Brazilian Culture and Relationship Marketing: An Ethnographic Study in Retail

Abstract

This study was conducted in order to understand how Brazilian cultural traits are manifested in the relations of trade between employees of micro and small retailers and their customers. How, in marketing, one of the theoretical perspectives that seek to account for the relationship between businesses and consumers is relationship marketing, we sought to understand the exchanges and also to support this view. Assuming that the exchange ratio is also a commercial and social human relationship, we tried to treat the exchange as a social phenomenon. The research, qualitative in nature, was conducted in five retailers in a small city in southern Minas Gerais during the period of one year (Dec/2008 to Dec/2009) using ethnography as a method. As to results, as evidenced personalism, the warmth, the valuation of non-manual work, aversion to conflict, and the cunning knack manifested in trade relations. The main conclusion reached is that the reality of retail trade is complex and multifaceted as much as is the Brazilian culture.