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Open research questions in Supply Chain and Inventory Management

148 gap statements mined from Supply Chain and Inventory Management papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 2,180 papers on the topic — drawn mostly from each paper's own stated research gap, future-work, challenge and limitation notes, and its abstract. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one.

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What the literature leaves open

  • Classical inventory models are developed under restrictive assumptions that rarely hold in practical settings. There is a need to develop inventory models that incorporate stock-dependent demand, price discounting, and trade credit policy.

    Optimal Ordering Policy for Delayed Deteriorating Items under the Effects of Stock-Dependent Demand Rate, Price Discounting, and Trade Credit Policy · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can explore the application of reinforcement learning to more complex inventory management problems. The study can be extended to consider multiple products and more realistic demand patterns.

    Multi-objective inventory optimization using reinforcement learning: a comparative study on profitability and carbon emissions · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a research gap in applying reinforcement learning to inventory management, particularly in studies that jointly consider economic and environmental objectives. The literature indicates that studies treating carbon emissions as an independent objective in inventory management have largely relied on mathematical formulations and metaheuristic techniques.

    Multi-objective inventory optimization using reinforcement learning: a comparative study on profitability and carbon emissions · 2026 · DOI

  • There is a need to examine the dual-channel financing equilibrium when the 3PL firm acts as the senior creditor. The study aims to fill this gap by investigating the impact of bank financing and direct financing on the operational and financing decisions of a capital-constrained retailer.

    Dual-Channel Financing with Bank Credit and 3PL Direct Financing: Operational and Financing Decisions in a Capital-Constrained Supply Chain · 2026 · DOI

  • The problem involves multiple items, multiple periods, and quantity discounts, making it complex and challenging to solve. The non-linearities introduced by quantity discounts complicate the problem. The need to evaluate suppliers beyond just cost adds to the complexity.

    A finite dominating set approach for the multi-item multi-period order allocation problem under all-unit quantity discounts and blending ratios · 2026 · DOI

  • The multi-item multi-period order allocation problem under all-unit quantity discounts and blending ratios is a complex and challenging problem. Prior work has focused on single-item, single-period models, leaving a gap in addressing the multi-item, multi-period problem.

    A finite dominating set approach for the multi-item multi-period order allocation problem under all-unit quantity discounts and blending ratios · 2026 · DOI

  • Alternative contractual structures should be explored theoretically, including the possibility of reversing the roles of two-part pricing and cost-sharing contracts between the model ML and model RL. Finally, advanced contract mechanisms warrant further investigation.

    Pricing and coordination strategies of dual-channel supply chain considering channel preference with platform rebate · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is that existing studies have not fully revealed the impact of improved cost information verifiability on upstream and downstream pricing power. The gap is that existing studies have not systematically analyzed the endogenous correlation between blockchain investment intensity, information sharing depth, and channel encroachment decisions under cost opacity.

    Research on Manufacturer Channel Strategies with the Cost Transparency Role of Blockchain and the Impact of Investment Efforts · 2026 · DOI

  • The problem of constrained multi-item EOQ under stochastic demand is not well addressed in the literature. There is a need for a generalized formulation for the finite planning horizon.

    An N-period dynamic programming model for constrained multi-item EOQ under stochastic demand · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research may be performed on improving the model as it relates to stochastic demand forecasting. 2) Capacity Constraints and Overtime Planning: By adding capacity constraints to the model, it becomes a more realistic representation of industrial realities.

    A Quantitative Approach to Production Planning and Inventory Control · 2026 · DOI

  • Further research can be conducted to evaluate the impact of other factors on order picking performance. The study can be extended to consider multiple warehouse systems.

    Simulation-Based Evaluation of Order Picking Systems with Integrated Inventory Replenishment · 2026 · DOI

  • The existing order picking system lacks an organized order picking system. Products are randomly assigned to storage locations, and no systematic routing policy is applied to the order picking process.

    Simulation-Based Evaluation of Order Picking Systems with Integrated Inventory Replenishment · 2026 · DOI

  • The research highlights the need for a model that addresses the challenges of wartime on retail trade.

    Assortment and quality as factors in ensuring retail competitiveness during wartime challenges · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of information sharing hinders the detection of bottlenecks in supply chain networks. Prior work has focused on critical path analysis, but has not addressed the issue of information disclosure.

    Bottleneck Detection within Supply Chain Networks beyond the Factory Boundary and Shifting Bottleneck Trajectories · 2026 · DOI

  • The study highlights the need for a new model of competition that takes into account the informational advantages of incumbent firms.

    Competition on service markets with unit demand and learning · 2026 · DOI

  • Future research can explore the application of the time-dependent waiting cost framework in other contexts. Future research can investigate the impact of different demand patterns on the optimal policy. Future research can develop more sophisticated models to capture the complexities of real-world logistics operations.

    Shipment consolidation with time-dependent waiting costs and carbon emissions · 2026 · DOI

  • The gap is significant because it affects the optimal policy structure.

    Shipment consolidation with time-dependent waiting costs and carbon emissions · 2026 · DOI

  • The existing literature does not consider the overlapping effects of showrooming and webrooming. The study identifies a gap in the understanding of optimal decision-making under the presence of multiple channel phenomena.

    Pricing and sales effort decisions in multi-channel supply chains: considering the overlapping effects of showrooming and webrooming · 2026 · DOI

  • Cornerstone computational questions around inventory staggering remain unresolved. Theoretical front: a steady stream of advances, but still much to be discovered.

    New Approximation Guarantees for the Inventory Staggering Problem · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of direct evaluation of placement decisions. The need for an approximation algorithm for inventory placement optimization under the Offline surrogate.

    Optimizing Inventory Placement for a Downstream Online Matching Problem · 2026 · DOI

  • To consider other factors that may affect the inventory system. To develop more complex inventory models that incorporate multiple factors. To apply the proposed model to real-world inventory management problems.

    Optimal Ordering Policy for Delayed Deteriorating Items under the Effects of Stock-Dependent Demand Rate, Price Discounting, and Trade Credit Policy · 2026 · DOI

  • The application of VMI philosophy is not always easy; neither is it always successful. High administrative costs, high inventory costs for the vendor, and excessive stock at the buyer level are problems cited. The paper aims to address these issues by analyzing a two-echelon vendor-managed inventory system with lost sales.

    Analysis of a Serial Supply Network Operating Under VMI Policy with Stochastic Replenishment Times and External Demand · 2026 · DOI

  • Sam's Club's limited market coverage and high consumption threshold. The membership fee and high unit price of Sam's Club limit its audience to high-end families.

    Comparative Analysis of Traditional Mass Merchandise and Membership Warehouse Retail Supply Chain Models: Evidence from RT-Mart and Sam's Club · 2026 · DOI

  • To apply the algorithm to various industries and supply chain networks. To test the algorithm under different assumptions and conditions. To develop new algorithms and approaches to supply chain management.

    Bottleneck Detection within Supply Chain Networks beyond the Factory Boundary and Shifting Bottleneck Trajectories · 2026 · DOI

  • The lack of effective inventory management for perishable goods, - The need for a unified multi-item inventory framework, - The importance of integrating heterogeneous demand laws and promotional…

    Optimization of multi-item perishable inventories with heterogeneous demand and integrated promotional profit under structured replenishment strategies · 2026 · DOI

Most-cited papers in Supply Chain and Inventory Management

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Open questions raised by papers listed on this page include: (1) There is a need to develop inventory models that incorporate stock-dependent demand, price discounting, and trade credit policy (“Optimal Ordering Policy for Delayed Deteriorating Items under the Effects of…”, 2026); (2) Future research can explore the application of reinforcement learning to more complex inventory management problems (“Multi-objective inventory optimization using reinforcement learning: a…”, 2026); (3) There is a need to examine the dual-channel financing equilibrium when the 3PL firm acts as the senior creditor (“Dual-Channel Financing with Bank Credit and 3PL Direct Financing: Operational…”, 2026); (4) There is a need for a generalized formulation for the finite planning horizon (“An N-period dynamic programming model for constrained multi-item EOQ under…”, 2026); (5) Future research may be performed on improving the model as it relates to stochastic demand forecasting (“A Quantitative Approach to Production Planning and Inventory Control”, 2026). 148 gap statements have been mined from Supply Chain and Inventory Management papers in our 4.5M-paper local library, which holds 2,180 papers on the topic; the gaps come from whichever of those papers state one. They are mostly the research gaps the authors state and the papers' abstracts, plus future-work, limitations and challenges passages. The ones listed below are a selection still marked open; each names the study that raised it, with a DOI link where the paper has one, so you can read the original claim in context.

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