The digital era requires new knowledge to develop relevant CRM strategy: a cry for adopting social media research methods to elicit this new knowledge

To develop strategies for customer relationship management further insight informed by research is required to address the step-change brought about by the digitalised consumer environment. The central proposition is that the digital environment, emphasising social media, could be further employed as both the site and also the tool for research, thereby creating valuable new knowledge from which to develop strategy. Consumers now have multi-modal relationships with businesses as well as each other, many of which are digital and exist across social media platforms. Strategic marketing needs to respond to the digital era by embracing social media informed research. This discussion paper encourages marketing scholars to consider employing new social media and digital research methods that include the co-creation of research with consumers. More relevant output is likely through the employment of social media and co-creational research, upon which contemporary CRM strategy can be formulated.