A review to understand relationship marketing and customer loyalty: effect factors

Relationship marketing and customer loyalty are two concepts that have been explored by researchers because these two concepts are important in marketing. Today with hard competition, customers are at the foundation of business vision and their satisfaction is the main factor to gain a competitive advantage. This paper offers a literature review of relationship marketing and customer loyalty in general and particularly the relationship marketing factors most influencing customer loyalty. Several articles were examined for their relevance to the concept of relationship marketing and customer loyalty. The paper begins with an introduction; then, a review of academic research on relationship marketing and customer loyalty and, finally, a summary of the influence of relational factors on customer loyalty is presented. It is trusted that the paper could provide some insights that will be useful for academics and practitioners to study existing research and to consider future research.