History

Electronic Markets (EM) was established in 1991, long before the Internet became known outside the academic world and before the rise of modern electronic commerce and electronic business. The journal emerged from the 'Competence Center Electronic Markets' (CCEM) an industry-funded research group founded in 1989 by Prof. Beat Schmid at the University of St. Gallen, Switzerland. Since 2006, the journal is hosted at Leipzig University and has evolved towards a leading international academic journal.

In the beginning, the concept of electronic markets was a vision developed by leading researchers from various different fields. From the very beginning, electronic market research followed an interdisciplinary approach. Whereas many journals focusing on EM-related subjects have their beginning and home in the domain of information systems (IS), EM brought together researchers from various disciplines including IS and business but also economics, design, information science, psychology, and sociology from the very beginning. In doing so, it contributed to the emergence of a new area of research.

It is our strong belief that only an interdisciplinary perspective can cover the whole range of possible impacts of electronic markets and digital platforms on economic systems as well as societies. Therefore, the main contribution of EM to the respective fields is not only to address innovative and upcoming topics at an early stage but to broaden the perspective on e-commerce and e-business as well. And because it is evident that electronic markets significantly transform the way value is being created, there will be an even greater need for EM in the future. EM is a multidisciplinary journal whose audience includes:

  • Scientists and scholars from various disciplines related to digital platforms, ecosystems and transformation

  • Practitioners concerned with the digital transformation in business such as new (digital) business models or the business impact of new technologies
  • Policy and decision-makers in government, industry, and education

For overview of the history of EM see the Editorial 25/1: 25 years of Electronic Markets.