Designing and Validating a Long-Term Buyer-Seller Communication Model in Free Trade Zones

This research aimed to design and validate a model of long-term buyer-seller relationships in free trade zones. From an applied and developmental perspective, this was a cross-sectional survey study. To achieve the objective, an exploratory mixed method was utilized.  The qualitative phase involved interviews with 17 experts and senior managers from free trade zones, as well as marketing professors. Sampling continued until theoretical saturation. In the quantitative phase, the survey data were collected from 288 free-trade-zone experts with the sample size determined by effect size and statistical power considerations. A cluster random sampling approach was employed as well. Data collection tools included semi-structured interviews and a researcher-developed questionnaire. The data were analyzed using thematic analysis, Interpretive Structural Modeling (ISM), and Partial Least Squares (PLS) techniques. The results indicated that governmental, managerial, environmental, and structural factors influenced Relationship Marketing (RM) and Marketing Strategy (MS) in free trade zones. In turn, RM and MS affected Customer Orientation (CO), Relationship Personalization (RP), and Co-Creation Value (CCV), ultimately leading to long-term buyer-seller relationships.