The triggers and consequences of digital sales: a systematic literature review

Figures & data

Figure 1. Process of the systematic literature search.

Table 1. Article distribution by journal.

Journal	No.	Share
Industrial Marketing Management	21	29.2%
Journal of Personal Selling & Sales Management	13	18.1%
Journal of Business & Industrial Marketing	11	15.3%
Business Horizons	4	5.6%
Journal of Business Research	4	5.6%
Journal of Systems and Information Technology	3	4.2%
	56	78%

Figure 2. Article distribution by year of publication.

Table 2. Frequency of keywords.

Keyword	Frequency
Social media	18
Sales management	8
Digital transformation	8
Artificial intelligence	7
Sales	7
Machine learning	6
Sales force automation	5
Sales performance	5
Digitalization	5

Table 3. Digital sales environment.

		Information (facts and details)	Communication (process information exchange)	Interaction (influence people and their decision-making)
Customers and stakeholders		Aquire relevant information on their own. More information is accessible than ever before.	Prefer digital communication. Depend less on salespeople’s communication readiness.	Ask for value, personalized content and solutions, and proactive behavior. Control the exchange.
Technologies that act as connector	Artificial intelligence	Analyzes the distributed information. Distributes personalized information.	Enables automated and personalized communication.	Develops strategies to best influence the customers. Supports the decision-making of salespeople.
	Big data and analytics	Serves as a database. Transforms the data into information.	Enhances decision-making about communication design.	Enhances decision-making about interaction design.
	Extended reality	Makes complex information easier to understand. Offers visualization.	Enables authentic digital communication by combining physical and nonphysical objects.	The seller can directly influence the buyer during a conversation. Enables customer engagement and involvement.
	Social media	Provides useful information on relevant stakeholders. Serves as an information source to create profiles.	Plattform-based conversations. Enables personal communication and mass communication.	Practices marketing and advertising. Enables cooperation within the ecosystem.
Salespeople		Help users to find the required information quickly. Know how to use the new technologies beneficially. Guide customers in using digital tools. Highlight added values of products.	Use digital tools to communicate, especially at the beginning of the sales process. Respond promptly. Choose the channel based on customer needs.	Make customer-oriented decisions based on the available information. Collaborate inter- and intra-organizationally. Guide customers through their journey. Act proactively and propose new value based on the available information.

Table 4. Applications and limitations of AI.

Application

Limitations

Customer profiles (e.g., lead management, predictions, information on buying center) (Davenport et al. 2020, p. 25; Paschen, Kietzmann, and Kietzmann 2019, p. 1412; Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 145) Chatbots for non-complex issues (Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021, p. 150) Personalized recommendations (Davenport et al. 2020, p. 25) Dynamic pricing (Paschen, Wilson, and Ferreira 2020, p. 407) Close the sale and order processing (Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 145) Emotional support (Bharadwaj and Shipley 2020, p. 107) Strategy development and execution (Paschen, Kietzmann, and Kietzmann 2019, p. 1411; Vieira et al. 2019, p. 1102) Rapid prototyping (Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 144) Training and hiring of salespeople (Zoltners et al. 2021, p. 89)

Requires interpretation by skilled salespeople (Zoltners et al. 2021, p. 89). Limited emotional and social competencies (Paschen, Wilson, and Ferreira 2020, p. 411). Customers may feel uncomfortable (Davenport et al. 2020, p. 25).

Table 5. Applications and limitations of big data.

Application	Limitations
Customer profiles and customization (Hallikainen, Savimäki, and Laukkanen 2020, p. 90) Monitoring and success measurement (Paiola and Gebauer 2020, pp. 251–252) Strategy development (Zoltners et al. 2021, p. 89) Optimize business processes and make data-based sales decisions (Hallikainen, Savimäki, and Laukkanen 2020, p. 90)	Adequate data is not the status quo in most organizations (Leeflang et al. 2014, p. 5). Analytics culture required to derive knowledge (Hallikainen, Savimäki, and Laukkanen 2020, p. 96). Speed of gathering knowledge based on data is crucial (Hallikainen, Savimäki, and Laukkanen 2020, p. 96).

Table 6. Applications and limitations of XR.

Application

Limitations

Visualization (Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 143) Interaction with the environment and stakeholders (Boyd and Koles 2019, p. 592) Advertising and sales tools to experience the product (Dwivedi et al. 2021; Webster and Watson 2002) Extensions to services and physical products (Dwivedi et al. 2021; Webster and Watson 2002) Training programs (Boyd and Koles 2019, p. 594) Virtual meetings (Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 143)

Missing guidelines on how organizations can successfully integrate XR (Boyd and Koles 2019, p. 591). Complex management of XR and thus specific skills are required (Dwivedi et al. 2021). Lack of technological performance and XR applications (Dwivedi et al. 2021).

Table 7. Applications and limitations of social media.

Application	Limitations
Customer profiles and customer orientation (Enyinda et al. 2021, p. 1002; Lacoste 2016, p. 37) Build and manage customer relationships (Lacoste 2016, pp. 34–35) Content sharing (Habibi et al. 2015, p. 642) Communication and cooperation (Bocconcelli, Cioppi, and Pagano 2017, p. 695) Marketing and advertising (Lacoste 2016, p. 34) Close the sale (Ogilvie et al. 2018, p. 55)	Specific studies on the application of SM are scarce (Lacoste 2016, p. 34). Information overload (Ogilvie et al. 2018, p. 62) Lack of meaningful data (Meire, Ballings, and van den Poel 2017, p. 31) Loosening of information control (Lacoste 2016, p. 35)

Table 8. Characteristics of the digital sales force.

Characteristics of the digital sales force

Abilities Characteristics of digitalization (Järvinen and Taiminen 2016, p. 173; Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021, pp. 605–609) Market sensing and learning (Park et al. 2010, p. 1136) Dealing with data (Paschen, Wilson, and Ferreira 2020, p. 411; Rodríguez, Svensson, and Mehl 2020; Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein 2021, p. 609) Customer orientation (Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021, p. 163; Pandey, Nayal, and Rathore 2020, p. 1200; Rodríguez, Svensson, and Mehl 2020; Syam and Sharma 2018, p. 145; Zhang and Li 2019, p. 1429) Divisional and functional cooperation (Alamäki and Korpela 2021; Andzulis, Panagopoulos, and Rapp 2012, p. 309; Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021, p. 154; Mattila, Yrjölä, and Hautamäki 2021, p. 117) Cope with mix of sales channels (Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021, p. 163) Mindset Learning oriented (Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021; Mattila, Yrjölä, and Hautamäki 2021; Park et al. 2010) Performance oriented (Jelinek 2013, p. 637) Innovative (Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz 2021, p. 163; Jelinek 2013, p. 637; Karjaluoto et al. 2014, p. 974)

Figure 3. Framework of the literature review.

Table

Article	Customer	T	AI	Big data	XR	SM	Rel.^1	Sales	Key findings	Sector	Type
Agnihotri (2020)						x	x		SM enhances information exchange and responsiveness and is thus an important buyer-seller channel. Salespeople can better acquire, maintain, and engage contacts.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Agnihotri et al. (2012)						x	x		SM makes more information available that can be used to practice social selling. The SM use must fulfill the needs of salespeople and customers.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Agnihotri et al. (2016)	x					x	x		SM shifts the power to the customer, makes more information available, and enhances interaction. SM enhances information communication and encourages salespeople’s responsiveness. SM can be used to generate content and develop networks.	B2B	Quantitative study
Agnihotri et al. (2017)							x		CRM has a positive influence on communication and should be combined with SM.	B2B	Quantitative study
Alamäki and Korpela (2021)	x		x			x	x	x	Customers have other needs, are better informed, and expect proactive sales and new value propositions. Sales must practice value-based selling. This approach is digitally transformed, and AI will fundamentally influence sales. An ecosystem approach including all actors is required to adapt to the new interconnection. SM can be a solution to enhance these connections. Customers increasingly ask for value, new ideas, and digital content.	B2B	Qualitative study
Alavi and Habel (2021)							x		SM (data) is important in managing relationships. Salespeople are still required in complex selling situations.	B2B	Review
Ancillai et al. (2019)							x	x	Salespeople must leverage SM data in order to practice social selling and thus connect with actors in the ecosystem, engage them, and acquire new customers.	B2B	Review
Andzulis, Panagopoulos, and Rapp (2012)	x					x	x		Customers are social customers with more power and they seek collaboration. Buyers must seamlessly integrate SM with organizational strategy and listen to customers and competitors in order to adapt to the changes. The application of SM is different for each company, and SM can be used to communicate intra- and inter-organizationally.	mixed	Review
Baker and Delpechitre (2013)		x						x	Automation facilitates and enables the performance of sales. SFA initiatives require a strategic approach, and salespeople must be trained in using new technologies.	B2B	Quantitative study
Berthon et al. (2010)							x	x	Shows the application of avatars in sales that enable virtual encounters.	mixed	Qualitative study
Bharadwaj and Shipley (2020)			x				x		Technology-enabled relationships are prevalent in the sales process. AI enables the capture and analysis of a massive amount of data in sales.	B2B	conceptual paper
Bocconcelli, Cioppi, and Pagano (2017)						x	x		SM is important for interacting within the whole ecosystem. With SM, companies can better cooperate with customers and develop strategies.	B2B	Qualitative study
Bongers, Schumann, and Schmitz (2021)	x		x				x	x	Customers can choose between channels and are less dependent on sales. They tend to terminate relationships spontaneously. Sales must accommodate customers’ ambidexterity. AI improves decision-making and can make salespeople’s tasks obsolete.	B2B	Qualitative study.
Boyd and Koles (2019)					x		x		Guidelines on how to implement XR are missing. XR improves the customer experience, enhances learning and knowledge, and can be used for training. The advantages of XR are that it provides immediate feedback and enables information sharing. These in turn improve the customer relationship.	B2B	conceptual paper
Cascio, Mariadoss, and Mouri (2010)		x						x	Technologies can automate tasks, making sales more productive. Salespeople and sales managers require an open mindset toward new technologies.	B2B	Quantitative study
Da Vieira Cunha, Carugati, and Leclercq-Vandelannoitte (2015)		x						x	Computer-mediated control may have negative consequences and can be met with resistance.	B2B	Qualitative study
Davenport et al. (2020)			x						AI can influence marketing strategies, business models, sales processes, customer service, and customer behavior. AI can deliver personalized recommendations and emotional support, and can be used for segmentation, customer screening, and augmenting salespeople’s capabilities. Customers may experience discomfort when using AI.	mixed	Review
DelVecchio, Deeter-Schmelz, and Anselmi (2013)		x						x	Monitoring the salesforce may have negative consequences, meaning that a balance of control is required.	B2B	Quantitative study
Diba, Vella, and Abratt (2019)	x					x	x	x	SM leads to more intra- and inter-business communication. Customers rely less on traditional sources, have more information available, and the role of sales is changing. Customers can use SM throughout their entire buying process.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Dixon and Tanner (2012)							x	x	Sales roles must change and engage and collaborate with customers. Sales helps the customer by facilitating his/her decision-making process and by serving as an architect of change.	mixed	Conceptual paper
Dwivedi et al. (2021)			x		x	x			Companies lack knowledge of digital technologies. AI increases the effectiveness of sales. XR will have a huge impact on sales and can be used as a sales and advertising tool to directly interact and communicate with customers. The management of XR is highly complex. SM can be a useful tool for acquiring customers.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Enyinda et al. (2021)	x					x	x		SM changes the sales process and exchanges between buyer and seller. SM changes the balance in the marketplace and is key to capturing customers’ opinions.	B2B	Quantitative study
Foltean, Trif, and Tuleu (2019)	x					x	x		SM leads to many-to-many relationships, and it can improve the CRM capabilities of the seller. The customer has the power, becomes an active participant, and wants to become a co-creator of value. Companies use SM to create awareness, to acquire customers and engage them, and to create interactions.	mixed	Quantitative study
Fraccastoro, Gabrielsson, and Pullins (2021)						x	x		Customers use a variety of channels. Communication tools such as SM complement and assist sales. SM occurs among many users and is usually used to gather information and acquire new customers.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Guenzi and Habel (2020)							x		More information is available through digital possibilities. Customers can gather information independently.	mixed	Qualitative study
Guenzi and Nijssen (2020)						x	x	x	SM complements traditional tools and enhances communication. SM improves salespeople’s outcomes, and older salespeople use SM less than younger salespeople, older people, the less they use it.	mixed	Quantitative study
Guenzi and Nijssen (2021)						x	x	x	SM is an important digital technology in sales. The future salesperson is able to apply a wide range of technology in customer interactions. The relationship becomes more virtual and technology-based.	B2B	Quantitative study
Guesalaga (2016)							x		SM leads to many-to-many relationships, closer connectivity, and changed interactions.	B2B	Quantitative study
Habibi et al. (2015)						x	x		SM makes customers more knowledgeable and facilitates interpersonal communication. SM enables real-time insights into customers and trends and thus supports strategy development.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Hallikainen, Savimäki, and Laukkanen (2020)				x			x		Big data enables better relationships and increases business knowledge and firm performance. It improves decision-making, business processes, and customer understanding. Big data is not the key to economic success; therefore, it is the transformation of data required. Companies require an analytics culture to benefit from big data.	B2B	Quantitative study
Hunter (2019)		x	x						Technology and information can be used to predict behaviors. Technology improves efficiency and effectiveness by augmenting sales tasks. AI can automate sales tasks.	B2B	Quantitative study
Hunter and Panagopoulos (2015)								x	The commitment of the salesforce to technological change is crucial to successful technology adoption.	B2B	Quantitative study
Itani, Agnihotri, and Dingus (2017)						x	x		More information is available and adaptive behavior of sales is improved. SM complements CRM and can be used to target specific customers. CRM improves sales’ information communication and empathy.	B2B	Quantitative study
Järvinen and Taiminen (2016)							x		Technology transforms how business individuals interact. The authors identify automation possibilities across the entire sales process.	B2B	Qualitative study
Jelinek (2013)		x						x	The majority of SFA projects fail and can manage information with little effort. The training of salespeople is important for implementing digital tools successfully.	B2B	Review
Karjaluoto et al. (2014)								x	The study elaborates on key determinants influencing the adoption of mobile CRM systems. The personal innovativeness of the user is very important to a successful implementation.	B2B	Quantitative study
Karjaluoto, Mustonen, and Ulkuniemi (2015)	x					x	x		Digital channels enhance communication and can improve the lead generation process. The customer is an active participant in the sales process. To apply SM adequately, companies must have knowledge of the culture of communication.	B2B	Qualitative study
Koponen and Rytsy (2020)							x		Via chats, customers are easier to contact, but despite digital characters, the social presence in chats is important. Chats enhance relationships.	B2B	Quantitative study
Krings, Palmer, and Inversini (2021)							x	x	Digital technologies lead to information velocity and interactive relationships. The way in which relationships are built and maintained is changing.	B2B	Quantitative study
Lacoste (2016)	x					x	x	x	SM changes the nature of relationships and their management. Customers expect relationships with their business counterparts and want to reduce face-to-face interactions. B2B companies are slower to adopt SM than B2C, and SM is not used to its full potential. SM reduces the costs of acquiring customers and creates trust.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Leeflang et al. (2014)				x					Most companies do not have their data well-structured.	mixed	Quantitative study
Lipiäinen (2015)	x					x	x		Social customers are better informed. Their requirements have changed, and they claim increased interaction. The customer has the power, and integration of SM in CRM can be an adequate response to this change. Companies must manage the dialogue between actors and engage them.	B2B	Qualitative study
Mahlamäki et al. (2020)		x							SFA improves value creation and efficiency. Research is silent regarding customers’ viewpoint on automation in sales.	B2B	Quantitative study
Mariadoss et al. (2014)		x					x		SFA increases effectiveness and efficiency and positively impacts the relationship and salespeople’s knowledge.	B2B	Quantitative study
Marshall et al. (2012)	x						x		Information is ubiquitous and makes the ecosystem better informed. High responsiveness of sales is required.	B2B	Qualitative study
Mattila, Yrjölä, and Hautamäki (2021)							x	x	Sales must coordinate and improve interactions and plays an important role in complex situations. Technologies can automate the relationship, and organizations must be able to adapt their knowledge.	B2B	Qualitative study
Meire, Ballings, and van den Poel (2017)				x		x			Data mining and SM should be combined for automatic handling. This approach improves the lead qualification and reduces the time for screening SM pages.	B2B	Quantitative study
Moncrief, Marshall, and Rudd (2015)	x					x	x		The article presents a framework on SM’s impact and shows that the customers control the relationship. Due to SM, they are better informed and can acquire relevant information on their own. The customers become active participants.	B2B	Review
Nelson, Walsh, and Cui (2020)		x					x		Information is highly valuable for sales to practice relationship management. Analytical CRM can improve the competitive intelligence of salespeople.	mixed	Quantitative study
Ogilvie et al. (2018)	x					x	x	x	Customers are more informed and can gather relevant information on their own. SM improves salespeople’s performance. Sellers must train their salespeople in using SM and change hiring profiles.	mixed	Quantitative study
Oh (2017)	x						x	x	The role of the salesperson, and the interactions they have with customers, have changed. The customer does not rely solely on salespeople anymore, so salespeople must adjust their capabilities.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Paiola and Gebauer (2020)				x					Through big data, companies can integrate customer information in their strategic planning. There are several possibilities for monitoring smart products and employees. Big data increases business knowledge and enables increased personalization, enhances decision-making, and optimizes processes.	B2B	Qualitative study
Pandey, Nayal, and Rathore (2020)	x					x	x	x	Customers have new expectations, require value co-creation activities, and are better informed. Due to these changes, sales requires much more effort. Companies must build SM capabilities and establish a social presence.	B2B	Review
Park et al. (2010)		x					x	x	Technologies improve the relationship and salespeople’s adaptive behavior. For this reason, salespeople need adequate skills in market sensing and learning. SFA enhances efficiency, effectiveness, and firm performance.	B2B	Quantitative study
Paschen, Kietzmann, and Kietzmann (2019)			x				x		AI helps sales gather a vast amount of information, analyze it, and transforms it into a decision. AI increases market knowledge, user knowledge, and customer knowledge.	B2B	Conceptual paper
Paschen, Wilson, and Ferreira (2020)			x					x	AI can be applied in the sales process steps and its implementation must be managed. AI supports sellers and buyers when the actors are able to acquire and interpret the data.	B2B	Review
Paschen et al. (2021)			x						AI can impact a wide range of marketing activities. Salespeople are consumers and curators of AI knowledge in value co-creation processes. AI’s biggest value in value co-creation is data collection.	B2B	Qualitative study
Rangarajan et al. (2021)	x						x		There may be an information overload for customers. At the same time, they want reduced in-person interactions and prefer digital tools.	B2B	Qualitative study
Rodriguez, Peterson, and Krishnan (2012)	x					x	x		The business environment is more challenging, the number of competitors is higher, and customers are better informed and connected among themselves. Companies must leverage SM and other sales technologies in order to strengthen their social capital and relationships. Businesses must think differently regarding how they communicate and engage with customers.	B2B	Quantitative study
Rodríguez, Svensson, and Mehl (2020)		x					x	x	More information is available to the sellers, and they must use this information to adjust their behavior. Automation enhances efficiency and effectiveness and requires training concepts.	B2B	Qualitative study
Ryding (2010)		x					x		Technologies change the relationship and automate routine tasks.	B2B	Qualitative study
Salo (2017)						x	x	x	Customers are becoming active participants. SM influences the whole ecosystem and allows actors to get closer to each other. Sales acts as a coordinator of messages.	B2B	Review
Sanakulov, Kalliomaa, and Karjaluoto (2018)		x				x			SFA should be an integral part of organizations. Organizations must consider individuals’ acceptance, implementation success, and task-technology fit. SM can serve as an effective channel for communicating with customers.	B2B	Qualitative study
Singh et al. (2019)			x					x	Salespeople must coexist with AI and other technologies. AI improves decision-making and changes value creation.	mixed	Conceptual paper
Sinisalo, Karjaluoto, and Saraniemi (2015)							x		Technology changes the relationships and leads to automatization and monitoring. Companies must consider several barriers to the adoption of sales technologies.	B2B	Qualitative study
Syam and Sharma (2018)			x		x			x	AI connects data pieces and helps one to make an informed decision. The application of AI depends on the type of product sold, the complexity, and the sales process step. Inter-personal interfaces limit the application of AI. XR can be used for presentation purposes and enhances customer learning, especially when the products are hard to imagine.	B2B	Review
Tarafdar et al. (2015)		x						x	The use of technology may lead to technostress and thus to the reduced performance of salespeople.	B2B	Quantitative study
Vieira et al. (2019)		x				x	x	x	Stakeholders are better connected, customers are better informed, and SM can improve the connection to the buyer company. New data can be used for analysis and decision-making. Several tools and platforms can automate sales, and sales must manage social circles and connectivity.	B2B	Quantitative study
Wang and Wang (2020)				x					Big data enhances the understanding of buyers’ intentions to buy and improves the monitoring of their purchase behaviors. Most research on big data is B2C-focused. Firms must establish business objectives in order to define data sources and the extent to which they can benefit from big data. Companies with an analytics culture have higher sales growth and better customer relationship performance.	B2B	Review
Wengler, Hildmann, and Vossebein (2021)		x		x			x	x	The focus of sales shifts to value creation that requires an ecosystem perspective. There is a high potential of automating tasks and changing the sales process. A transformation model shows that people, processes, and data are central to digital transformation.	B2B	Qualitative study
Zhang and Li (2019)						x	x	x	Customers have more power today because SM decreases information asymmetry. SM improves the relationship, enhances customer engagement, and creates trust. Salespeople are agents who connect buyers and sellers.	B2B	Quantitative study
Zoltners et al. (2021)			x	x			x	x	The sales role and the associated skills changed, the power has shifted toward the customer, and sales is working in a network. AI can boost the power of data and is the basis for targeted decision-making. The rich data on buyers and interactions enhance sales decisions. Data analytics is blending planning and execution.	mixed	Review

Note: T = general findings on technologies in sales, Rel. = findings on the customer-sales relationship.

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