Unit 29 Relationship Marketing Assignment Brief 2026 | BTEC

Unit 29 Relationship Marketing Assignment Brief

Unit in brief

Learners will study the purposes and benefits of relationship marketing and the methods used by a selected business to attract and retain customers.

Unit introduction

Relationship marketing puts the customer and customer retention at the centre of the business, rather than its products and services. Businesses engage in relationship marketing to continually attract repeat business. Strategies are designed to raise interaction, communication, customer loyalty and long-term engagement by providing information directly suited to customer needs and interests.

You will learn how relationship marketing attempts to keep customers engaged by providing marketing information and responses to enquiries, as well as promoting and selling additional products and services. In this unit you will focus on how technology supports and facilitates this as businesses build databases of customer details that they then use to create tailored relationships with individual customers. Similarly, you will understand how social media offers a direct and instant way for businesses and customers to communicate with each other. You will also learn how effective relationship marketing results in customers who continue to buy goods and services, satisfying their own needs and helping businesses meet their objectives.

This unit will support you in continuing your study of relationship marketing through a marketing-related degree or a professional qualification. The unit will also give you the skills you need to progress to employment in this area.

Learning aims

In this unit you will:

A Examine the purposes and benefits to a selected business of relationship marketing
B Investigate the information required to implement relationship marketing
C Review the relationship marketing methods of a selected business.

Summary of unit

Content

Learning aim A: Examine the purposes and benefits to a selected business of relationship marketing

Learners will understand the purpose of relationship marketing and how it can benefit both the business and the customer.

A1 Purposes of relationship marketing

• Difference between transactional and relationship marketing:
  o transactional marketing focuses on obtaining new customers with little emphasis on customer service
  o relationship marketing focuses on customer retention with a high emphasis on customer service.
• Relationship marketing:
  o is part of the marketing plan of a business
  o makes a bridge between the buyer and the seller
  o emphasises customer retention, satisfaction and lifetime customer value
  o markets to current customers rather than acquiring customers through sales and advertising
  o builds brand awareness and positions brand as the customer’s best option
  o facilitates two-way conversations with customers
  o tailors marketing activities to customers’ needs and interests using digital and social networks
  o contributes to the achievement of marketing objectives such as an increase in market share, repeat sales, satisfaction ratings, revenue growth and brand recognition.

A2 Business benefits

• Retains long-term customers and improves repeat sales.
• Improves ability to cross-sell.
• Builds better client relationships.
• Builds brand loyalty and trust.
• Increases the likelihood of referrals.
• Improves reputation.
• Adds/attracts new customers.
• Profiles customer, which supports targeted marketing and increases sales.
• Reduces costs by restricting:
  o customer loss/customer turnover/churn
  o negative customer perceptions that affect future sales
  o reputational damage.
• Adds value to the customer relationship by developing further revenue-generating opportunities.
• Supports business objectives such as an increase/improvement in market share, quality of service to existing customers and competitive advantage.

A3 Customer benefits

• Needs are better understood.
• Provides preferential treatment and premium products and services.
• Targets the marketing of products and services.
• Provides financial and non-financial rewards.

Learning aim B: Investigate the information required to implement relationship marketing

Learners will understand the importance of gathering and analysing customer data to inform relationship marketing strategies.

B1 Gathering and using relationship marketing information

• Customer databases and General Data Protection Regulations (GDPR).
• Data mining to analyse information for marketing purposes.
• Customer profiling and categorisation.
• Segmenting the market:
  o macro – dividing the market into groups of consumers that share one or more common characteristics
  o micro – grouping consumers into very specific audiences within various niche markets.
• Behavioural patterns and associations.
• Behaviour prediction.
• Transaction tracking and follow through.
• Customer defection.
• Identifying and removing unprofitable/unwanted customers.

B2 Implementing relationship marketing strategies

• Building a customer-centric culture.
• Providing communication:
  o digital media such as email, digital messaging, push notifications, social media, real-time social software, chipped data carriers (loyalty cards, payment cards), data terminals, point of sale (PoS) terminals, contactless systems, payment techology apps, chatbots, use of cookies
  o paper-based media
  o telephone based, to include fixed line and mobile
  o scripts for verbal communications.
• Use of house style.
• Providing web pages with personalised information such as login, transaction history, browsing history, preferences, wish lists, order tracking.
• Gathering customer feedback through satisfaction surveys and rating forms.

B3 Relationship marketing and the marketing mix

• Product: using mined data to customise products according to customer wishes.
• Price: ‘made-to-measure’ prices for customers.
• Place: offering a wide range of possibilities for the customer to get the product.
• Promotion: individual communication with customers.

Learning aim C: Review the relationship marketing methods of a selected business

Learners will understand the key factors of relationship marketing, and the advantages and disadvantages of using financial and non-financial methods to attract and retain customers.

C1 Key factors of relationship marketing

• Provides customer satisfaction.
• Ensures high standards of customer service.
• Develops segmentation techniques to focus on the right customer.

C2 Attracting and retaining customers using financial and non-financial methods

• Financial methods:
  o bonuses such as cash rewards and vouchers
  o discounts and reductions.
• Non-financial methods:
  o loyalty/reward programmes such as store points, frequent user credits, clubs with regular and tiered memberships
  o additional products and services such as airline lounges, tailored products and customised services
  o preferential services such as previews, special events, gifts, offers, coupons, priority booking, upgrades
  o live-in marketing: consumers use products and services for free before making a purchase
  o helplines and named points of contact
  o ‘nudge’ marketing with mobile communication systems such as check-in reminders, availability of ancillary products and services, proximity of products and services
  o response speeds such as use of QR codes, order confirmation, order tracking.
• Relationship costs: the costs involved in setting up and maintaining relationships.

C3 Performance measurement

• Setting standards for relationship marketing activities:
  o service levels
  o quality standards
  o customer charters.
• Relationship profitability: the value outcome from the development of relationships.
• Lifetime value: the value of customers’ purchasing over the lifetime of the relationship.

Assessment criteria

Essential information for assignments

The recommended structure of assessment is shown in the unit summary along with suitable forms of evidence. Section 6 gives information on setting assignments and there is further information on our website.

There is a maximum number of two summative assignments for this unit. The relationship of the learning aims and criteria is:

Learning aim: A (A.P1, A.P2, A.M1, A.D1)

Learning aims: B and C (B.P3, B.P4, C.P5, C.P6, B.M2, C.M3, B.D2, C.D3)

Further information for teachers and assessors

Resource requirements

There are no specific additional requirements for this unit but centres must give learners access to information on a range of businesses and their relationship marketing activities.

Essential information for assessment decisions

Learning aim A

To complete this assignment, learners must ensure that they select a business that gives them the depth of information on relationship marketing they need. The choice of business will be individual and not teacher led. To ensure the material they require is available, learners could research a few businesses before they select one for study.

For distinction standard, learners will look in detail at the impact that relationship marketing has on a selected business. They should use this research to make reasoned judgements on the extent to which relationship marketing can contribute to the achievement of the business objectives of the business they have selected and come to a supported conclusion.

For merit standard, learners will use their research to produce a detailed examination of the importance of relationship marketing to the achievement of the business objectives of the business they have selected.

For pass standard, learners will show understanding of the purpose of relationship marketing, and how relationship marketing benefits both a business and its customers, giving clear details and reasons to support their argument.

Learning aims B and C

Learners will continue their study of the business chosen for learning aim A.

For distinction standard, learners will carry out research into the way that customer information is used to develop and implement relationship marketing. They will use this research to prepare a balanced argument, giving a supported conclusion on its importance to successful relationship marketing in the selected business including GDPR. They will consider the effectiveness of the relationship marketing methods used and their effect on customer loyalty and purchasing behaviour, giving reasoned judgements.

For merit standard, learners will analyse the use of relationship marketing information in developing customer relationships and the financial and non-financial relationship marketing methods of a selected business, through methodical and detailed examination.

For pass standard, learners will provide clear evidence on the types of information used by a selected business to develop relationship marketing activities and the impact of relationship marketing on the marketing mix of this business. They will examine the relationship marketing methods used through the use of examples and explore how businesses can judge the effectiveness of their relationship marketing activities.

Links to other units

This unit links to:

• Unit 2: Developing a Marketing Campaign
• Unit 14: Investigating Customer Service
• Unit 16: Visual Merchandising
• Unit 17: Digital Marketing
• Unit 22: Market Research
• Unit 28: Branding.

Employer involvement

This unit would benefit from employer involvement in the form of:

• guest speakers and interview/discussion opportunities
• work experience
• opportunities to visit suitable businesses
• support from local business staff as mentors
• provision of business materials as exemplars
• ideas and suggestions to contribute to unit assessment.

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