Purpose Sales force automation (SFA) tools have become central to managing international selling, yet evidence on their adoption is scattered across theories, contexts and methods. This study reviews and integrates SFA adoption research to explain how individual, organisational and technological factors jointly shape outcomes in cross-border and culturally diverse marketing environments. Design/methodology/approach We conduct a systematic literature review of 68 peer-reviewed articles and organise the evidence using the theory–context–characteristics–methodology (TCCM) framework. The review maps the main theoretical lenses, countries and industries studied, key antecedents, mediators, moderators and outcomes of SFA adoption, and the research designs used, with explicit attention to international marketing conditions such as cultural distance, regulation and digital readiness. Findings The review reveals conceptually rich but fragmented SFA adoption research, with individual, organisational and technology perspectives developing in parallel and evidence concentrated in Western, high-tech and pharmaceutical settings. Human–computer interaction (HCI) and AI aspects receive limited attention. Building on this diagnosis, the article develops a cross-level framework that links antecedents, mechanisms and outcomes of SFA adoption in international markets and proposes a set of empirically testable propositions to guide future work. Practical implications Global firms can leverage the proposed framework to optimise SFA deployments, align sales technology with cultural dynamics and design more adaptive international sales strategies. Originality/value Our study is a noble review through a TCCM framework in integration with HCI to synthesise SFA research within international marketing, bridging theoretical silos and contextual gaps by incorporating cross-cultural, infrastructural and policy dimensions into the understanding of digital sales enablement tools.
Sharan et al. (Thu,) studied this question.