IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jbusin/v5y2025i4p48-d1769284.html

The Efficacy of Technological Integration and Data Sharing in Saudi Arabia: The Role of Category Management in Retailer–Supplier Partnerships

Author

Listed:
  • Khulud Alyafie

    (Business Administration, Strategy Enterprise and Innovation, The Applied College, Umm Al-Qura University, Makkah 24382, Saudi Arabia)

Abstract

Category management (CM) is crucial for optimising retailer–supplier partnerships via technological integration and data sharing. However, the role of CM in Saudi Arabia’s unique fast-moving consumer goods sector (FMCG) remains underexplored. This study aimed to answer the following research question: How do cloud-based inventory platforms and real-time data sharing improve forecasting accuracy and inventory turnover for retailer–supplier CM partnerships in Saudi Arabia’s FMCG sector? A systematic review of 87 studies from the Web of Science and Scopus databases was conducted, followed by thematic analysis. The findings indicate that CM improves demand forecasting, inventory optimisation, and collaborative decision-making. Key implementation barriers include cultural resistance to data sharing, high technology costs for small and medium-sized enterprises, and infrastructural limitations. Success relies on phased technology adoption, relational data governance, and trust building that aligns with Saudi cultural norms. The study concludes that CM is essential for leveraging technology and data capabilities, and it offers a contextualised framework to overcome local barriers and support the achievement of Vision 2030 objectives. This study provides practical strategies for sector stakeholders to adopt high-impact, low-cost technology and a basis for future comparative studies in Gulf Cooperation Council markets.

Suggested Citation

  • Khulud Alyafie, 2025. "The Efficacy of Technological Integration and Data Sharing in Saudi Arabia: The Role of Category Management in Retailer–Supplier Partnerships," Businesses, MDPI, vol. 5(4), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jbusin:v:5:y:2025:i:4:p:48-:d:1769284
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7116/5/4/48/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7116/5/4/48/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Kurtuluş, Mümin & Ülkü, Sezer & Dotson, Jeffrey P. & Nakkas, Alper, 2014. "The Impact of Category Captainship on the Breadth and Appeal of a Retailer's Assortment," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 90(3), pages 379-392.
    2. Jiali Qu & Benyong Hu & Chao Meng, 2021. "Joint Innovation Investment and Pricing Decisions in Retail Supply Chains with Customer Value," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(3), pages 1-14, January.
    3. Mohammed Alquraish, 2025. "Digital Transformation, Supply Chain Resilience, and Sustainability: A Comprehensive Review with Implications for Saudi Arabian Manufacturing," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-33, May.
    4. David Moher & Alessandro Liberati & Jennifer Tetzlaff & Douglas G Altman & The PRISMA Group, 2009. "Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: The PRISMA Statement," PLOS Medicine, Public Library of Science, vol. 6(7), pages 1-6, July.
    5. Aiolfi Simone & Edoardo Sabbadin, 2017. "The New Paradigm of the Omnichannel Retailing: Key Drivers, New Challenges and Potential Outcomes Resulting from the Adoption of an Omnichannel Approach," International Journal of Business and Management, Canadian Center of Science and Education, vol. 13(1), pages 1-85, December.
    6. Andrea Mauro & Andrea Sestino & Andrea Bacconi, 2022. "Machine learning and artificial intelligence use in marketing: a general taxonomy," Italian Journal of Marketing, Springer, vol. 2022(4), pages 439-457, December.
    7. Marcelo Werneck Barbosa & Marcelo Bronzo Ladeira & Paulo Renato de Sousa & Marcos Paulo Valadares de Oliveira, 2022. "Supply chain collaboration and organisational performance: the effects of big data analytics capabilities, technological dynamism, and competitive intensity," International Journal of Business Environment, Inderscience Enterprises Ltd, vol. 13(4), pages 358-391.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. İlkay Unay-Gailhard & Mark A. Brennen, 2022. "How digital communications contribute to shaping the career paths of youth: a review study focused on farming as a career option," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 39(4), pages 1491-1508, December.
    2. Mahin Ghafari & Vali Baigi & Zahra Cheraghi & Amin Doosti-Irani, 2016. "The Prevalence of Asymptomatic Bacteriuria in Iranian Pregnant Women: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(6), pages 1-10, June.
    3. Elizabeth T Cafiero-Fonseca & Andrew Stawasz & Sydney T Johnson & Reiko Sato & David E Bloom, 2017. "The full benefits of adult pneumococcal vaccination: A systematic review," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 12(10), pages 1-23, October.
    4. Santos Urbina & Sofía Villatoro & Jesús Salinas, 2021. "Self-Regulated Learning and Technology-Enhanced Learning Environments in Higher Education: A Scoping Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-12, June.
    5. Oded Berger-Tal & Alison L Greggor & Biljana Macura & Carrie Ann Adams & Arden Blumenthal & Amos Bouskila & Ulrika Candolin & Carolina Doran & Esteban Fernández-Juricic & Kiyoko M Gotanda & Catherine , 2019. "Systematic reviews and maps as tools for applying behavioral ecology to management and policy," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(1), pages 1-8.
    6. Sibilla Montanari & Evi Agostini & Denis Francesconi, 2023. "Are We Talking about Green Skills or Sustainability Competences? A Scoping Review Using Scientometric Analysis of Two Apparently Similar Topics in the Field of Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(19), pages 1-25, September.
    7. Nadine Desrochers & Adèle Paul‐Hus & Jen Pecoskie, 2017. "Five decades of gratitude: A meta‐synthesis of acknowledgments research," Journal of the Association for Information Science & Technology, Association for Information Science & Technology, vol. 68(12), pages 2821-2833, December.
    8. Maryono, Maryono & Killoes, Aditya Marendra & Adhikari, Rajendra & Abdul Aziz, Ammar, 2024. "Agriculture development through multi-stakeholder partnerships in developing countries: A systematic literature review," Agricultural Systems, Elsevier, vol. 213(C).
    9. Alene Sze Jing Yong & Yi Heng Lim & Mark Wing Loong Cheong & Ednin Hamzah & Siew Li Teoh, 2022. "Willingness-to-pay for cancer treatment and outcome: a systematic review," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 23(6), pages 1037-1057, August.
    10. Xue-Ying Xu & Hong Kong & Rui-Xiang Song & Yu-Han Zhai & Xiao-Fei Wu & Wen-Si Ai & Hong-Bo Liu, 2014. "The Effectiveness of Noninvasive Biomarkers to Predict Hepatitis B-Related Significant Fibrosis and Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Diagnostic Test Accuracy," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-16, June.
    11. Vicente Miñana-Signes & Manuel Monfort-Pañego & Javier Valiente, 2021. "Teaching Back Health in the School Setting: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(3), pages 1-18, January.
    12. Sarah H. Son-Theroux & Olivera J. Bogunovic, 2025. "Meeting Carer Health Information Needs in Mental Health: An Integrative Review," Clinical Nursing Research, , vol. 34(5), pages 244-254, June.
    13. Agnieszka A. Tubis & Katarzyna Grzybowska, 2022. "In Search of Industry 4.0 and Logistics 4.0 in Small-Medium Enterprises—A State of the Art Review," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(22), pages 1-26, November.
    14. Obsa Urgessa Ayana & Jima Degaga, 2022. "Effects of rural electrification on household welfare: a meta-regression analysis," International Review of Economics, Springer;Happiness Economics and Interpersonal Relations (HEIRS), vol. 69(2), pages 209-261, June.
    15. Caloffi, Annalisa & Colovic, Ana & Rizzoli, Valentina & Rossi, Federica, 2023. "Innovation intermediaries' types and functions: A computational analysis of the literature," Technological Forecasting and Social Change, Elsevier, vol. 189(C).
    16. García-Poole, Chloe & Byrne, Sonia & Rodrigo, María José, 2019. "How do communities intervene with adolescents at psychosocial risk? A systematic review of positive development programs," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 194-209.
    17. Jie Zhao & Ji Chen & Damien Beillouin & Hans Lambers & Yadong Yang & Pete Smith & Zhaohai Zeng & Jørgen E. Olesen & Huadong Zang, 2022. "Global systematic review with meta-analysis reveals yield advantage of legume-based rotations and its drivers," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-9, December.
    18. Qing Ye & Bao-Xin Qian & Wei-Li Yin & Feng-Mei Wang & Tao Han, 2016. "Association between the HFE C282Y, H63D Polymorphisms and the Risks of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease, Liver Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma: An Updated Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of 5,758 Cases and 14,741 Controls," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 11(9), pages 1-17, September.
    19. Bishal Mohindru & David Turner & Tracey Sach & Diana Bilton & Siobhan Carr & Olga Archangelidi & Arjun Bhadhuri & Jennifer A. Whitty, 2020. "Health State Utility Data in Cystic Fibrosis: A Systematic Review," PharmacoEconomics - Open, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 13-25, March.
    20. Subramaniam, Mega & Pang, Natalie & Morehouse, Shandra & Asgarali-Hoffman, S. Nisa, 2020. "Examining vulnerability in youth digital information practices scholarship: What are we missing or exhausting?," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 116(C).

    More about this item

    Keywords

    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;
    ;

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jbusin:v:5:y:2025:i:4:p:48-:d:1769284. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager The email address of this maintainer does not seem to be valid anymore. Please ask MDPI Indexing Manager to update the entry or send us the correct address (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.