Sales and operations planning : Using the internet and internet-based tools to further supply chain integration

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to outline the usage of interactive marketing tools in the area of sales and operations planning (S&OP) to further collaboration among supply chain partners. Emergent challenges and research directions are proposed. Design/methodology/approach – Using extant literature from S&OP, supply chain management and interactive marketing, the authors integrate those to show the value of using interactive marketing tools to further integration across the supply chain of important S&OP processes. Findings – S&OP utilizes sophisticated software to integrate various business processes beyond B2C and into B2B relationships. Research limitations/implications – Uncertainty exists as to the measurement of the performance of a supply chain, or the network or system of companies, is not developed enough to deal with that issue. However, this is addressed in the research questions section. Practical implications – The practical implications for the use of integrative marketing tools to link B2C as well as B2B partners through S&OP are numerous and far reaching. Originality/value – This study uniquely examines the use of interactive marketing tools for B2B, as opposed to simply B2C.