Customer lifetime value: Stochastic optimization approach

W. K. Ching*, M. K. Ng, K. K. Wong, E. Altman

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalJournal articlepeer-review

40 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, the concept of relationship marketing has been becoming important in general marketing, especially in the area of direct and interactive marketing. The core of relationship marketing is the maintenance of longterm relationships with the customers. However, the relationship marketing is costly and therefore, the determination of the customer lifetime value (CLV) is an important element in making strategic decisions in both advertising and promotion. In this paper, we propose a stochastic dynamic programming model with a Markov chain for the optimization of CLV. Both cases of infinite horizon and finite horizon are discussed. The model is then applied to practical data of a computer service company.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)860-868
Number of pages9
JournalJournal of the Operational Research Society
Volume55
Issue number8
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 1 Aug 2004

User-Defined Keywords

  • Customer lifetime value
  • Markov process
  • Relationship marketing
  • Stochastic dynamic programming

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