The contribution of relationship marketing to the satisfaction and loyalty of university library users
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29352/mill0221e.38594Keywords:
relationship marketing; satisfaction; loyalty; university librariesAbstract
Introduction: The growing evolution of new technologies in the modern world has had a great impact on the dynamics of university libraries, which has led to the redefinition of the strategic principles of these units and the implementation of new guidelines for their marketing areas.
Objective: To investigate the impact of relationship marketing in the context of academic libraries and to evaluate its contributions to user satisfaction and loyalty.
Methods: The descriptive, cross-sectional quantitative research was based on an online questionnaire adapted from LibQual+, which was sent by email to users of four libraries at the Portuguese Catholic University.
Results: 292 responses considered valid were obtained. Empirical evidence has shown that relationship marketing shapes the attitude of users and contributes positively to their satisfaction (p=0.000<0.05), at the same time as guaranteeing the quality and visibility of services, which generates trust and quantitatively influences the levels of affluence and of loyalty (r2=0.695; p<0.05) of the academic public to these spaces.
Conclusion: Relationship marketing emerges as a differentiated strategy that, when implemented in university libraries, ensures positioning and long-term sustainability of these structures.
Downloads
References
Abule, M. (2023). Marketing of information services in medical libraries of public universities in North West zone of Nigeria. Library Philosophy and Practice, 7728. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=14898&context=libphilprac
Adeogun, M. (2022). Increasing patron’s outreach and engagement through relationship marketing: A case study. Journal of Library Administration, 62(3), 359–375. https://doi.org/10.1080/01930826.2022.2043691
Adomaa, E. (2021). Marketing of special library services in Ghana: The case of Ghana Atomic Energy Commission. Library Philosophy and Practice, 1-26. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/5911/
Ahmmed, K., Islam, S., Mohd Noor, N., Rahman, K., & Ahmed, F. (2019). Toward a theoretical framework of relationship marketing in the business context. Market-Tržište, 31(2), 209-226. https://doi.org/10.22598/mt/2019.31.2.209
Ali, M. Y., & Gatiti, P. (2020). The COVID-19 (Coronavirus) pandemic: reflections on the roles of librarians and information professionals. Health Information and Libraries Journal, 37(2), 158–162. https://doi.org/10.1111/hir.12307
Antunes, J., & Rita, P. (2007). O marketing relacional e a fidelização de clientes – Estudo aplicado ao termalismo português. Economia Global e Gestão, 12(2). http://hdl.handle.net/10071/734
Araújo, R. L., Fernandes Júnior, P. R., & Nunes, M. S. C. (2020). Mediação da informação em tempos de pandemia e isolamento social: uma análise da atuação dos sistemas de bibliotecas universitárias nas redes sociais. Revista Brasileira de Educação em Ciência da Informação, 7(1), 72–89. https://doi.org/10.24208/rebecin.v7iespecial.194
Araújo, W., Freire, G., & Côrtes, G. (2018). Marketing de relacionamento em bibliotecas: estratégia de comunicação em ambiente Web. Informação & Informação, 23(3), 544-564. https://doi.org/10.5433/1981-8920.2018v23n3p544
Ashiq, M., Jabeen, F., & Mahmood, K. (2022). Transformation of libraries during Covid 19 pandemic: A systematic review. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 48(4), 102534. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2022.102534
Baynast, A., Lendrevie, J., Lévy, J., Dionísio, P., & Rodrigues, V. (2021). Mercator 25 anos: O marketing na era digital. Dom Quixote.
Besant, L., & Sharp, D. (2000). UPSIZE THIS! Libraries need relationship marketing. Information Outlook, 4, 17-23. https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1002&context=sla_io_2000
Catudal, C. (2019). Communiquer avec les publics en bibliothèque universitaire: Contextualiser la communication externe pour la rendre plus efficace [Dissertação de Mestrado]. École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de l’Information et des Bibliothèques. https://abrir.link/JSPGz
Cheng, W., Lam, E., & Chiu, D. (2020). Social media as a platform in academic library marketing: A comparative study. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 46(5). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102188
Christopher, M., Payne, A., & Ballantyne, D. (1993). Relationship marketing: Bringing quality, customer service and marketing together. Butterworth-Heinemann. https://abrir.link/WwIlO
Demo, G., & Rozzett, K. (2013). Customer relationship management scale for the business-to-consumer market: Validation in the United States and comparison to Brazilian models. International Business Research, 6(11), 29-38. https://doi.org/10.5539/ibr.v6n11p29
Ersoy, Y., & Tehci, A. (2023). Relationship marketing orientation in healthcare organisations with the AHP method: Internal and external customer perspectives. Operations Research & Decisions, 33(1), 35–45. https://doi.org/10.37190/ord230103
Evans, J. R., & Laskin, R. L. (1994). The relationship marketing process: A conceptualization and application. Industrial Marketing Management, 23(5), 439-452. https://doi.org/10.1016/0019-8501(94)90007-8
Fiúza, M., & Kilimnik, Z. (2004). Indicadores de mensuração da qualidade de comunicação: Estudo de caso em Instituição do Ensino superior. Revista Administração On Line - FECAP, 5(2), 1-20. https://shre.ink/5WAd
Fonseca, A. (2017). A fidelização online de clientes: um estudo de caso. [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade Católica Portuguesa]. Repositório Da Universidade Católica Portuguesa. https://ciencia.ucp.pt/en/studentTheses/a-fideliza%C3%A7%C3%A3o-online-de-clientes/
Fortin, M. F. (2009). O processo de investigação: da concepção à realização (5ª. ed.). Lusociência.
Fraser-Arnott, M. (2023). Academic library marketing in the post-COVID world. Journal of Academic Librarianship, 49(4), 102744. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2023.102744
Hill, M., & Hill, A. (2005). Investigação por questionário. Sílabo.
Husnain, M., & Akhtar, M. (2015). Relationship marketing and customer loyalty: Evidence from banking sector in Pakistan. Global Journal of Management and Business Research: E Marketing, 15(10), 1-14. https://journalofbusiness.org/index.php/GJMBR/article/view/1879
John, S., & De Villiers, R. (2022). Factors affecting the success of marketing in higher education: A arelationship marketing perspective. Journal of Marketing for Higher Education, 34(2), 875-894 https://doi.org/10.1080/08841241.2022.2116741
Kotler, P. (2013). Marketing para o século XXI. (7ª. ed.). Editorial Presença.
Kotler, P., Armstrong, G., & Balasubramanian, S. (2023). Principles of marketing (19.ª ed.). Pearson Education Limited.
Kotler, P., Keller, K., & Chernev, A. (2021). Marketing Management (16.ª ed.). Pearson.
Leite, J. (2014). A biblioteca universitária e as novas tecnologias da informação: Uma janela de oportunidades [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade do Porto]. Repositório Aberto da Universidade do Porto. https://repositorio-aberto.up.pt/handle/10216/78983
Lopes, A. (2017). Fundamentos da gestão de pessoa: Para uma síntese epistemológica da iniciativa, da competição e da cooperação. Sílabo
Lozano, M. C., França, M. C., & Mendes, M. C. de L. (2021). Uso do Facebook pelas bibliotecas universitárias do Estado de São Paulo nos 100 primeiros dias da pandemia de COVID-19. Revista Brasileira de Biblioteconomia e Documentação, 17, 1–17. https://brapci.inf.br/v/168782
Maçães, M. (2017). Marketing e gestão da relação com o cliente. Actual.
Malabanan, E. D., Galicia, L. S., & Navarro, M. R. V. (2021). Challenges and strategies of academic libraries during the COVID-19 crisis among NOCEI member schools in the Philippines. University Library at a New Stage of Social Communications Development: Conference Proceedings, 6, 20–29. https://doi.org/0.15802/unilib/2021_249558
Marôco, J. (2018). Análise estatística com a utilização do SPSS (7.ª ed.). Report Number.
Marques, A. (2023). Marketing relacional: Como transformar a fidelização de clientes numa vantagem competitiva (2.ª. ed.). Sílabo.
Marques, M. B. P. S. M. (2012). A satisfação do cliente de serviços de informação: As bibliotecas públicas da Região Centro [Tese de Doutoramento, Universidade de Coimbra]. Repositório Científico da Universidade de Coimbra. https://estudogeral.uc.pt/handle/10316/20462
Mendes, M. R. M. (2012). O marketing relacional e a fidelização dos estudantes: Um estudo aplicado ao CCSo da UFMA-Brasil e à ESTG do IPL-Portugal [Dissertação de Mestrado não publicada], Instituto Politécnico de Leiria.
Meyssonnier, F., & Zakar, M. (2016). Satisfaction du client et efficience du personnel en contact dans la relation de service: Étude du cas d’une entreprise de grandes surfaces de bricolage. Recherches en Sciences de Gestion, 112(1), 59–76. https://doi.org/10.3917/resg.112.0059
Montel, C. (2013). Les stratégies de fidélisation des publics en bibliothèque. [Dissertação de Mestrado, Université de Lyon]. https://www.enssib.fr/bibliotheque-numerique/documents/60378-les-strategies-de-fidelisation-des-publics-en-bibliotheque.pdf
Morgan, R., & Hunt, S. (1994). The commitment–trust theory of relationship marketing. Journal of Marketing, 58, 20-38. https://doi.org/10.2307/1252308
Munsch, L. (2013). Approches de l’accueil en bibliothèques municipales: techniques, postures, évaluation. [Dissertação de Mestrado, Université de Lyon]. https://www.enssib.fr/bibliotheque-numerique/documents/60379-approches-de-l-accueil-en-bibliotheques-municipales-techniques-postures-evaluation.pdf
Nwachokor, I., & Okeke, I. (2020). Customer Relationship Management Practices among Librarians in Academic Libraries in Delta State. Library Philosophy and Practice (e-journal), 4010, 1-17. https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/libphilprac/4010/
Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. & Berry, L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retaining. 64(1), 12-40. https://www.marketeurexpert.fr/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/servqual.pdf
Pestana, M., & Gageiro, J. (2005). Análise de dados para Ciências Sociais: A complementaridade do SPSS (4ª). Sílabo.
Rafiq, M., Batool, S. H., Ali, A. F., & Ullah, M. (2021). University libraries' response to the COVID-19 pandemic: A developing country perspective. The Journal of Academic Librarianship, 47(1), 102280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.acalib.2020.102280
Sharma, A., Tzokas, N., Saren, M., & Kyziridis, P. (1999). Antecedents and consequences of relationship marketing: Insights from business service salespeople. Industrial Marketing Management, 28, 601–611.
Silva, C. (2016). A aplicabilidade do Marketing de Relacionamento na gestão de Bibliotecas Universitárias: um estudo em uma biblioteca de instituição privada de Juazeiro do Norte - CE. Revista de Biblioteconomia e Ciências da Informação, 2(2), 5-15. https://abrir.link/xSOej
Silva, K., & Tabosa, H. (2014). Marketing de relacionamento em bibliotecas universitárias. Informação & Informação, 19(3), 219-241. https://doi.org/10.5433/1981-8920.2014v19n3p219
Souchon, F. (2013) Faire vivre les ressoures numériques dans la bibliothèque physique. Le cas des bibliothèques universitaires [Dissertação de Mestrado, École Nationale Supérieure des Sciences de l’Information et des Bibliothèques]. https://abrir.link/jIKZi
Thibodeau, F., & Poirier, C. (2019). Bibliothèques publiques et virage citoyen: Enjeux institutionnels et communicationnels. Communiquer, 26, 47-66. https://doi.org/10.4000/communiquer.4385
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Millenium - Journal of Education, Technologies, and Health
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who submit proposals for this journal agree to the following terms:
a) Articles are published under the Licença Creative Commons (CC BY 4.0), in full open-access, without any cost or fees of any kind to the author or the reader;
b) The authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication, allowing the free sharing of work, provided it is correctly attributed the authorship and initial publication in this journal;
c) The authors are permitted to take on additional contracts separately for non-exclusive distribution of the version of the work published in this journal (eg, post it to an institutional repository or as a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal;
d) Authors are permitted and encouraged to publish and distribute their work online (eg, in institutional repositories or on their website) as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as increase the impact and citation of published work
Documents required for submission
Article template (Editable format)
