A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport
Abstract Building on an integrated historical and conceptual overview of scholarly and industry sources, this paper examines the evolution and transformation of e-commerce. It traces the development of e-commerce from its emergence in the mid-1990s to its current role as a global trade and logistics...
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| Language: | English |
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SpringerOpen
2025-06-01
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| Series: | Journal of Shipping and Trade |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-025-00203-5 |
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| author | Stijn Michielsen Roel Gevaers Wouter Dewulf |
| author_facet | Stijn Michielsen Roel Gevaers Wouter Dewulf |
| author_sort | Stijn Michielsen |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Building on an integrated historical and conceptual overview of scholarly and industry sources, this paper examines the evolution and transformation of e-commerce. It traces the development of e-commerce from its emergence in the mid-1990s to its current role as a global trade and logistics driver. By defining the concept of e-commerce and exploring significant milestones in its development, including the dot-com bubble and its aftermath, this analysis offers insights into the key milestones that have shaped the e-commerce landscape. It also discusses the growing connection between air cargo and (cross-border) e-commerce, highlighting how the demand for fast and reliable international deliveries has reshaped logistics networks, cargo operations, and aviation strategies. It furthermore explores the evolving role of crucial aviation stakeholders, including freight forwarders, airports, integrators, air carriers, and e-commerce marketplaces as they adapt to the rapid growth of e-commerce-driven air freight. The paper makes three key contributions. First, this historical analysis contextualises the evolution of e-commerce, offering a structured understanding of its most significant milestones. Second, it examines the increasing interdependence between aviation and e-commerce, focusing on industry stakeholders' broad trends and strategic responses. Third, it identifies the most pressing gaps in current research discovered during the analysis and articulates a forward-looking agenda to guide scholars seeking to better understand the sector’s growing complexity from economic and logistics perspectives. As cross-border e-commerce expands, this study offers a foundation for further research on how emerging e-commerce milestones, trends, and models affect global trade, logistics, and aviation. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-50f550f7d00740a7bcbbd449cbe2171c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 2364-4575 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | SpringerOpen |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Journal of Shipping and Trade |
| spelling | doaj-art-50f550f7d00740a7bcbbd449cbe2171c2025-08-20T03:25:16ZengSpringerOpenJournal of Shipping and Trade2364-45752025-06-0110113510.1186/s41072-025-00203-5A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transportStijn Michielsen0Roel Gevaers1Wouter Dewulf2Department of Transport and Regional Economics, University of AntwerpDepartment of Transport and Regional Economics, University of AntwerpDepartment of Transport and Regional Economics, University of AntwerpAbstract Building on an integrated historical and conceptual overview of scholarly and industry sources, this paper examines the evolution and transformation of e-commerce. It traces the development of e-commerce from its emergence in the mid-1990s to its current role as a global trade and logistics driver. By defining the concept of e-commerce and exploring significant milestones in its development, including the dot-com bubble and its aftermath, this analysis offers insights into the key milestones that have shaped the e-commerce landscape. It also discusses the growing connection between air cargo and (cross-border) e-commerce, highlighting how the demand for fast and reliable international deliveries has reshaped logistics networks, cargo operations, and aviation strategies. It furthermore explores the evolving role of crucial aviation stakeholders, including freight forwarders, airports, integrators, air carriers, and e-commerce marketplaces as they adapt to the rapid growth of e-commerce-driven air freight. The paper makes three key contributions. First, this historical analysis contextualises the evolution of e-commerce, offering a structured understanding of its most significant milestones. Second, it examines the increasing interdependence between aviation and e-commerce, focusing on industry stakeholders' broad trends and strategic responses. Third, it identifies the most pressing gaps in current research discovered during the analysis and articulates a forward-looking agenda to guide scholars seeking to better understand the sector’s growing complexity from economic and logistics perspectives. As cross-border e-commerce expands, this study offers a foundation for further research on how emerging e-commerce milestones, trends, and models affect global trade, logistics, and aviation.https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-025-00203-5e-commerceAviationHistorical analysisNarrative overview |
| spellingShingle | Stijn Michielsen Roel Gevaers Wouter Dewulf A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport Journal of Shipping and Trade e-commerce Aviation Historical analysis Narrative overview |
| title | A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| title_full | A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| title_fullStr | A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| title_full_unstemmed | A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| title_short | A historical overview and analysis of e-commerce's milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| title_sort | historical overview and analysis of e commerce s milestones and its growing connection with air transport |
| topic | e-commerce Aviation Historical analysis Narrative overview |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s41072-025-00203-5 |
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