The strategic use of attractiveness in the buyer-supplier relationship: a framework

Customer attraction plays a focal role in gaining "preferred customer" status, in allocating resources and in fostering joint value creation in a relationship. Managers are increasingly interested in developing customer attraction, but they face many challenges. The aim of this paper is to discuss the role of attraction in managing the supplier relationship and to advance a framework for the strategic use of attraction. Another aim is to present practical examples of how this framework can be applied to manage attraction. To develop a framework, social exchange theory is coupled with the literature regarding buyer-supplier relationships. A multiple case study of three buyer-supplier relationships is used to illustrate the framework.