Evolution of Research Areas, Themes, and Methods in Electronic Commerce

The purpose of this study is to review the state-of-the-art of electronic commerce (EC) research by focusing on its multidisciplinary nature. Using an integrative model of EC research areas, themes, and methods, this study analyzed 1792 articles published in six EC specialty journals and four information systems (IS) journals over the 1996–2009 period. The findings provide meaningful views of current EC research. First, EC research has focused on micro-level issues such as consumers or technologies, enhancing the relevance to practice. Second, many research themes have been investigated in heterogeneous research areas through various research methods: retailing, privacy/fraud/piracy, auction, strategy/marketing/advertising, and adoption/implementation. Third, while the survey method has been predominant over the years, sophisticated methods such as laboratory experiment and secondary data analysis have also gained increasing attention. Overall, the results from an integrative model indicate two diverging EC research practices: moving toward the micro-level issues versus research from multidisciplinary perspectives. Because these two practices can be viewed as two sides of the same coin, the field of EC research should endeavor to achieve these two practices in a balanced way. In so doing, the field of EC can constantly reinvent itself and grow as an established field of research in the future.

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