When manufacturing giants such as IBM, GE and GM all consider themselves service companies, and retailers look for service opportunities to prolong their interactions with customers, marketing has entered a new service-dominant economy, service is not “customer service,” and service innovation is the future of marketing.

However, due to the intangible nature of service, firms face unique challenges when marketing service, and traditional marketing strategies designed for goods may no longer be effective. Understanding the new service economy and unique customer-centric service strategies is vital for business success, especially for new service development, entrepreneurship in service, and service innovation.