Title: Determinants of customer relationship building on digital healthcare networks: an extension of social media engagement theory from emerging market context

Authors: Susmita Suggala; Bharati Pathak; Sujo Thomas

Addresses: Faculty of Marketing Area, LJ Integrated MBA, School of Management Studies, LJ University, India ' S.D. School of Commerce, Gujarat University, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009, India ' Amrut Mody School of Management, Ahmedabad University, Commerce Six Roads, East Campus, Navrangpura, Ahmedabad, Gujarat 380009, India

Abstract: With the digital technology revolution, businesses are increasingly utilising internet to influence consumers in the electronic marketplace and to interact with larger number of consumers as well as deliver higher value to online consumers. Healthcare service organisations have apprehensively explored the digital networks for broadcasting, interacting and engaging consumers for developing a lasting relationship. Building relationship with people through digital networks is evolving as an effective marketing strategy. This study intends to investigate the determinants in building relationships with customers on social and digital healthcare networks by examining the role of customer awareness, perceptions, preferences, user characteristics, behavioural intention and satisfaction. This study found that for building customer relationship building in digital healthcare services, behavioural intention is derived from preference to use, perception, user characteristics and satisfaction. This study offers significant contributions as to how relationship building in healthcare on social media networks could be undertaken by providing deep insights on the contributing factors. This study further uses social media engagement theory and provides meaningful insights on customer relationship building by unwrapping a new yardstick to engage customers on social media networks.

Keywords: customer relationship building; healthcare; relationship marketing; social media engagement; digital networks.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2023.129948

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2023 Vol.14 No.2, pp.123 - 138

Received: 12 Jun 2021
Accepted: 30 Jul 2021
Published online: 03 Apr 2023 *

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