Customer portfolio analysis practices in different exchange contexts

Customer relationship management is increasingly important in current marketing research and practice. The customer portfolio models represent one of the few concrete tools proposed for relationship management in business-to-business markets. Yet, knowledge of how companies use customer portfolio analysis (CPA) remains limited. Earlier research adopts a fairly narrow view of CPA and ignores the influence of internal and external company context on portfolio analysis application. This article presents a broad definition of customer portfolio analysis and offers insights into companies' CPA practices in different exchange contexts. The study reports findings from an explorative multiple case study that investigates analysis practices in different exchange contexts. The results lend support to the proposition that CPA is a variable and context dependent activity. The complexity of the exchange context has an effect on the form, content and implications of customer portfolio analysis. The study highlights a number of unexplored questions to encourage further research on portfolio analysis and its performance.