B2B customer centricity: A structured literature review and future research directions
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Abstract
Putting the customer at the center of everything a company does is not a new approach. However, how to strategically implement this in a B2B company remains unexplored. A company must shift from a product-centric to a customer-centric perspective and transform its entire organization. This paper provides a much-needed literature review on B2B customer centricity, examines, compares, and contrasts existing resources, offers a structured overview of the most essential aspects, and provides directions for future research. This review consists of a structured analysis of primary and secondary sources. Recurring topics such as employees, customer experience, customer relationship management (CRM), data, KPIs, and sustainability have been identified and outlined in more detail. The review thereby identifies the two elements, employees and data, as decisive components of customer centricity. Another relevant insight is the transfer of customer expectations from the B2C to the B2B market, leading to continually rising expectations among B2B customers. To realize the concept’s full potential and meet the growing expectations of business customers, a major rethink is needed. Future research should therefore focus on initiatives perceived by customers, refine what exactly the “center” is that a customer has to be put in, and clarify the practical process for holistically implementing customer centricity.
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