The Influence of Relationship Marketing Tools on Customers’ Retention: on the Example of "VkusVill"

The paper concentrates on the analysis of relationship marketing tools (RMT) and the effectiveness of their application in one of the fastest growing food store chains in Russia – ‘VkusVill’. The work is based on the following concepts: ‘relationship marketing’, ‘consumer behavior’, ‘relationship marketing tools’, ‘customer retention’. Despite the fact that a large number of studies proves their positive effect on maintenance of strong, long-lasted relationships between the company and its customers, the fast growing trend of changing consumer behavior towards a functional approach to brands and stores, and the unwillingness to build relationships with them calls into question the expediency of their application. The purpose of the study is to find out whether the main RMT still have a positive effect on the retention of certain groups of clients or not. Using the qualitative method of in-depth interview, we gain understanding of actual RMT used by ‘VkusVill’ and the purpose of their implementation. The following online-survey reveals the categories of customers, and determines interrelation between each of them and the effectiveness (in the context of retention) of certain RMT.