Transactional marketing versus relationship marketing: the US automobile market evolution

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This article aims at situating the evolution of the US automobile market studied through the dual vision of traditionally antagonist approaches in marketing: transactional marketing vs. relationship marketing. After showing that this market has for a long time been transactional, it develops the contents of the relationship approach imposed onto US car manufacturers by their foreign competitors. It then tries to show how, through its physical and geographical evolutions, automobile distribution has modified its marketing relationship to the customer. Last but not least, e-commerce is taken into account and described through its various attempts at entering the automobile market in the USA. A first analysis tries to assess to what extent online selling is going to enable both marketing approaches to be implemented in order to better meet customers’ expectations. © 2002 Inderscience Enterprises Ltd.