Developing the partner relationship management system for franchised electronic stores

The internet age and e-business have not only modified the way enterprises see its customers but have also brought some significant changes to the way enterprises interact with each other. The purpose of this study is to develop a Partner Relationship Management (PRM) system to fit the partner management process and to provide necessary tools focusing on the characteristics of franchising e-stores, which can improve partner relationship in the Franchising Electronic Store Model (FESM). The functions of the PRM system were derived after reviewing the related literature. The PRM system comprises six modules: partner management, partner training, sales management, collaborative procurement, marketing information sharing and business operating know-how. Through empirical testing, the study also provides evidence that all modules of the PRM system can increase the satisfaction of the partner relationship of the franchisees.