Investigating the Impact of Big Data Analytics on Perceived Sales Performance: The Mediating Role of Customer Relationship Management Capabilities

A persistent question for information technology researchers and practitioners is how big data analytics (BDA) can improve sales performance. Therefore, this study proposed a research model to investigate the impact of BDA on perceived sales performance in accordance with the resource-based view (RBV) and dynamic capability theory. The 416 valid responses collected from the employees of pharmaceutical organizations were analyzed using structural equation modelling to test the proposed research model. Results indicated that the BDA and customer relationship management (CRM) capabilities shared a strong positive impact on perceived sales performance. BDA, as organizational resources, creates organizational dynamic capabilities, such as CRM capabilities. BDA and CRM capabilities can influence perceived sales performance. Furthermore, CRM capabilities have a significant mediating impact on the relationships between BDA and perceived sales performance. This study also highlighted the practical and theoretical implications of the proposed model, the research limitations, and the future research directions.

[1]  V. Zeithaml,et al.  E-S-QUAL A Multiple-Item Scale for Assessing Electronic Service Quality , 2004 .

[2]  E. Ramsey,et al.  Entrepreneurial marketing in SMEs: the key capabilities of e‐CRM , 2012 .

[3]  William D. Perreault,et al.  Sales Technology Orientation, Information Effectiveness, and Sales Performance , 2006 .

[4]  LiuLing,et al.  Adoption of big data and analytics in mobile healthcare market , 2017 .

[5]  Jinghua Xiao,et al.  Resource Structuring or Capability Building? An Empirical Study of the Business Value of Information Technology , 2012, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[6]  Claudio Vitari,et al.  Investments in big data analytics and firm performance: an empirical investigation of direct and mediating effects , 2018, Int. J. Prod. Res..

[7]  Erik M. Fredericks,et al.  Uncertainty in big data analytics: survey, opportunities, and challenges , 2019, Journal of Big Data.

[8]  Yonggui Wang,et al.  Customer relationship management capabilities: Measurement, antecedents and consequences , 2012 .

[9]  Douglas N. Behrman,et al.  Measuring the performance of industrial salespersons , 1982 .

[10]  C. Fornell,et al.  Evaluating structural equation models with unobservable variables and measurement error. , 1981 .

[11]  Poonam Singh,et al.  Big data, knowledge co-creation and decision making in fashion industry , 2018, Int. J. Inf. Manag..

[12]  Dan Jong Kim,et al.  Unleashing the Power of mCRM: Investigating Antecedents of Mobile CRM Values from Managers’ Viewpoint , 2016, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact..

[13]  J. Mathieu,et al.  A Longitudinal Examination of Individual, Organizational, and Contextual Factors on Sales Technology Adoption and Job Performance , 2006 .

[14]  Muhammad Z. I. Lallmahomed,et al.  Factors influencing the adoption of e-Government services in Mauritius , 2017, Telematics Informatics.

[15]  Yichuan Wang,et al.  Exploring the path to big data analytics success in healthcare , 2017 .

[16]  Shahriar Akter,et al.  Modelling quality dynamics, business value and firm performance in a big data analytics environment , 2017, Int. J. Prod. Res..

[17]  Yanling Hu,et al.  Investigating the adoption of big data analytics in healthcare: the moderating role of resistance to change , 2019, Journal of Big Data.

[18]  Paul A. Pavlou,et al.  Exploring the relationship between big data analytics capability and competitive performance: The mediating roles of dynamic and operational capabilities , 2020, Inf. Manag..

[19]  Qingyun Du,et al.  Spatial and Social Media Data Analytics of Housing Prices in Shenzhen, China , 2016, PloS one.

[20]  Jian Wang,et al.  m-Government Security Response System: Predicting Citizens’ Adoption Behavior , 2018, Int. J. Hum. Comput. Interact..

[21]  Saint John Walker.  Big Data: A Revolution That Will Transform How We Live, Work, and Think , 2014 .

[22]  Chitu Okoli,et al.  A Guide to Conducting a Standalone Systematic Literature Review , 2015, Commun. Assoc. Inf. Syst..

[23]  Yichuan Wang,et al.  An integrated big data analytics-enabled transformation model: Application to health care , 2018, Inf. Manag..

[24]  M. Nyadzayo,et al.  The antecedents of customer loyalty: A moderated mediation model of customer relationship management quality and brand image , 2016 .

[25]  Shahriar Akter,et al.  Big data analytics and firm performance: Effects of dynamic capabilities , 2017 .

[26]  Heikki Karjaluoto,et al.  Mobile banking services adoption in Pakistan: are there gender differences? , 2017 .

[27]  Davide Aloini,et al.  Big Data-enabled Customer Relationship Management: A holistic approach , 2018, Inf. Process. Manag..

[28]  Scott B. MacKenzie,et al.  Working memory: theories, models, and controversies. , 2012, Annual review of psychology.

[29]  Surabhi Verma,et al.  Understanding the Determinants of Big Data Analytics Adoption , 2019, Inf. Resour. Manag. J..

[30]  Gi Mun Kim,et al.  Investigating the Value of Sociomaterialism in Conceptualizing IT Capability of a Firm , 2012, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[31]  Kraig Finstad,et al.  Response interpolation and scale sensitivity: evidence against 5-point scales , 2010 .

[32]  Patrick Mikalef,et al.  Examining the interplay between big data analytics and contextual factors in driving process innovation capabilities , 2020, Eur. J. Inf. Syst..

[33]  Niels Schillewaert,et al.  Why Sales Reps Should Welcome Information Technology: Measuring the Impact of CRM-Based IT on Sales Effectiveness , 2007 .

[34]  M. Wade,et al.  Review: the resource-based view and information systems research: review, extension, and suggestions for future research , 2004 .

[35]  Shahriar Akter,et al.  Big data analytics in E-commerce: a systematic review and agenda for future research , 2016, Electronic Markets.

[36]  Panagiotis Trivellas,et al.  Antecedents of Task Innovation: The Role of Management Information Systems☆ , 2013 .

[37]  Yini Lin,et al.  Exploring the role of dynamic capabilities in firm performance under the resource-based view framework , 2014 .

[38]  Hock-Hai Teo,et al.  The Role of Push-Pull Technology in Privacy Calculus: The Case of Location-Based Services , 2009, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[39]  Wei Li,et al.  Influence of Environmental Concern and Knowledge on Households’ Willingness to Purchase Energy-Efficient Appliances: A Case Study in Shanxi, China , 2019, Sustainability.

[40]  Earl D. Honeycutt,et al.  Impediments to sales force automation , 2005 .

[41]  S. Singh,et al.  Role of big data analytics in developing sustainable capabilities , 2019, Journal of Cleaner Production.

[42]  Neil F. Doherty,et al.  The role of IS capabilities in delivering sustainable improvements to competitive positioning , 2009, J. Strateg. Inf. Syst..

[43]  T. Coltman,et al.  Can superior CRM capabilities improve performance in banking , 2007 .

[44]  Pethuru Raj,et al.  Big Data Analytics for Healthcare , 2015 .

[45]  Mohammad Saleem Alshura.  Customer Relationship Management (CRM) Capabilities & Building a Sustainable Competitive Advantage in Mobile Phone Operators in Jordan , 2018 .

[46]  N. Sanders,et al.  Forecasting sales in the supply chain: Consumer analytics in the big data era , 2019, International Journal of Forecasting.

[47]  Changyuan Gao,et al.  Moderating Effects of Gender and Resistance to Change on the Adoption of Big Data Analytics in Healthcare , 2020, Complex..

[48]  Feras Batarseh,et al.  Assessing the Quality of Service Using Big Data Analytics: With Application to Healthcare , 2016, Big Data Res..

[49]  A. Colman,et al.  Optimal number of response categories in rating scales: reliability, validity, discriminating power, and respondent preferences. , 2000, Acta psychologica.

[50]  Roger L. Brown.  Assessing specific mediational effects in complex theoretical models , 1997 .

[51]  Niraj Kumar,et al.  Understanding big data analytics capabilities in supply chain management: Unravelling the issues, challenges and implications for practice , 2017, Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review.

[52]  Robert M. Barker,et al.  Why is my sales force automation system failing , 2009 .

[53]  Petros Ieromonachou,et al.  Big data analytics in supply chain management: A state-of-the-art literature review , 2017, Comput. Oper. Res..

[54]  M. Bartlett.  A Note on the Multiplying Factors for Various χ2 Approximations , 1954 .

[55]  Ming Tang,et al.  Predictive Big Data Analytics: A Study of Parkinson’s Disease Using Large, Complex, Heterogeneous, Incongruent, Multi-Source and Incomplete Observations , 2016, PloS one.

[56]  Nilesh Saraf,et al.  IS Application Capabilities and Relational Value in Interfirm Partnerships , 2007, Inf. Syst. Res..

[57]  C. L. Philip Chen,et al.  Data-intensive applications, challenges, techniques and technologies: A survey on Big Data , 2014, Inf. Sci..

[58]  Tania von der Heidt,et al.  Rethinking the role of external collaboration in product innovation , 2012 .

[59]  Wayne D. Hoyer,et al.  The Customer Relationship Management Process: Its Measurement and Impact on Performance , 2004 .

[60]  Stan Maklan,et al.  Dynamic capabilities: the missing link in CRM investments , 2009 .

[61]  Edgar Erdfelder,et al.  G*Power 3: A flexible statistical power analysis program for the social, behavioral, and biomedical sciences , 2007, Behavior research methods.

[62]  Yuting Zhang,et al.  Using predictive analytics and big data to optimize pharmaceutical outcomes. , 2017, American journal of health-system pharmacy : AJHP : official journal of the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists.

[63]  F. Mwirigi,et al.  Factors That Influence Effective Strategic Planning Process In Organizations , 2014 .

[64]  Bruno Schivinski,et al.  Reflections on “social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales” and a research agenda , 2018, Industrial Marketing Management.

[65]  Gary Klein,et al.  A Note on Interpersonal and Communication Skills for IS Professionals: Evidence of Positive Influence , 2003, Decis. Sci..

[66]  D. Teece,et al.  The Dynamic Capabilities of Firms: an Introduction , 1994 .

[67]  In Lee,et al.  Big data: Dimensions, evolution, impacts, and challenges , 2017 .

[68]  Emmanuella Plakoyiannaki,et al.  Customer relationship management: A capabilities portfolio perspective , 2002 .

[69]  Michail N. Giannakos,et al.  Big data analytics capabilities: a systematic literature review and research agenda , 2017, Information Systems and e-Business Management.

[70]  Ling Liu,et al.  Adoption of big data and analytics in mobile healthcare market: An economic perspective , 2017, Electron. Commer. Res. Appl..

[71]  Kevin J. Trainor,et al.  Performance implications of customer-linking capabilities: Examining the complementary role of customer orientation and CRM technology , 2010 .

[72]  Marko Sarstedt,et al.  Partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM): A useful tool for family business researchers , 2014 .

[73]  Pietro Ducange,et al.  A glimpse on big data analytics in the framework of marketing strategies , 2017, Soft Computing.

[74]  B. J. Mariadoss,et al.  Salesperson competitive intelligence and performance: The role of product knowledge and sales force automation usage , 2014 .

[75]  Toni M. Somers,et al.  The Role of Information Systems Resources in ERP Capability Building and Business Process Outcomes , 2007, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[76]  Farooq Sher,et al.  Assessment of knowledge, attitude and practice of adverse drug reaction reporting among healthcare professionals in secondary and tertiary hospitals in the capital of Pakistan , 2018, Saudi pharmaceutical journal : SPJ : the official publication of the Saudi Pharmaceutical Society.

[77]  Patrick Mikalef,et al.  Big Data Analytics Capabilities and Innovation: The Mediating Role of Dynamic Capabilities and Moderating Effect of the Environment , 2019, British Journal of Management.

[78]  Peter R. Newsted,et al.  Survey Instruments in Information Systems , 1998, MIS Q..

[79]  Patrick Mikalef,et al.  Big data analytics and firm performance: Findings from a mixed-method approach , 2019, Journal of Business Research.

[80]  Andreas Eggert,et al.  Exploring the Impact of Sales Technology on Salesperson Performance: A Task-Base d Approach , 2011 .

[81]  C. Speier,et al.  The Hidden Minefields in the Adoption of Sales Force Automation Technologies , 2002 .

[82]  William J. Doll,et al.  Developing a multidimensional measure of system-use in an organizational context , 1998, Inf. Manag..

[83]  Michael Y. Hu,et al.  Social media: Influencing customer satisfaction in B2B sales , 2016 .

[84]  Bireswar Dutta,et al.  Modeling the adoption of personal health record (PHR) among individual: the effect of health-care technology self-efficacy and gender concern , 2018, The Libyan journal of medicine.

[85]  David F. Midgley,et al.  Customer relationship management and firm performance , 2009, J. Inf. Technol..

[86]  Jan vom Brocke,et al.  How Big Data Analytics Enables Service Innovation: Materiality, Affordance, and the Individualization of Service , 2018, J. Manag. Inf. Syst..

[87]  Shahriar Akter,et al.  How to improve firm performance using big data analytics capability and business strategy alignment , 2016 .