AI robotics capability, marketing execution and value outcomes in Chinese B2B firms

Source article: The role of AI robotics and marketing execution capabilities in B2B value realization and accumulation under technological uncertainty

Purpose This study aims to examine how artificial intelligence (AI) robotics capability is associated with customer value realization (CVR) and brand value (BV) in business-to-business (B2B) markets, and whether marketing execution capability (MEC) explains these relationships under technological uncertainty. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on the resource-based view and resource orchestration perspectives, this study uses unbalanced panel data from 234 Chinese B2B firms (2011–2022). AI-enabled robotics capa…

By the Truvace deskOctober 19, 20262 min read1 sourcePeer-reviewedTRV-2026-1904· cite & verify

The role of AI robotics and marketing execution capabilities in B2B value realization and accumulation under technological uncertainty — "220302172546" by jjes84 is licensed under CC BY 2.0. To view a copy of this license, visit https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/.

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In brief

The study analyzed unbalanced panel data from 234 Chinese business-to-business firms covering 2011 to 2022. It measured AI-enabled robotics capability through patent portfolios and built a multidimensional marketing execution index, then tested a moderated mediation model with fixed-effects regression.

The results suggest that owning AI robotics technology does not by itself produce better customer or brand outcomes; the benefit depends on how well firms can turn technical knowledge into delivered offerings. Because the evidence is associational and patent-based, causal effects and applicability beyond this sample remain uncertain.

Main points

The sample was 234 Chinese B2B firms observed between 2011 and 2022 in an unbalanced panel.
AI robotics capability was measured with patent portfolio data rather than direct operational measures.
Marketing execution capability was constructed as a multidimensional index using principal component analysis.
The study frames technological uncertainty as a boundary condition that weakens the AI-to-execution link.
Managers are advised to treat AI robotics as strategic resources requiring strong marketing execution.

The gain

Among Chinese B2B firms, AI robotics capability's value potential is realized when firms can execute, coordinate and deliver AI-enabled offerings through marketing execution capability, raising customer value realization and brand value.

The problem

AI robotics capability alone shows no automatic direct association with customer value realization or brand value, and technological uncertainty weakens its link to marketing execution capability.

The rundown

The authors draw on the resource-based view and resource orchestration perspectives to explain why technical capability must be coordinated with marketing capability. They test two outcomes: customer value realization on the customer side and brand value on the firm side.

The analysis uses fixed-effects regression with cluster-robust standard errors. Marketing execution capability acts as the transformational mechanism through which AI robotics capability becomes associated with value outcomes.

The paper argues the relationship between technological and marketing capabilities is task-contingent rather than uniformly complementary. Its practical message is that managers should emphasize consistent articulation, coordination and delivery of AI-enabled offerings.

What this doesn’t fix

The evidence comes from Chinese B2B firms and uses patent data as the measure of AI robotics capability, and the findings are described as associations, so causality and generalization are not established.