Differences in buyers' and suppliers' perceptions of supply chain attributes

► This paper presents a model which explains why buyers & suppliers differ in the ways they perceive relationship attributes. ► This can help future researchers in deciding how to measure these attributes. ► The paper analyses survey data from 86 dyadic buyer-supplier relationships, involving 388 respondents. ► We explain which key informants will deliver the most reliable information for attributes. ► The paper shows that also associations between attributes differ, which has important implications for theory development.