THE IMPACT OF CUSTOMER RELATIONSHIP MANAGEMENT ON PERFORMANCE IN THE NIGERIAN FOOD AND BEVERAGES INDUSTRY

This study examined Customer Relationship Management and performance of Nigerian Food and Beverages Company, using Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Port-Harcourt Rivers State as a case study. Both primary and secondary data were used and descriptive statistics (frequencies, percentage and tables) were employed in the analysis of the data. The population of the study was 718 staff (employees and management) of Cadbury Nigeria Plc and Taro Yamane formula was used to arrive at 257 staff as the sample size of the study. Spearman Rank Correlation Coefficient (SRCC) on the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23 was used to test the three hypotheses that guided this study. The result obtained from the analysis showed that there is a significant relationship between empathy and sales turnover of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State; also, there is a significant relationship between communication and market share of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State; again, there is a significant relationship between trust and profitability of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, PortHarcourt, Rivers State; finally, there is a significant relationship between bonding and customer loyalty of Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Port-Harcourt, Rivers State. The researcher recommended that Cadbury Nigeria Plc, Port-Harcourt should invest in improving its communication strategies, both internally and externally. This can include clear, transparent, and consistent messaging about products and services, and maintaining open lines of communication with customers through various platforms, including social media, newsletters, and customer service hotlines. Effective communication will help in gaining a larger market share.