Information technology and relationship marketing in an inter-firm context: implications for research

The focus in the relationship marketing literature is often on retaining customers, and the use of face-to-face relationships. Although the use of technology in business is continually increasing and consequently, limited research addresses the impact of technology on relationships. While it is accepted that trust is necessary for relationships (Morgan and Hunt, 1994) there is little evidence to suggest what impact technology has on these relationships, other than value adding (Stone and Woodcock, 1997). This paper reviews the impact of technology on relationships and concludes with a series of research propositions for an exploratory study. Due to the higher perceived risk of purchasing services, and increased importance on trust, this paper particularly focuses on Relationship Marketing in a service context