This study investigates the impact of Customer Relationship Management Capabilities (CRMC) and Marketing–Sales Collaboration (CMS) on relationship preservation and business success in Business-to-Business (B2B) enterprises, integrating the Resource-Based View (RBV) and Systems Theory. Using data from 649 B2B companies across nine Latin American countries, the study employs a multi-method empirical approach combining Covariance-Based Structural Equation Modeling (CB-SEM), Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA), and fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis (fsQCA). Findings reveal that the synergistic interplay between CRMC and CMS is central to enhancing interdepartmental collaboration and sustaining relationship maintenance, which drive superior customer relationship, sales, and financial performance. The results underscore that business success is achieved through the positive integration of technological, human, and organizational resources, particularly the combination of CRMC and CMS, regardless of contextual or cultural differences. This research advances the RBV by integrating Systems Theory, providing empirical insights into how the orchestration of these resources creates value in emerging market contexts.
This study investigates the impact of virtual influencers (VIs) on consumer engagement and purchase intention in social media marketing by examining how VIs' marketing efforts and individuals' tendencies for online social interaction influence engagement with VI-related content on social media. Additionally, it explores the role of influencer type (human vs. virtual) and characteristics (expertise and trustworthiness) in purchase intention. Through two empirical studies, the effectiveness of VIs was assessed: Study 1 established baseline effects and explored the influence of VI content on social media engagement (SME), while Study 2 investigated how the type of influencer (human vs. virtual) moderates the interactive effects between social media influencers' characteristics (expertise and trustworthiness) and purchase intention. The findings indicate that VI content positively impacts SMEs and purchase intention, but the influencer type does not significantly explain the relationship between endorser characteristics and purchase intention. Our findings highlight that brands should assess VIs' traits before integrating them into social media marketing strategies. Additionally, we provide insightful recommendations for fostering effective collaboration with VIs in marketing endeavors targeting consumers.
