Relationship marketing in an international context: a literature review

This study identifies and examines the extant literature in international relationship marketing. Twenty-four empirical studies that address various aspects of relationship marketing are identified. However, only eight studies were found to explore marketing relationships across national boundaries. The remainder combine multi-country data or examine relationship marketing in non-US settings. In this review, we report the nature and the findings of these studies and discuss their implications for future research and marketing practice. It is apparent from this review that, despite the increasing importance of international marketing, insufficient attention is being paid to exploring and theorizing relationship marketing in international contexts. Furthermore, limited effort in validating domestic findings in international settings circumscribes the universal applicability and managerial relevance of relationship marketing studies.