The role of explaining e-commerce in customer relationship management

Nowadays, computers have affected all aspects of human life. Basic business elements such as customers' personal information are all stored in computers, and this intangible information includes a large proportion of corporate assets. E-commerce with a customer-oriented approach is defined as technology-oriented relationship marketing, which is used by companies with the intention of maintaining customer relations owing to its significant advantages over the traditional e-commerce. Iranian businesses, despite facing tough competition in domestic and foreign markets, have realized the importance of customer retention, but they are not as familiar with customer relationship management capabilities as they should be, nor do they know about e-commerce tools. If the problem is solved, the way will be paved for the successful implementation of CRM. This gap has led to economic inefficiency and the ultimate shutdown of many businesses. The main problems are the lack of managers’ understanding of the importance of communication with the customer, the use of some outdated marketing models to establish this relationship, and the lack of e-commerce capacity to implement CRM. The main purpose of this study is to identify the components of e-commerce and CRM and explain the relationship between them in the form of a comprehensive model. To this end, at first, the components of these two variables were identified using the meta-synthesis and indexing methods, and meta-synthesis models of research were presented. Then, using the interpretive structural modeling, a comprehensive research model was introduced to show the relationship between the mentioned components. The present study is exploratory mixed research in terms of method. Meta-synthesis is applied in the qualitative part, and in the qualitative-quantitative part is based on ISM. The meta-synthesis focuses on qualitative studies and their in-depth analysis with the aim of deeper understanding. ISM is technically appropriate for analyzing the effect of one element on other elements. In terms of purpose, the meta-synthesis section is an applied research work, and it is a qualitative study in terms of implementation. The ISM part is an applied research work in terms of purpose and a qualitative study in terms of implementation. Also, this method is descriptive-survey in terms of nature and partly developmental in terms of results. According to Popper's Foresight Diamond model, it is one of the semi-quantitative research methods. In meta-synthesis, library studies and web browsing were conducted to collect data. The ISM section was based on a researcher-made questionnaire. Open coding method was used for data analysis in the meta-synthesis, and Mic Mac analysis was done for ISM. The statistical population in the meta-synthesis section was the scientific articles in the field of e-commerce and CRM from 1996 to 2017 for Latin articles and from 2001 to 2017 for Persian articles. In the meta-synthesis, the criterion for sample size was theoretical saturation. In the ISM, the statistical population included 83 experts from the companies approved by the Electronic Commerce Development Center of the Ministry of Industry, Mines and Trade, which have the symbol of e-trust and operate in the field of e-commerce. The statistical sample in this method consisted of 15 experts from the mentioned companies. The sampling method was snowball sampling, and the criterion for sample size was the theoretical saturation. In the Meta-synthesis section and in the first stage of the article evaluation, there existed 52 articles in the field of e-commerce and 60 articles in the field of CRM. In the second stage, there were 45 articles in the field of e-commerce and 47 in the field of CRM. Finally, in the third stage, 29 articles were accepted in the field of e-commerce and 27 in the field of CRM. As an innovation, the indexing method was used, and new sub-fields were added to the meta-synthesis models. In the meta-synthesis E-commerce model, customer trust and satisfaction as well as the development, application and success of e-commerce were the three main components, each of which had several sub-components. In the meta-synthesis model of CRM, the key factors of success, customer satisfaction and electronic customer relationship management were the three main components with a number of sub-components. In the ISM part, according to the dependence power and the driving power, the research components were analyzed and placed in four areas in the form of Mic Mac diagrams. E-CRM was ranked in the third area as an influential variable. The components of the development, application and success of e-commerce were in the second area; they were called dependent variables. Customer trust and satisfaction in e-commerce and the key factors of success and customer satisfaction in CRM in the fourth area were considered as a linkage variables. No component was located in the autonomous region. E-CRM plays a pivotal role and is somehow related to other components through primary or secondary relationships. It directly contributes to customer satisfaction and serves as a key factor in the success of CRM. The pivotal role of this component is owing to its ability to use the Internet to attract new customers and the ability to communicate continuously with previous customers. Therefore, managers should pay good attention to this component and make it operational. This new approach can increase electronic customer loyalty to the company and is considered as a potential competitive advantage. The main limitation of the meta-synthesis approach was found to be the limited time period for reviewing articles, which can be improved by expanding the research results. In future studies, in addition to articles, authoritative books and scientific reports can be used. In the ISM, the content relationships between the components depend on the knowledge of the experts, which may affect the results. It is recommended to be used in future studies along with other methods such as analytical network processes.