Organisations that want to continue being successful in today's global competitive market, where customers are more empowered and brand loyalty is eroding, will have to move to Relationship Marketing (RM) with a strong focus on Customer Relationship Management (CRM). CRM enables organisations to provide excellent real-time customer service through the effective use of individual account information. This requires a more complex approach, since organisations need to investigate and satisfy customer needs, and have to build relationships with existing and potential customers. CRM of the future will have to secure state-of-the-art customer management services delivered to customers through the Cloud to establish a convenient, but professional, customer management service. Relationship Marketing and Customer Relationship Management (fourth edition) includes new South African case studies illustrating RM and CRM within South African organisations. The book also focuses on current RM and CRM themes, such as the changing face of the customer, how to deal with positive and negative relationships, poor service experiences and the recovery of customer relationships.

The study of consumer behaviour provides invaluable insight into consumer information processing, decision-making and buying patterns, regardless of generation or culture. It therefore should form a critical part of marketing plans, strategies, public policy and ethics, and has a considerable impact on business decisions. This fascinating subject also helps us understand our own consumer patterns: when, why and where we buy certain items, why we use them in certain ways, and how we dispose of them.