Digital platforms in supply chain and logistics management: A systematic literature review

Digital platforms (DPs) have dramatically transformed supply chain and logistics management (SCLM). How DPs have contributed to supply chains and logistics operations, however, have not been systematically documented. This study examines the roles DPs play in SCLM. Through a systematic review of 251 peer-reviewed quality journal articles published between 2006 and 2025, this study identifies four key DP roles: service agency, solution incubator, mission-specific outcome shaper, and performance booster. Analyzing the interdependency linkages between the four roles, this study develops an integrated framework, capturing six sets of mutually reinforcing relationships that gives rise to a DP-orchestrated value growth cycle. The theoretical and practical implications of these relationships are discussed, including the converging roles between DPs and conventional fourth-party logistics service providers. This study also identifies the noticeable gaps in the literature and proposes an agenda for future research in a range of areas. Reviewing the interrelationships between the roles DPs have played in the SCLM landscape, this study extends the research horizon in this domain as more artificial intelligence (AI)-powered algorithms continue to propel their ways into different facets of SCLM practices.