Exploring the impact of a supplier portal on the buyer–supplier relationship. The case of Ferrari Auto

Abstract

This article concentrates on the relationship between companies and their suppliers with a specific focus on the impact that information and communication technologies (ICTs) have on industrial (business to business) purchasing processes. After reviewing the extant literature, we classify the potential impact of ICTs on the buyer–supplier interactions into three main categories, i.e. impact on buyer–supplier relationship, impact on purchase process efficiency and impact on logistics process performance. Whilst scholars generally agree on the impact ICTs may have on buyer–supplier exchanges, they have not investigated concurrently all of these three impacts to understand their comparative relevance and the context in which this comparative relevance may change. In order to redress this gap in the literature our research study focuses on a particular form of ICT solution – supplier portals – and takes a supplier (rather than buyer) perspective. We explore empirical evidence from a single customer–multiple supplier case study, that of the Ferrari Auto supplier portal. Our study leads us to contend that suppliers view such portals as offering far more significant benefits to their relationship with customers than to the improvements in purchase process efficiency or to the performance of buyer–supplier logistics processes. We conclude with a short discussion of the main managerial implications and suggestions for future research.