki.fi/dhanken//bitstream/10138/153381/1/mgmtdec3_2.pdf