In response to evolving buyer behaviours and shifting purchasing trends, chief sales officers (CSOs) are transforming traditional sales practices by embracing innovative approaches, according to Gartner.

Gartner’s Hype Cycle for Sales Transformation, 2025 highlights the AI, advanced technologies and organisational innovations powering this transformation and driving sales organisation success.

Gartner Hype Cycles provide a graphic representation of the maturity and adoption of technologies and applications, and how they are potentially relevant to solving real business problems and exploiting new opportunities. The methodology offers a view of how a technology or application evolves over time, helping organisations manage its deployment within the context of specific business goals.

AI Agents for Sales

Currently at the Peak of Inflated Expectations – the stage where excitement and hype exceed practical results before maturity sets in.

AI agents for sales are autonomous or semi-autonomous software entities that leverage advanced AI techniques to perceive, decide, and act within digital sales environments.

Powered by large language models (LLMs), these agents promise to revolutionise sales by autonomously planning and executing tasks, moving beyond the limitations of traditional AI assistants. Sales organisations see these agents as proactive partners capable of independent work and human-like reasoning to drive revenue.

The rapid surge in investment from major platform vendors and stakeholders since 2024 has fuelled high hopes for AI agents in sales. However, the anticipated capabilities often outpace current technological realities, placing AI agents for sales firmly at the Peak of Inflated Expectations.

Emotion AI

Currently in the Trough of Disillusionment – when early enthusiasm gives way to setbacks, and expectations are tempered by real-world challenges.

Emotion AI leverages artificial intelligence to assess users’ emotional states through computer vision, voice analysis, sensors, and software logic. It enables personalised responses tailored to a customer’s mood.

However, privacy and government regulations, such as the EU AI Act’s ban on computer vision-based emotion detection in education, remain a major barrier to enterprise adoption.

Initial excitement around emotion AI has given way to a more cautious approach, as organisations encounter significant implementation challenges — explaining its current position in the Trough of Disillusionment.

Digital Twin of a Customer (DToC)

Currently in the Innovation Trigger phase – the beginning of the Hype Cycle, where a new technology concept emerges and early proof-of-concept stories start to generate interest.

A digital twin of a customer (DToC) is a dynamic virtual representation of a customer that organisations use to simulate, emulate, and anticipate customer behaviour. DToCs enhance the strategic value of data and analytics by broadening the insights organisations can derive from customer data while helping to mitigate associated risks.

Currently, organisations employ digital twins to monitor product performance and determine optimal actions. With DToCs, they can simulate how customers might respond to specific scenarios, enabling more personalised experiences, stronger customer relationships, and increased revenue.

Recommended reading

• AI Threat Hunting and Quantum Top Cyber Agenda, Finds PwC
• Cyber Leaders Are Dreading AI-driven Cyber Threats for 2026
• AI Stoking Fears of Cyber Warfare

Despite its transformative potential, DToC technology is still in its infancy, with adoption and real-world applications only beginning to emerge. Its utility depends on customisation for specific use cases, highlighting its evolving and immature state. As a result, DToCs remain in the Innovation Trigger phase, with significant growth expected as the technology matures.

“Sales transformation seems to be a never-ending state for today’s CSOs. The integration of AI, digital integrations and intelligence, and new modes of operational adaptability can no longer be delayed,” said Shayne Jackson, VP Analyst in the Gartner Sales Practice.

“While this Hype Cycle encompasses a spectrum of innovations ranging from well-established solutions to emerging, cutting-edge technologies, all are designed to drive sales transformation.”