USE OF SOCIAL CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT IN INDIAN RETAIL INDUSTRY

Abstract

It is evident that social media has become an important influencing factor in all major activities involving human interaction. Similar is the case of retailing, where retailers are developing news methods of engaging with customers and improving customer experiences which in turn result in better sales and satisfied customers. One can claim that social media has changed the way retail operations are being performed in the current day scenario. The study aims to explore how various retailers in the Indian market are adopting to these changes and to what extent has social media penetrated into their routine operations. Customer Relationship Management (CRM) has been the most important business strategy function for any business and with the increase in social media usage; it was inevitable for these to meet. Social CRM or CRM 2.0 has evolved into an enhanced CRM version which harmoniously integrates the social media with CRM functions to provide valuable insights for better customer engagement. The study involved gathering information from various retailers with the help of aquestionnaire which was created in order to elicit responses clearly depicting the extent of adoption and use of social media and Social CRM by the retailers.