Article: The evolution of retail scholarship: looking back to move forward Journal: International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing (IJEMR) 2026 Vol.18 No.6 pp.1 - 26 Abstract: Retail research has undergone significant strategic, behavioural, and technological transformation, prompting academic institutions to establish dedicated retail-focused faculty and programs. Despite this growth, retail scholarship remains scattered across disciplinary boundaries, limiting its development. This article contributes to retail scholarship development by providing an empirically rich mapping of research published in four dedicated leading retailing journals from 2000 to 2023. A content and thematic analysis of 5,199 articles were conducted using Leximancer and manual coding to examine topical, theoretical, and methodological trends. Within these retail-centric journals, five retail eras were identified: operations, digital and experiential retail, consumer behaviour and sector specialisation, optimisation and service integration, and COVID-19 and social media. The results indicate that quantitative research predominates the field, with the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory functioning as a prominent framework. This periodic conceptual synthesis establishes intellectual boundaries, highlights dominant theoretical perspectives, reveals evolving research priorities, and identifies underexplored domains for retail scholars. Inderscience Publishers - linking academia, business and industry through research

Title: The evolution of retail scholarship: looking back to move forward

Authors: Mariam Hamam; Omar H. Fares; Jenna Jacobson

Addresses: Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada ' Faculty of Business, University of New Brunswick, Canada ' Ted Rogers School of Management, Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada

Abstract: Retail research has undergone significant strategic, behavioural, and technological transformation, prompting academic institutions to establish dedicated retail-focused faculty and programs. Despite this growth, retail scholarship remains scattered across disciplinary boundaries, limiting its development. This article contributes to retail scholarship development by providing an empirically rich mapping of research published in four dedicated leading retailing journals from 2000 to 2023. A content and thematic analysis of 5,199 articles were conducted using Leximancer and manual coding to examine topical, theoretical, and methodological trends. Within these retail-centric journals, five retail eras were identified: operations, digital and experiential retail, consumer behaviour and sector specialisation, optimisation and service integration, and COVID-19 and social media. The results indicate that quantitative research predominates the field, with the stimulus-organism-response (SOR) theory functioning as a prominent framework. This periodic conceptual synthesis establishes intellectual boundaries, highlights dominant theoretical perspectives, reveals evolving research priorities, and identifies underexplored domains for retail scholars.

Keywords: retail scholarship; retail strategy; content analysis; thematic analysis; retail research; retail transformation.

DOI: 10.1504/IJEMR.2026.156742

International Journal of Electronic Marketing and Retailing, 2026 Vol.18 No.6, pp.1 - 26

Received: 10 Feb 2026
Accepted: 11 Jul 2026
Published online: 01 Oct 2026 *

Title: The evolution of retail scholarship: looking back to move forward

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