This article has been reviewed according to Science X's editorial process and policies. Editors have highlighted the following attributes while ensuring the content's credibility: Retail research has changed during the last couple of decades, according to an analysis of almost 5,200 papers covering business practices, consumer behavior and technology. The study, published in the International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, considered papers from the four leading specialist journals in this area.
The team used thematic analysis, a method for identifying recurring patterns in written material, alongside manual coding to discern the changes in research topics, theories and methods that have taken place over the years. They identified five major phases that saw change in the research done: operations; digital and experiential retail; consumer behavior and sector specialization; optimization and service integration; and social media. What emerges from their analysis shows how changing external stimuli, such as store environments or digital interfaces, affect consumers psychologically and influence their buying behavior, and how research has tracked those changes.
The findings highlight the growing influence of e-commerce, data analytics and social media on retail scholarship itself. They reveal a persistent issue in this research sector concerning how studies are dispersed across disciplines including marketing, economics, geography and management, despite the economic importance of retail and the development of specialist academic programs to study it. The authors argue that a clearer understanding of the field's development could help educational establishments shape their curricula and executive training in this field.
It would also help researchers and businesses to understand and respond to emerging challenges, including artificial intelligence and changing patterns of consumer engagement. Mariam Hamam et al., The evolution of retail scholarship: looking back to move forward, International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing (2026). DOI: 10.1504/ijemr.2026.156742 MA in English, copy editor since 2021 with experience in higher education and health content.
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