Exploring the Evolution of Distribution in E-Commerce: A Bibliometric Analysis

Purpose: This study systematically uses bibliometric analysisto explore and evaluate research on distribution in e-commerce. Researchdesign, data, and methodology: The dataset includes 5,169 publications (articles, books, conference papers, reviews, editorials, andcorrections) extracted from the Scopus database, spanning from 1977 to 2024, involving 9,284 researchers from 2,326 sources across70 countries. Results: Using the Biblioshiny tool in the R programming language, keyword co-occurrence analysis was performed,revealing seven key research clusters: E-commerce and related factors, Customer Experience and Sentiment Analysis, Technology andBig Data, Data-driven Analysis and Clustering, Algorithms and Distribution, Sustainability and Last-Mile Logistics, and SupportingTechnologies in E-commerce. Conclusions: The findings highlight the evolution of these themes over four distinct developmentalphases. China leads the world in publications, reflecting significant investment in e-commerce and logistics, while developed countries,such as the U.S., India, South Korea, and the U.K., show substantial research engagement in distribution within e-commerce. The studyprovides a comprehensive overview of the trends and future directions in this field, offering insights into the key technologicaladvancements, sustainability efforts, and the global distribution of research contributions.