PROBLEM AREA DIFFERENCES IN THE CONCEPTS OF CUSTOMER CENTRICITY AND CUSTOMER ORIENTATION

Abstract

In recent years, business literature has shifted its focus from customer focus to customer centricity, which is positioned as a fundamentally new concept, a paradigm of doing business. The purpose of this article is to understand the correlation of these concepts for the correct interpretation of the latter. A review of the scientific literature using the built-in analysis option of SCOPUS.com showed that the main components of this concept (definition, genesis, prerequisites, consequences, differences from other concepts, positives, barriers, etc.) were developed long ago - at the beginning of the 21st century. The To increase the validity and remove bias in the interpretation of the distinctive features of the concept, a conceptual computer analysis of 2 arrays of information was carried out: titles and abstracts of 270 scientific publications published in the SCOPUS scientometric database with the keyword "customer focus" and 460 scientific publications with the keyword "customer centricity". The sample comprised 5,856 publications with one of the possible terms describing the attitude towards the client (orientation, focus, focus) in the title or abstract. The text arrays were processed using WordStat 2023.0.1, a special text analysis module developed by Provalis Research (Canada). The computer analysis conducted with the help of the WordStat software allowed to establish a list of words that are most often found in scientific periodicals (articles and abstracts) included in the relevant sample; a list of phrases that are most often found in scientific periodicals (articles and abstracts) included in the relevant sample; leading topics that are considered within the formed samples (6 topics that characterise the problem field of customer focus research and 10 leading topics of publications on customer centricity). The objective data obtained proves that while at the level of words there is an identity of concepts, at the level of phrases and top topics there is a clear shift in focus from marketing issues (customer focus, customer satisfaction, customer relations, customer requirements, customer-centric service, customer-centric experience, customer relationship management, etc.). In addition to the traditional aspects (customer centricity, customer relations), the leading aspects described in the literature on customer centricity are making the right decisions in all links of the supply chain, the problems of developing appropriate information systems and technologies, creating and using social networks, developing tools for empathy with the customer, and predicting his or her behaviour - as the basis for real customer centricity. It was also found that customer centricity is recognised as a priority for the development of products and services in such new areas as energy saving and electric vehicles. Thus, the conceptual computer analysis conducted with the help of the WordStat software product allows to interpret customer centricity as a qualitatively new level of development of the customer orientation concept, which implies the extension of the concept's scope to all components and processes of the business model, the acquisition by organisations of a new status of "customer-oriented"; recognition of the customer as the most important, central figure and driving force of business development.