The idea about the customer orientation of the business dates back to the middle of the last twentieth century, but it is just nowadays that it is being transformed into mechanisms, strategies, processes. To put it in other words, it is just now that this orientation is undergoing precise definition by the academic authorities and is reviving in the business practice. Thus, as a result of evolution and continuing development, a birth has been given to the concept of CRM (Customer Relationship Marketing). Numerous companies begin to work actively upon the development of strategies concerning the customer relationship management, which has been still performed partially and particularly on a tactic level. Being a relatively new notion, there has not yet been an agreed opinion about what in fact it comprises, what its components are, what factors influence its correct and effective applying. In the present study the emphasis has been given on the following moments. Firstly, on the basis of the theoretical analysis the history of the origin of this category has been drawn up and the evolution of the marketing theory relative to the idea of the customer orientation of the business has been traced through. Secondly, on the basis of a method from the science metrics an analysis of the titles of the publications in 8 foreign and 5 Bulgarian journals has been conducted and the main dimensions of the range of the CRM category have been figured out. Thirdly, some views on the strategic perspective of the CRM implementation have been presented and commented upon.
