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

Abstract

Abstract The megatrend of digitalization has the potential to fundamentally change sales practices. This is because digital technologies impact the entire sales organization and can significantly support the daily work of salespeople or even replace human salespeople. Despite the growing interest in digital sales in practice and academia, the phenomenon remains little understood. Therefore, this article looks at (1) the triggers of digital transformation in sales and (2) how the digital transformation in sales affects the sales environment and the role of the sales function in firms, before presenting (3) unanswered research questions on digital sales. Our literature review provides an overview of the current body of knowledge on digital sales and reveals that technology is not entirely replacing human salespeople. Indeed, whilst the customer-sales relationship (information, communication, and interaction) is changing, the future of sales is likely to be a mixture of digital and non-digital channels. The literature review also reveals that the keys to competitive advantage are analyzing customer needs, applying technologies to meet the new relationship requirements, making data-driven decisions, and changing the sales function.