The past, present, and future of adaptive selling: Toward an integrative framework

Abstract

Adaptive selling represents a notable and influential concept in the marketing literature. Despite being discussed in scholarly research and managerial practice for over forty years and mixed findings about its impact, a comprehensive understanding of the construct of adaptive selling remains missing. To remedy this critical knowledge gap, we conduct a comprehensive review of 188 articles across twenty-seven journals. We combine three approaches in our survey of the literature, including a systematic review, a main path analysis, and a bibliographic analysis. Together, this three-prong review offers profound insights into the state of adaptive selling research by (1) mapping the key stages of evolution of research in this domain over the last four decades, (2) delineating various conceptualizations and operational measures of the construct of adaptive selling, and (3) advancing an integrated framework of the nomological network of adaptive selling. Based on these insights, we outline five major opportunities for future theoretical development and empirical research to move the domain forward.