Electronic Markets (EM) is a leading academic journal that offers a forum for research on all forms of networked business. EM recognizes the transformational role of information and communication technology (IT) in changing the interaction between organizations and customers, which is present in social networks, electronic commerce, supply chain management, or customer relationship management. Electronic markets, in particular, refer to forms of networked business where multiple suppliers and customers interact for economic purposes within one or among multiple tiers in economic value chains. As a broad concept, there are many forms of electronic markets: In a narrow sense, electronic markets are mainly conceived as allocation platforms with dynamic price discovery mechanisms involving atomistic relationships. Popular examples originate from the financial (e.g., CBOT, XETRA) and energy markets (e.g., EEX, ICE).    

In a broader sense, price discovery is not critical for Electronic Markets. These solutions emphasize longer-term relationships and processes for enabling business transactions (e.g., electronic procurement solutions) and/or knowledge management (e.g., product development, problem and incident management). EM covers diverse aspects of networked business and welcomes research from a technological, organizational, societal, and/or political perspective. Since EM is a methodologically pluralistic journal, quantitative and qualitative research methods are both welcome as long as the studies are methodologically sound. Conceptual and theory-development papers, empirical hypothesis testing, and case-based studies are all welcome.
More information on EM's scope as well as some examples are provided in Editorial 24/3, https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s12525-014-0163-9.

Officially cited as: Electron Markets

Special Issue on Discovering Chinese-driven technologies: Connecting global communities
Día de Entrega: 2025-11-15

Theme

The rapid emergence of Chinese-driven technologies has transformed innovation landscapes across industries, firmly establishing China as a global leader in technological advancement (Jiang & Murmann, 2022). Groundbreaking innovations in e-commerce, social media, entertainment, and logistics have revolutionized traditional business models and reshaped consumer experiences (Bai et al., 2023; Li et al., 2024; Ma & Hu, 2021). Super apps like WeChat exemplify China’s distinctive approach to platform development by seamlessly integrating multiple functionalities, ranging from payments and communication to shopping and entertainment, into a unified ecosystem (Jia et al., 2022; Peng et al., 2023). The dominant smart business ecosystems (Gretzel et al., 2015) in China, exemplified by platforms like TikTok, have significantly shaped the global virtual experience.

We address the comparison of Chinese (super)apps and platforms with US and other global competitors. A notable digital divide exists where international travelers face challenges using unfamiliar Chinese platforms when visiting Chinese destinations, while mainland Chinese users cannot access Western services such as Google, Facebook, and emerging AI platforms. This separation has created two distinct digital worlds in the 21st century, hindering seamless information exchange and contributing to mutual misunderstanding between users on both sides. Nevertheless, technological advancements continue to create opportunities for cross-cultural connection. The unique governance structures, cultural influences, and consumer behaviors that shape Chinese ecosystems are often oversimplified or neglected in comparative analyses with Western counterparts (Guan et al., 2022; Wang et al., 2022). Additionally, the rapid evolution of super apps and live-streaming commerce, poses significant challenges to existing market structures and cultural norms, particularly in their approaches to handling user data and ensuring algorithmic transparency (Roberts et al., 2021). Ethical challenges, including data governance, algorithmic bias, and privacy concerns, remain underexamined, particularly regarding AI-powered platforms (Koo et al., 2021) and their long-term effects on societal norms and market dynamics (Ryu et al., 2024). Addressing these gaps is imperative to develop a holistic understanding of both the opportunities and challenges posed by Chinese-driven technologies.

To respond to these research needs, Electronic Markets announces a call for papers for a special issue dedicated to exploring the multifaceted relationship between Chinese-driven technologies, platform innovation, and their ecosystems. The goal is to provide a comprehensive understanding of how these technologies are applied and transformed across various sectors, how platforms drive technological advancements, and the distinctive evolution of Chinese ecosystems in comparison to their Western counterparts.

Central issues and topics

Possible topics of submissions include, but are not limited to:

• Platforms and ecosystems: Platform evolution in China, analysis of super apps, All-in-One Ecosystems and the like
• Application of artificial intelligence (AI): Use of AI in e-commerce platforms, analysis of personalization and recommendation functionalities in Chinese E-commerce platforms
• Role of the consumer: Analysis of marketing and consumer behavior processes by the Chinese Consumers (e.g., in smart tourism)
• Application of extended reality (XR) technologies: Analysis of virtual/augmented/mixed reality/metaverse technologies to enhance user (e.g., tourist)
• Role of sustainability: Analysis of technological innovation and sustainable technologies in Chinese ecosystems
• Macro and societal implications: Impact of Chinese platforms on global market structures and competition
• Global views and comparison: implications by Chinese vs. Western approaches, role of governments, governance, and regulations
• Ethical considerations: Ethical implications of data collection, content moderation or algorithmic bias and fairness in Chinese digital platforms
• Platform governance and design: Transparency in e-commerce platforms, digital inclusion and accessibility
• Application domains: Analysis of Chinese platforms in specific domains, in particular smart tourism (e.g., AI-driven smart tourism, smart experiences, smart destinations, smart consumers)

Submission

Electronic Markets is a Social Science Citation Index (SSCI)-listed journal (IF 7.1 in 2023) in the area of information management and information systems. All submissions should fit the journal scope (for more information, see www.electronicmarkets.org/about-em/scope/) and should be original, unpublished, and not under consideration at any other journal. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are welcome, provided the research exhibits strong methodological rigor. Contributions can take the form of conceptual and theoretical development papers, empirical hypothesis testing, position papers, case-based studies, and more. All papers will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Submissions must be made via the journal’s submission system and comply with the journal's formatting standards. The preferred average article length is approximately 10,000 words, excluding references. Instructions, templates, and general information are available here. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this special issue, you may either contact the guest editors or the Editorial Office.

Keywords

Chinese-driven technologies, Smart tourism, Digital Platforms, Ecosystems, Artificial Intelligence, AR/VR/Metaverse, Sustainability, Application domains, Ethics and privacy, Governance, Leisure, Travel, Sports, Tourism, Hospitality, Restaurant, Hotel, Mobility and Accessibility, Social media, China

Special Issue on Sustainability and digitalization: Forging impactful pathways for future generations
Día de Entrega: 2025-12-01

Globally increasing environmental degradation and social inequities pose a serious threat to the lives and well-being of people. While these challenges persist, digital platforms are becoming ever more integrated into organizational operations and people's daily activities. Despite much of extant research has addressed sustainability and digitalization as separate issues, or even questioned the value of contributing to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), an emerging strand of research is focusing more on their interdependencies and interactions—revealing promising potential but also highlighting problematic environmental and social challenges (Veit & Thatcher, 2023).

The questions, however, remain on how to build a sustainable digital future in the era of networked business. Although significant strides have been made in understanding the relationship between sustainability and digitalization for organizations (e.g., Jabłoński et al., 2020; Leidner et al., 2022; Ologeanu-Taddei et al., 2025) and individuals (e.g., Andraschko et al., 2023; Sutanto et al., 2021; Wunderlich et al., 2019), many critical aspects of longer-term relationships and processes for enabling business transactions remain underexplored. Complementing extant research on digital sustainability that highlights the role of digital artifacts in supporting triple bottom-line goals (Kotlarsky et al., 2023), we advocate for studies that investigate how synergies between digitalization and sustainability unfold and can be fostered—while also critically examining potential limitations or failures in these endeavors, including dystopian perspectives.

Digital technology remains agnostic in its effects, such that platforms and electronic markets can be used for both positive and negative purposes (Alt, 2020). Thus, investigating how to (better) align them with sustainability goals is crucial for both firms and consumers, as technology being created and used today will have lasting effects on the future (e.g., Karwatzki et al., 2022; Masanet et al., 2020). The increasing use of AI systems, the growth of data generation, and the rising demands for computing power on digital platforms require careful evaluations. As digital technology expands, finding the right balance between embracing digital innovation and managing its social and ecological impact is critical to ensuring long-term sustainability (Chistov et al., 2023; Ryu et al., 2024). This balance involves determining how much digitalization can be reasonably integrated into organizational and daily life practices and which applications offer meaningful benefits without placing unnecessary strain on people and resources. As digitalization continues to evolve, we must question the status quo, explore frameworks, (re-)analyze data and theories to guide responsible technological progress.

Central issues and topics

This Special Issue seeks original research that forges pathways on the interplay between sustainability and digitalization, aiming to create scientific advancement and societal impact for future generations. Possible submission topics include, but are not limited to:

• Role of data for sustainability
• Evaluating the sustainability of digital platforms
• Sustainable use of digital technology and innovations
• Sustainable digital practices at work and at home
• Sustainable platforms and digital business models
• Policies and governance of sustainability and networked business
• Carbon emissions and energy consumption of digital technology
• Reasonable, fair, and equitable digitalization
• Environmental challenges and digital opportunities in the global south
• Problem-solution paradox of sustainability and digitalization

Submission

Submissions should be original, unpublished, and not under consideration at any other journal. Both quantitative and qualitative research methods are welcome, provided the research exhibits strong methodological rigor. Contributions can take the form of conceptual and theoretical development papers, empirical hypothesis testing, position papers, case-based studies, and more. All papers will undergo a double-blind peer-review process. Submissions must be made via the journal’s submission system (www.editorialmanager.com/elma) and comply with the journal's formatting standards. The preferred average article length is approximately 10,000 words, excluding references. Instructions, templates, and general information are available at www.electronicmarkets.org/authors/general-information/. If you would like to discuss any aspect of this Special Issue, you may either contact the guest editors or the Editorial Office.

Keywords

Sustainability and Digitalization, Networked Business, Digital Sustainability, Sustainable Development Goals (SDG), Sustainable Digital Future

Special Issue on Artificial intelligence in electronic marketplaces
Día de Entrega: 2026-01-15

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into electronic marketplaces—digital trading platforms facilitating networked business interactions—marks a transformative shift in how enterprises operate and compete (Alt, 2021). These marketplaces rely on information and communication technology (ICT) to enable efficient, scalable exchanges between multiple suppliers and customers (Al-Surmi et al., 2022). AI enhances these systems through capabilities like predictive analytics, automated decision-making, and intelligent optimization, driving innovation in operational efficiency and user experience (Black et al., 2024; Janiesch et al., 2021; Pinski et al., 2024).

Electronic marketplaces, as dynamic digital trading platforms, face multifaceted challenges in managing their complex, multi-participant environments, including both centralized and decentralized structures (Sun et al., 2025). Efficiently onboarding and managing participants while ensuring compliance and security through robust surveillance mechanisms is paramount (Massaro, 2023). The vast troves of transaction data generated present both an opportunity and a challenge, necessitating advanced analytical capabilities to derive actionable insights and provide personalized user experiences. Optimizing pricing strategies dynamically and automating trading operations are critical for maintaining competitiveness and operational efficiency. Furthermore, seamless integration with other digital platforms is essential for expanding market reach and functionality, particularly in multi-platform ecosystems. Leveraging emerging AI technologies, such as generative and agentic AI, can drive innovation and enhance platform capabilities (López, 2021). Underpinning all these efforts is the imperative to ensure fairness and mitigate bias in AI-driven processes, thereby fostering trust and equitable outcomes for all participants (Fazelpour and Danks, 2021).

This special issue, "Artificial Intelligence in Electronic Marketplaces", aims to explore and advance AI applications to address these challenges within electronic marketplaces (Brasse, 2023). Our purpose is to curate cutting-edge research that provides actionable insights into enhancing the efficiency, security, and fairness of these platforms (Bawack, 2022). The objectives are to foster interdisciplinary research, provide a platform for innovative studies, and offer practical implications for platform operators, users, and policymakers. The scope encompasses theoretical and empirical studies at the intersection of AI, ICT, and electronic marketplaces, focusing on practical and innovative applications (Zhou et al., 2022). The potential impact includes improving platform operations, enhancing user experience, and informing regulatory frameworks, thereby contributing to the advancement of electronic marketplaces.

Special Issue Focus and Topics

In this special issue, "electronic marketplaces" refer to digital trading platforms that facilitate networked business interactions between multiple suppliers and customers for economic purposes. This definition aligns with the narrow sense of electronic marketplaces as defined by Electronic Markets (EM), focusing specifically on trading platforms rather than broader inter-organizational systems such as supply chain management, e-commerce, or procurement systems. We invite original research papers that investigate AI’s role in addressing key challenges and enhancing electronic marketplaces. Submissions should focus on, but are not limited to, the following themes:

* AI-driven onboarding and management of platform participants
* AI-based surveillance and monitoring of platform operations
* AI techniques for analyzing and deriving insights from platform transaction data
* AI-powered product recommendation systems for electronic marketplaces
* AI algorithms for dynamic pricing in electronic marketplaces
* Automation of trading operations and Procedures using AI
* AI approaches for integrating electronic marketplaces with other digital platforms
* Application of generative AI and agentic AI in electronic marketplaces
* AI solutions for decentralized electronic marketplaces
* AI methods to ensure fairness and mitigate bias in electronic marketplaces

Keywords

artificial intelligence; electronic marketplaces; trading platforms; AI applications; platform operations; data analysis; product recommendations; dynamic pricing; automation; fairness

Special Issue on Digitalization for responsive and circular supply chains
Día de Entrega: 2026-02-01

Theme

The economic environment in which companies create value today is characterized by greater vulnerability, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity than ever before. Natural disasters, geopolitical conflicts and other disruptions are affecting global supply chains and presenting great changes to established supply chain management models, processes and tools. In the meantime, Planet Earth has reached its limits; climate change and shortages of raw materials are forcing companies and supply chains to transition to more sustainable operations. The commoditization of high-tech products, which is evident in many sectors, is driving the servitization of the manufacturing industry. This presents a golden opportunity for companies to cope with the above-mentioned challenges with greater responsiveness and sustainability.

Tomorrow's supply chains must be able to react quickly to disruptions and changes. The concepts of resilience and responsiveness (Richey et al. 2021) are key, as are flexibility, agility, adaptability and improvisation. The renewed battle for natural resources requires economic growth to be decoupled from the extraction of raw materials, ultimately forcing a transformation of established 'take, make, waste' supply chains into circular systems (Papert et al. 2024). R-strategies such as reduce, reuse, remanufacture and recycle play a special role in doing so (Potting et al. 2017). The ultimate aim is to increase resource efficiency in existing value chains, extend the service life of products, and close the loop. Scientific literature agrees that digital technologies are key to realizing the responsive, servitized and circular supply chains of tomorrow (Alcayaga et al. 2019; Bressanelli et al. 2022; Jabbour et al. 2019; Khan et al. 2021; Kristoffersen et al. 2021; Stank et al. 2019; Yu et al. 2022; Berg & Wilts 2018; Zeiss et al. 2021). Important building blocks include the internet of things, artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, digital twins for products and supply chains, blockchains and digital platforms. However, insufficient research has been conducted into how these building blocks support responsiveness, servitization and the transition to sustainability and circularity as a triple transformation.

Central issues and topics

This Special Issue on Digitalization for Responsive and Circular Supply Chains continues Electronic Markets’ earlier special issue on sustainability (Jabłoński et al. 2020) and seeks contributions that exemplify technology- or data-driven solutions for implementing resilient and circular supply chains, as well as the associated business models. Therefore, we welcome research papers including but not limited to the following aspects:

- Contribution of digital technologies to responsiveness, agility, flexibility, adaptability, improvisation, and resilience, sustainability, circularity, and regeneration
- Increasing supply chain visibility based on digital technologies
- AI methods supporting forecasting, planning, decision making and optimization
- Division of labour and interactions between humans and machines in AI-supported supply chains
- Virtualization and simulation of supply chains based on digital twins
- Blockchain and smart contracts in logistics and supply chain management
- The role of digital platforms in supply chain management
- Effects of smart product-service-systems on supply chains and supply chain management
- Ecosystems and federated data ecosystems enabling new data-driven R strategies
- Models, methods and tools enabling the triple transformation of supply chains
- Barriers and challenges hindering digitalization, servitization and transition to sustainability and circularity
- Data security and cyber security challenges in digital supply chain structures
- Legal aspects within the digital, servitized, circular supply chain
- Potential of digital technologies for ensuring compliance with legal requirements in the context of sustainability and circularity
- Relationship management mechanisms and governance structures in the era of digitalized supply chains.

This special issue aims to emphasize topics related to the context outlined above. We therefore invite contributions that explore digital technologies in supply chain management within today's challenging business environment or specific industry contexts, such as automotive, chemicals, food, life sciences and healthcare, logistics service providers, manufacturing, or mining. We are particularly interested in contributions that address the challenges and opportunities associated with digitalization, servitization and transition to sustainability and circularity across multiple supply chain tiers or at least in dyadic relationships.

Special Issue on Digital influence in the platform economy: Governance, value creation, and market dynamics
Día de Entrega: 2026-03-01

Theme

Digital platforms have evolved beyond real-time price negotiation (Alt & Zimmermann, 2014). Contemporary electronic platforms now function as infrastructures supporting sustained interorganisational processes, enabling strategic sourcing, digital procurement, and collaborative knowledge exchange (Alt & Zimmermann, 2014; Alt, 2020).

The platform economy, an encompassing ecosystem (Hein et al., 2020), generates value from digital marketplaces (Tan et al., 2024), social media networks (Fu et al., 2024), and platform-based entrepreneurship (Cutolo & Kenney, 2021), becoming central to global economic activity (De Reuver et al., 2018). Within this economy, digital influence (Backaler, & Shankman,2018) influencers - has become a significant mechanism for value creation, consumer engagement, and brand strategy. Social media platforms (Dolbec & Smith, 2025; Saternus et al., 2024; Waltenrath, 2024) and the rise of the creator economy have enabled scalable, platform-mediated relationships between content creators, consumers, and firms. Despite this model’s rapid growth, the governance, monetisation, and platformisation of influencers remain underexplored, particularly in terms of how value is distributed and how different stakeholders (UGC platforms, creators, consumers) negotiate control, authenticity, and trust (Gu et al., 2024).

The evolution of influencers from endorsers to entrepreneurial co-creators, via equity partnerships and collaborative product development, raises key questions about power redistribution, financial sustainability, and brand authenticity in the platform economy (Pradhan et al., 2023; Libai et al., 2025). Similarly, the increasing adoption of community-driven monetisation, like subscriptions and crowdfunding, redefines the creator-user relationship and requires deeper exploration of creator autonomy and user dynamics (Cartwright et al., 2022).

Simultaneously, the platform economy presents increasing ethical and socio-economic concerns requiring scholarly scrutiny. Platform-driven monetisation often favours larger influencers, exacerbating financial inequalities in the creator economy (Leung et al., 2022). Unclear regulations and inconsistent sponsorship disclosures (Cao & Belo, 2024) further complicate ethical issues, as influencers face pressure to align with potentially incongruent values. Deceptive advertising (De Veirman & Hudders, 2020), inadequate transparency, and the spread of misinformation erode consumer trust and pose significant regulatory challenges (European Commission, 2024).

Finally, the increasing sophistication of AI-generated content, blurring authenticity and fabrication, alongside the rise of virtual influencers, necessitates a critical re-evaluation of trust and identity. In addition, the long-term implications for labour, ethics, and platform governance remain under-theorised (Leung et al., 2022). These shifts require reconfiguring value creation in the influencer ecosystem, offering new avenues for sustainable growth while raising urgent theoretical and practical questions that warrant rigorous academic investigation within the platform economy, making it a timely and compelling focus for this special issue.

Central Issues and Topics

This special issue welcomes contributions exploring key tensions and transformations within the platform economy, particularly through influencers and platform-based commerce. Topics may include, but are not limited to:

- Disruption and market dynamics for influencers on digital platforms
- Future of digital influence on digital platforms
- Influencer entrepreneurship and creator-economy business models
- Design of platforms in the influencer and creator economy
- Role of artificial intelligence and algorithms in the influencer economy
- Value creation and revenue models in the influencer economy
- Impact of influencers on pricing in electronic marketplaces
- Authenticity, ethics, and influencer trust in the influencer economy
- Power asymmetries between platforms and influencers during brand collaborations
- Emotional costs of platform culture and influencer well-being
- Regulatory and policy challenges, transparency, disclosures, and consumer protection