During the Internet Age, research has been booming on the topic of Internet marketing. Almost 68.5 percent of articles published in top 30 marketing journals have been on this topic. However, much of this research is largely exploratory and does not explain fundamental issues in information systems research. In this article, we analyze the content of this research and discuss what this means for future studies.
Our analysis indicates that Internet marketing research is in its exploratory stages. The research gap is at the intersection of less well-defined methodologies and less studied domains of Internet marketing. Future studies should incorporate a broader set of research strategies to address this gap. For instance, a study observing consumer behavior would be of interest to researchers, practitioners, and consumers. In the next few years, companies are likely to see the proliferation of mobile Internet technologies. These technologies include mobile banking and social media. In the meantime, researchers should continue to explore the complexities of these technologies.
The research project consisted of three phases. The first phase analyzed the literature on Internet marketing by conducting a literature review in Google Scholar. The second phase categorized articles based on year of publication, and the third phase focused on classification of articles within research topics. These three phases were conducted to identify the major research strategies used in Internet marketing. The research strategies were then plotted against Internet marketing research topic categories. Using this method, the authors identified three major categories of research, as depicted in Table 4: Field Study – Secondary Data, Formal Theory/Literature Review, and Sample Survey. The authors also discussed strategies for future research.
The study was performed by analyzing 411 articles published in top 30 marketing journals over the past 18 years. The researchers conducted a literature review in Google Scholar and the Thomson Reuters Web of Science citation database. They identified articles published in Internet marketing related journals and excluded articles not related to Internet marketing. The authors also conducted a special call for papers that outlined business models and future search strategies for internet advertising. The results indicated that the top 30 marketing journals had the highest number of articles devoted to these topics.
The results of the literature review showed that Internet marketing research is in its exploratory stage, with many subject areas of interest to researchers. The authors identified several subject areas of interest to researchers and practitioners that are currently understudied. They recommend that future studies adopt a more precise measurement of the research strategies used in Internet marketing. The article offers a comprehensive view of the current state of the Internet marketing literature. It also gives a sense of how the content has evolved over time.
During the early years of Internet marketing, people believed that a presence online would offer advantages to customers and reduce geographic boundaries. These early Internet believers believed that online shopping experience would be similar to that of a brick-and-mortar store. As Internet usage grew, companies began to maintain a database of consumer purchasing history. They also recognized that a distribution channel such as the Internet could boost organizational performance. In addition, early Internet users believed that online presence would enable communication with customers. These beliefs remained popular over eight years.