Authors: Abeshin Ayodele
Abstract: The integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming strategic operations across global industries, yet its impact on multi-channel distribution networks particularly in complex sectors like heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) remains underexplored. This study explains a theoretical framework for understanding the strategic implications of AI integration within the multi-channel networks of multinational HVAC manufacturers. The traditional HVAC distribution network comprising direct sales, retailers, contractors, digital platforms and third-party service providers; has been characterized by manual processes and legacy systems. AI's emergence introduces predictive analytics, automated CRM systems, intelligent routing, and real-time data integration that collectively shift how firms manage and interact with their channel partners. These changes, while beneficial, raise critical challenges such as channel conflict, role redundancy, partner resistance, and uneven digital maturity across regions. Thus, there is a pressing need for a structured theoretical framework that captures the complexity and strategic relevance of AI’s role in reshaping these networks. To address this gap, the study draws on four complementary theoretical lenses: the Resource-Based View (RBV), Actor-Network Theory (ANT), Technology- Organization-Environment (TOE) framework, and Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory. The RBV positions AI as a valuable, rare, and inimitable resource that, when aligned with internal capabilities and existing assets, can provide a sustainable competitive advantage through differentiated channel management strategies. ANT broadens this view by conceptualizing AI not just as a technological tool but as an active agent within the distribution network. It highlights how human and non-human actors (e.g., AI systems, managers, distributors) negotiate roles and power relations, co-creating new channel configurations and organizational behaviors. The TOE framework provides a holistic understanding of how technological, organizational, and environmental factors interact to influence AI adoption. It explains how firms' internal readiness, market pressures, and regulatory environments shape the pace and depth of AI integration within channel strategies. Finally, the DOI theory offers insights into the diffusion process of AI across channel partners, emphasizing how adoption is influenced by the perceived attributes of AI technologies and the social systems through which innovation spreads. It identifies early adopters within the network and highlights strategies to accelerate diffusion through communication, training, and observable results. Together, these theoretical perspectives present a robust framework for examining the strategic transformation of multi-channel networks in the HVAC industry due to AI. The study contributes to scholarly understanding of digital transformation in B2B networks while offering practical guidance for HVAC manufacturers aiming to align AI capabilities with channel strategy
DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.17414506
Published by: vikaspatanker