Systematic literature review on supplier segmentation (Models, approaches, techniques and future trends)

Supplier Segmentation is one of the key activities of supplier relationship management (SRM) for companies with a large number of suppliers. It involves dividing the suppliers into a manageable number of segments, to formulate SRM strategies for the various segments, rather than for each individual supplier. Supplier segmentation has attracted a great deal of attention in recent decades. The purpose of the current study is to provide a systematic review of supplier segmentation researches to determine the future trend of this research area. For this purpose, a systematic literature review and citation network analysis are used simultaneously. After determining the search protocol and criteria for selecting articles, 48 articles were finally selected. Selected articles were evaluated and analyzed according to the steps of a systematic literature review and citation analysis. The results of the study indicate that researchers have welcomed the portfolio approach, decision-making techniques, and two-dimensional model of profit and supply risk in supplier segmentation research. A comprehensive analysis of the studies made it possible to distill the future research trend. This research area requires further study involving the supply chain paradigms, the impact of supplier segmentation on performance, and the analysis of the supplier relationship management as a whole, with supplier segmentation being one of its components.