The Examination of Customer Relationship Building from an Entrepreneurial Perspective: The Cases of Chinese Taobao Pure-Play E-Retailers

Given the rapid developments in internet technologies and e-commerce markets, as well as gaps in the extant literature, there is a need to examine entrepreneurial marketing in the online context. In particular, it is useful to examine the exploitation of e-commerce platform for online customer relationship building by pure-play e-retailers, as online start-ups which operate solely on the Taobao platform, from an entrepreneurial outlook. Using a multiple case approach, this research explores the process of entrepreneurial customer relationship building in enhancing the market opportunity-seeking of selected Chinese pure e-retailers. The findings in this research highlight the importance of proactiveness and innovativeness in the e-retailers’ customer relationship-building strategies. The finding specifies the process of EM in pure-play e-retailers whereby the entrepreneur proactively and innovatively identified and sought opportunities for accumulating and retaining customers through a set of long-term customer relationship-building approaches. This research highlights a forward-looking customer relationship-building process which includes forward-looking customers’ relationship building, co-creation with multiple functions, diversified and creative promotional strategies, innovation of e-commerce applications and innovation of online marketing, and building customer intimacy through authentic customer conversations.