When Blockchain Meets CRM: An Evaluation of Enterprise CRM Vendor Blockchain Capabilities

The emergence of Blockchain technology has begun to manifest in various business and technical domains. Despite the transformative potential of Blockchain and other distributed ledger technologies, the distributed paradigm is markedly different than the relational database model underlying prototypical CRM systems, presenting a novel integration challenge. Resolving CRM-Blockchain integration challenges is a precondition to realizing the emergent paradigm known as CRM 4.0. The top 6 CRM vendors are identified, and their Blockchain capabilities are investigated. We conclude that while many of these vendors once implemented Blockchain capabilities, such capabilities have since largely been deprioritized, obfuscated, or outright abandoned. This paper extends the existing literature on CRM and Blockchain through the lens of industry

A Systematic Review of Blockchain-based Loyalty Programs

Customer loyalty programs, the incentive structures designed to reward and retain customers for purchases and other activities, have struggled to maximize their intended goals. Academics and industry practitioners have advocated for the use of blockchain technology as a vehicle to revolutionize loyalty programs. Despite this hype, we have yet to see an examination of existing blockchain-based loyalty solutions. This paper identifies, reviews, and classifies tokenized loyalty solutions. Using a web-scraping method, we systematically retrieved 9,642 tokens listed on the coinmarketcap.com website. Multiple applications of inclusion/exclusion criteria resulted in 21 active loyalty programs based on blockchain, which we evaluated in depth. Our findings confirm that the domain is nascent yet more actualized than previous research has suggested. This analysis fills a much-needed role in the blockchain-loyalty literature by providing an industry lens into the realities of blockchain as a loyalty solution

Too Good to Be True? Understanding How Blockchain Revolutionizes Loyalty Programs

In extant loyalty program (LP) studies, one of the main challenges is to keep customers motivated in participation behaviors and achieving financial goals. While some companies have initiated efforts to use blockchain (BC)-based distributed ledgers and smart contract capabilities to reduce LP operating costs and enhance customer experience, academic assessment of BC application in the LP context remains in paucity. In this paper we establish a theoretical framework to explain the effects of BC on LP participation. Guided by the self-determination theory (SDT), we illuminate how the BC-based natures influence the relationship of varying customer motivations (economy, autonomy, competence and relatedness) and perceived value, which consequently induces participation behaviors. We outline 4 propositions to depict the conceptual mechanism based on the theoretical framework, and then employ a case study to illustrate how a BC-enabled LP scheme can help enhance customers’ involvement in a point exchange environment

Blockchain Application in Information Systems Research

Blockchain is a radical innovation with a core value proposition of shifting trust from institutions towards algorithms. Still, the potential of Blockchains remains vague due to the knowledge gap between computer science and socio-economic activities. Ninety percent of current Blockchain projects did not move from ideas to production-ready prototypes. Researchers and practitioners are searching for the meaningful leveraging of Blockchains for value creation. This dissertation aims to bridge the gap between technical and managerial knowledge of Blockchain that allows successful Blockchain system design and implementation. Therefore, the objective of the project is to identify the scope of Blockchain applications and introduce guidelines to make purposeful decisions of Blockchain implementations. The dissertation project covers four research questions. First, I consolidated knowledge of Blockchain technical configurations through the development of a taxonomy. Second, I considered the design patterns of smart contracts that represent the application logic of Blockchain systems. Third, I offered guidance for transforming initial conceptions of Blockchain ideas into working system prototypes by introducing a Blockchain configuration process model. Fourth, I investigated the common factors of Blockchain decisions to evaluate Blockchain implementations in the form of the framework. I employed a Design Science Research approach to developing four artefacts. The first three artefacts consider technical, application, and organizational aspects of Blockchain. The synergy reflects in the fourth, combinational artefact, which employs the high-level factors of Blockchain decisions. During the project, I have investigated the scientific and business studies, run Blockchain-based applications, conduct interviews, and evaluate the findings on Blockchain projects. The dissertation project contributes to research by bridging knowledge gaps between computer science and socio-economic research on a Blockchain that provides a fruitful ground for future conceptual and empirical studies. For practitioners, the developed artefacts are useful to identify and guide Blockchain projects that facilitate purposeful Blockchain adoption