Mapping the Knowledge Base of Haptics in e-Commerce: A Bibliometric Analysis
(A2023-114362)

AUTHORS

Yuyu Wang, University of Eastern Finland; Heli Hallikainen, University of Eastern Finland; Tommi Laukkanen, University of Eastern Finland

ABSTRACT

E-commerce has grown in popularity, and it changes the way consumers shop. However, e-commerce still falls short in providing customers with multisensory shopping experiences, especially regarding the haptic sense. In the future, VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality) together with sensory-enabling technologies (SETs) are likely to compensate this, as they operate as tools in creating a feeling of presence together with tactile feedback, giving users an experience that they can virtually interact and touch products. This has raised the interest of retailers; however, we lack an understanding of consumer’s haptic experiences mediated by technologies. In this study, we perform a bibliometric analysis on 63 journal articles published between 2001 and 2022 to synthesize the research on this theme. Based on co-citation analysis, we identify three most central research streams regarding haptics in e-commerce, and we suggest how the future research could take these themes further.