BUS 310 Targeted & Social Marketing
Unit 5
Electronic Customer Relationship Management (CRM) & Market Research
Understanding Using CRM in
Understanding
of e-CRM e-Marketing Channels Market Research
1.1
1.2
1.3
Qualitative &
Primary & Secondary
Quantitative Research
Research
1.4
1.5
Goal: The goals of Unit 5 are to learn why e-CRM (electronic customer relationship management) is an
important part of business and to become familiar with the different types of e-CRM. In addition,
students will understand the differences between quantitative and qualitative research and learn how
to gather both qualitative and quantitative research to help them understand target markets.
Essential Questions: Why is it critical for businesses to understand the importance of positive customer
relationship management and how can technology aid in this process? How is qualitative and
quantitative research important to the creation of successful marketing campaigns?
Outcomes (Desired Results):
By the end of Unit 5, students will understand that:
 Customer relationships are no longer driven by telephone contact centers, but instead by blogs,
Twitter, e-mail, and IM, as well as CRM channels both pre- and post-sale. (1.1 & 1.2)
 There are several types of CRM in organizations: operational, analytical, sales-force automation,
and collaborative CRM. (1.2)
 Market research is a process that aids business decisions. It involves systematically gathering,
recording, and analyzing data and information about customers, competitors, and the market.
(1.3)
 Quantitative research gathers data that can be statistically analyzed to determine results. Data
must be formally gathered and should be collected to test a hypothesis as opposed to
determine a hypothesis. Qualitative data can be more difficult to quantify because base sizes
are smaller and not necessarily representative of the market under investigation. (1.4)
 Primary research involves gathering data for a specific research task. It is based on data that has
not been gathered beforehand. Primary research can be either qualitative or quantitative.
Secondary data can provide sources for hypotheses that can be explored through primary
research. (1.5)
Assessment:
1. Write a two page reaction paper using the Harvard Business Review case study on Zappos.
Product number: R1007A-PDF-ENG. Perform your own research by visiting the Zappos website
(www.zapos.com), read blogs and web articles that detail the company. In your paper, explain
what makes the culture at Zappos so special. How do the core principles practiced by the
company empower their employees to create WOW moments? From your research, highlight
what makes Zappos an industry leader in customer relationship management.
2. Complete a 200-word discussion post analyzing this question: How does the Internet change
the role of the researcher when it comes to market research?