Page 30 - April_2024 Broucher.indd

Happy Paul

Title: Customer engagement strategies within family businesses in emerging economies: A multi-method

study

Journal: Journal of Business Research

Customer Engagement (CE) research has been growing considerably over

time, however, most of this research emanates from developed economies
and large organizational contexts. Little is known about CE strategies when

it comes to family-owned businesses in emerging market context. This
paper tries to synthesize the extant literature on CE to identify the state

of research concerning CE practices followed in family-owned businesses
from emerging markets. To achieve this objective, we first conducted a

structured literature review of CE research published in last two decades
in the top tier management and marketing journals. Second, drawing from
the insights received from the findings of the structured review, we design a

structured interview schedule to collect first-hand data from the managers

working in family-owned businesses in India. This rich data is then analyzed
using a qualitative data analysis package. Findings from our analysis
reveal that social media platforms, continuous monitoring of the customer

feedback and reviews, importance to non-financial goals, safeguarding

the reputation, and maintaining the trustful relationship are critical aspects
of family-owned firms’ CE strategy. Another interesting aspect about the
CE strategies in family businesses vis-à-vis non-family-businesses,

specifically from an emerging country context is the reliance on the third-party agencies to manage the content
creation and digital marketing. Study findings not only help advance the scholarship within the twin fields of customer
engagement and family business, but also provide valuable insights to the practitioners of family-owned businesses.

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