The Gartner Hype Cycle for Revenue and Sales Technology 2024 has identified the top technologies set to revolutionise sales in the coming decade, with Emotion AI, machine sellers, and the digital twin of a customer (DToC) are touted as the most transformative.

Senior Director Analyst in the Gartner Sales practice, Guy Wood, said: "The common theme of these three technologies are their ability to predict, interpret and serve buyers' needs and behaviours and to streamline and automate sales fulfillment, releasing sellers to focus on developing high value client relationships."

Emotion AI utilises artificial intelligence and software techniques to analyse the emotional state of a user, turning human behavioural attributes into data.

The DToC is a dynamic virtual mirror representation of a customer that organisations can use to simulate, emulate and anticipate behaviour. "DToCs can transform the way organisations sell products or services and provide customers with better experiences, which will result in increased revenue and lasting customer relationships," Wood said.

Machine sellers are non-human agents that automate end-to-end selling actions on behalf of human sellers or a sales organisation. "Sales organisations deploying machine sellers will gain a competitive advantage by satisfying buyer preferences for seamless purchases and 'locking-in' recurring revenue. Organisations that do not adopt machine sellers will risk wasting resources, decreasing efficiency and missing revenue goals," said Wood.

Sales leaders are urged to navigate the hype and evaluate when these technologies will be appropriate for their organisation to implement. "In order to gain a competitive advantage, sales operations leaders need to be looking on the horizon for technologies not currently in the mainstream," Wood said.

Emotion AI is currently at the Peak of Inflated Expectations on the Gartner Hype Cycle, while DToC and machine sellers are at the early stage of the Innovation Trigger. The sales function has yet to fully realise the potential of Emotion AI, which has already been widely adopted in contact centres, according to Wood.

These technologies, while promising, are still in their early stages and will require careful consideration and strategic planning for successful implementation.