Innovation in Key Account Management: Identification of Research Trends and Knowledge Gaps

Abstract

ABSTRACT Purpose: The present work is aimed to provide a comprehensive overview of the research landscape in Key Account Management (KAM) and to identify potential knowledge gaps and under studied research questions in the context of innovation in KAM. Method: Bibliometric and content analyses have been performed. The identified scientific articles underwent into a quantitative and qualitative investigation to map the global research landscape and to measure the evolution of scientific domains and production within KAM. Findings: The study highlights the significance of the corporate strategy, quality of the sales team and organizational framework for the evolution of KAM. Furthermore, the study identified key opinion leaders and current expanding research areas around KAM. Emerging areas for innovation for growth in KAM are cross-culture business management, digital marketing and e-commerce technologies. Implications: This study offers a guide for researchers on the area of KAM providing information on scholarly work covering B-to-B marketing insights on innovation in KAM. Originality: The conduction of a systematic review of the relevant literature allows us to understand better the intellectual structure of the field, to synthesize the findings of previous studies, and to identify expanding and emerging research areas. In addition, we identify the most influential publications and authors in the KAM field, providing guidance to researchers and practitioners when conducting research on this subject area.