China's Shipping Business Relationship Marketing Strategy Study

Relation Marketing is a new marketing theory, which rise in Western in the late 80's and the beginning of 90's.Relation Marketing is pursuing to the principle of putting customers' demand on its core theory. Moreover, it combined with the marketing activity of modern enterprise. Base upon this, it comes to a conclusion that it's more important for marketing activity to satisfy the demands of customers and to build long-term association relationship with customers. Since it appeared, Relation Marketing has gained a lot of responses from the field of marketing and has been developing very quickly.In shipping marketing nowadays, the unbalance between the supply and the demand lead to very tensional competition. Furthermore, shipping company is pursuing to scale economic through bigger ships. Under these situations, price became the main strategy of marketing activity. But with the increasing customers' demands of service level, and with more foreign shipping companies who have better service level entering China after China entered WTO. Under these conditions, it is out of question that our shipping company will not succeed to depend price strategy only.Shipping company must put the customers' demands is top priority into practice. According to the customers' demands, through supply special service to satisfy individual demands to cultivate customer's loyalty.Thus, base on the Relation Marketing theory, and apply Michael Porter's 5 Forces model, this paper analyses the competition environment of shipping marketing nowadays, and it comes to a conclusion that our shipping company must carry out Relation Marketing strategy with customers, logistic suppliers and competitors (include shipping company home and abroad).Our shipping company carry out Relation Marketing strategy with customers:First sector puts emphasis on the detailed carry out process of Relation Marketing with customer. To begin with, it discussed the strategy of building customers. Furthermore, it discussed deeply the means of segmenting and managing customers. Finally, through customer delivery value, customer satisfaction and transfer cost three sectors, it discussed deeply the means of customers' retention and royalty.Our shipping company carry out Relation Marketing strategy with logistics suppliers:To begin with, it put forward some factor of selection logistics suppliers. Then, it discussed deeply the selection process of logistics supplier by AHP. Finally, it discussed the management strategy of logistics supplier.Our shipping company carry out Relation Marketing strategy with competitors.To begin with it discussed the need of cooperation with competitors, then it discussed and means of cooperation.Base upon the above, this paper analyzed the Relation Marketing strategy of P&O Nedlloy and it also put forward some suggestions.I hope through in theory and practice research about Relation Marketing of this paper, it can give some reference to our shipping company to develop Relation Marketing strategy.