Tracing the evolution of purchasing research: future trends and directions for purchasing practices

Purpose—This conceptual article details the evolution of purchasing research, and describesthe increasing integration of purchasing with other strategic functions, in order to identify keytrends in purchasing practices, together with their implications for purchasing research.Design/Methodology/Approach—This study takes a conceptual approach and reviews priorliterature to describe the field and predict future developments.Findings—Purchasing is increasingly integrated with different business functions, such asstrategy, marketing, decision making and supply chain management. Key real-world trendsinclude sustainable and ethical purchasing, purchasing in the digital economy, supply chainrisk management and public sector purchasing. These trends suggest both avenues for furtherresearch and specific methodologies to pursue them.Originality/value—By providing a comprehensive overview of the trends in purchasingpractice and research, this study offers unique insights, especially for researchers who seek tocontinue expanding the field.