Integrating Relationship Marketing and the Theory of Planned Behavior in Digital Platform Research: A Systematic Literature Review

Muhammad Alhakim Danurwindo (Brawijaya University, Indonesia, University of Muhammadiyah Surabaya)
Nanang Suryadi (Brawijaya University, Indonesia)

BALANCE: Economic, Business, Management and Accounting Journal
Vol 23 No 2 (2026): Juli

This study examines how Relationship Marketing, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and the Theory of Reasoned Action are integrated to explain behavioral intention in digital platform research. A PRISMA-based systematic literature review was conducted using Scopus as the primary database. The search on 1 December 2025 identified 565 records and after filtering and eligibility assessment, 56 empirical articles published between 2020 and 2025 were synthesized through descriptive profiling, theory mapping, variable-role mapping, and narrative-thematic analysis. The review shows that behavioral intention is not explained by isolated cognitive predictors. It emerges from layered mechanisms involving platform and technology evaluations, social-interaction cues, relational mediators, TPB/TRA cognitive variables, and post-intention outcomes such as loyalty, recommendation, usage behavior, eWOM, and engagement. This study contributes an integrative map of RM–TPB/TRA synthesis that clarifies how cognitive and relational mechanisms jointly shape digital platform behavior and future marketing research agendas in interactive commercial environments.