TY - JOUR
T1 - Adoption of digital sales force automation tools in supply chain
T2 - Customers' acceptance of sales configurators
AU - Mahlamäki, Tommi
AU - Storbacka, Kaj
AU - Pylkkönen, Samuli
AU - Ojala, Mika
PY - 2020/9/11
Y1 - 2020/9/11
N2 - Digitalization changes both buying processes and sales processes and, consequently, the dynamics and division of work between buyers and suppliers in the supply chain. This has major implications for industrial marketing and supply chain management. In this study, we analyze the impact of sales configurators, which are used to create valid configurations of market offerings that fulfill customer requirements. The usefulness of sales configurators can be investigated from both the sellers' and buyers' perspectives. In this research, we focus on the latter, and we specifically investigate the antecedents of customers' acceptance of sales configurators in a supply chain. In our analysis, we concentrate on system-level antecedents, which have been neglected by the existing literature. Our research yields better knowledge of how digital sales technologies can be used by customers for improved effectiveness and perceived value. The results demonstrate that ease of use and system adaptability contribute strongly to the perceived effectiveness, and eventually to the perceived usefulness, of sales configurators. Yet, surprisingly, perceived enjoyment is identified as having the most significant effect on perceived usefulness.
AB - Digitalization changes both buying processes and sales processes and, consequently, the dynamics and division of work between buyers and suppliers in the supply chain. This has major implications for industrial marketing and supply chain management. In this study, we analyze the impact of sales configurators, which are used to create valid configurations of market offerings that fulfill customer requirements. The usefulness of sales configurators can be investigated from both the sellers' and buyers' perspectives. In this research, we focus on the latter, and we specifically investigate the antecedents of customers' acceptance of sales configurators in a supply chain. In our analysis, we concentrate on system-level antecedents, which have been neglected by the existing literature. Our research yields better knowledge of how digital sales technologies can be used by customers for improved effectiveness and perceived value. The results demonstrate that ease of use and system adaptability contribute strongly to the perceived effectiveness, and eventually to the perceived usefulness, of sales configurators. Yet, surprisingly, perceived enjoyment is identified as having the most significant effect on perceived usefulness.
KW - Buying process
KW - Configurators
KW - Digitalization
KW - Supply chain management
KW - 512 Business and Management
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85090404806&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.08.024
DO - 10.1016/j.indmarman.2020.08.024
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85090404806
SN - 0019-8501
VL - 91
SP - 162
EP - 173
JO - Industrial Marketing Management
JF - Industrial Marketing Management
ER -