B2B engagement within an internet of things ecosystem

Abstract

PurposeThis study aims to investigate business-to-business (B2B) engagement within an internet of things (IoT) ecosystem. A conceptual framework is proposed that can be used for building engagement strategies considering key actors within an IoT ecosystem.Design/methodology/approachThe study used an integrative literature review as a research method and investigated engagement across several disciplines along with antecedents and outcomes of engagement to form an understanding of IoT engagement.FindingsThe findings in this study revealed IoT engagement antecedents as IoT readiness, commitment, communication, involvement and support and, consequently, the outcomes of IoT engagement as trust, loyalty, better performance and satisfaction. Furthermore, IoT engagement needs to be considered from three perspectives, namely, from a multidimensional perspective, beyond a dyad perspective and from the service-dominant logic perspective, which suggests thinking of goods as services and highlights the importance of value co-creation.Research limitations/implicationsAs the study of B2B engagement within the IoT ecosystem is conceptual, empirical investigations are suggested for elaborating on the findings.Practical implicationsThe conceptual framework provides managers within an IoT ecosystem with thorough recommendations on why to change their perspectives toward engagement; it points out drivers of engagement that need to be maintained and adds IoT readiness as a new antecedent to engagement literature.Originality/valueThis study contributes a coherent conceptualization of actors’ engagement within IoT ecosystems and enhances both the theoretical and practical domain of B2B engagement.