Relationship between Social bonds and Customer value in commercial Banks in Kenya

Abstract

This study sought to empirically examine the influence of social bonds on customer value in commercial banks in Kenya. The social bonds examined in this study are communication with customers (CC), creation of friendship (CF) and social support (SS). The study sample consists of 384 respondents with a response rate of 78.1per cent. Data was analyzed by employing correlation and multiple regression analysis. The findings revealed that social bonds are positively associated with customer value in commercial banks in Kenya. The generalization of the findings is limited as the study focused only on a single industry in Kenya. Based on the findings, companies employing social bonds strategies should focus on improving the usefulness of the social bonds to customers by creating opportunities to strengthen social relationships. This study successfully extends the relationship marketing strategies in the context of customer value by incorporating communication with customers, creation of friendship and social support constructs. This extended relationship marketing model is developed to achieve the greater understanding of customer acceptance of social bonding strategy in Kenya’s commercial banks. In conclusion, the model in this study presents a considerable improvement in explanatory power