E-tailing: 2000 vs 2011

One way to examine etailing  in 2011 is to compare its status with e-tailing 2000. I refer to Li and Gery (2000) and construct an updated table to compare e-tailing in 2000 with e-tailing in 2011. The table is as follows:

From what I can tell, the status of e-tailing in 2000 is based on the following views:
a. In-store retailing was not much affected by m-commerce and website centric ecommerce.
b. Online e-tailing was mainly website centric.

If we consider e-tailing in 2011, which is much more affected by smartphone/ tablet-based m-commerce; in 2011, electronic commerce (EC) has more powerful location-based services, more multi-media functions, more intelligent decision support, and more pervasive social media support. Having noted these contemporary EC trends, a 2011 e-tailing picture emerges. I venture to develop two additional columns in the table above to express my view on 2011 e-tailing.  My view is mainly based on my literature review on ecommerce, thus it needs to be further validated.

The main points noted in the 2 right-hand columns of the table form the main hypotheses for further empirical  research. This research can take the form of online survey with friends and fellow classmates, to be done by students; this discussion thus provides an example on how to formulate a dissertation proposal in business/ information system studies.


References

1. Li., Z.G. and Gery, N. (2000) "E-taling - for all products?", Business Horizons, Nov-Dec., pp. 49-54.
2. Mulpuru, S., Harteveldt, H.H. and Roberge, D. (2011) "Five Retail eCommerce Trends to Watch in 2011" Jan. 31, Forrester.