Development of customer value in a supply chain: managerial thinking about strategic marketing

The purpose of this paper is to describe and analyse how the main driving forces are affecting companies in a supply chain. The focus is on what managers expect will influence customer value from a strategic point of view.

The paper is based on a qualitative study where managers at a division level have been interviewed.

The main driving forces have been identified. These driving forces have been found to affect the business and marketing strategy in the market among different actors, in the technology and due to external changes in the market, e.g. by changes in demography resulting in dissimilar market behaviour. Co‐operation among actors has been found to improve customer value.

The managerial implications therefore indicate that managers need to assess the main driving forces and find a competitive and marketing strategy that can match competition and influence driving forces in the actual market area.

The paper has a longitudinal approach. An important value of the paper is that actors at different stages in the supply chain have been interviewed during a longer period of time.