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A Bibliometric Review of Inventory Management in E-Commerce


Authors : Dr. Richa Kalpesh Saxena; Vighnesh Gupta; Yatharth Pawa; Yug Daglia; Vedant Shah

Volume/Issue : Volume 11 - 2026, Issue 10 - October


Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/bdhuyesz

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/26Oct722

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.


Abstract : This bibliometric analysis aims to provide an overview of the field’s development and emerging trends in inventory management in e-commerce from an Operations Research point of view. A total of 498 scholarly articles retrieved from Scopus and Crossref databases via Boolean keyword search were screened using PRISMA methodology and analyzed using Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix) to identify key articles, authors, trends, topics, and connections. The results revealed that research on inventory management in e-commerce has been growing steadily, and the topics range from cross-border e-commerce and supply chain management to machine learning, digital transformation, blockchain, and deep learning. Moreover, the field was found to be fragmented into several areas with different trends, including omnichannel inventory decision-making, financing, sustainability, uncertainty, and customer behavior. Accordingly, this study discusses the need for integrated approaches to operational, financial, technological, and customer-focused decision-making in e-commerce and suggests possible future directions, including learning-based control, compound uncertainty, and stakeholder outcome analysis, sustainability, and standardized keywords. Overall, the findings contribute to the understanding of the current state of research in inventory management in e-commerce and highlight the opportunities for integrated approaches to address the field’s critical challenges.

Keywords : E-Commerce; Inventory Management; Operations Research; Bibliometric Analysis; Supply Chain Management; Machine Learning; Digital Transformation; Omnichannel Retailing; Cross-Border E-commerce.

References :

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  2. Baek, J. W. (2026). Partial reservation policy for cost-effective inventory management incorporating customer preferences. International Journal of Production Economics, 296. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2025.109806
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  9. Liu, S., & Yu, Z. (2023). Modeling and efficiency analysis of blockchain agriculture products E-commerce cold chain traceability system based on Petri net. Heliyon, 9(11), e21302–e21302. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e21302
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  24. Zhou, Q., Yang, Y., Ma, F., & Cheng, T. C. E. (2026). Multi-agent deep reinforcement learning for ordering and inventory allocation in a decentralized two-echelon dual-channel supply chain. International Journal of Production Economics, 299, 110067. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2026.110067.

This bibliometric analysis aims to provide an overview of the field’s development and emerging trends in inventory management in e-commerce from an Operations Research point of view. A total of 498 scholarly articles retrieved from Scopus and Crossref databases via Boolean keyword search were screened using PRISMA methodology and analyzed using Biblioshiny (Bibliometrix) to identify key articles, authors, trends, topics, and connections. The results revealed that research on inventory management in e-commerce has been growing steadily, and the topics range from cross-border e-commerce and supply chain management to machine learning, digital transformation, blockchain, and deep learning. Moreover, the field was found to be fragmented into several areas with different trends, including omnichannel inventory decision-making, financing, sustainability, uncertainty, and customer behavior. Accordingly, this study discusses the need for integrated approaches to operational, financial, technological, and customer-focused decision-making in e-commerce and suggests possible future directions, including learning-based control, compound uncertainty, and stakeholder outcome analysis, sustainability, and standardized keywords. Overall, the findings contribute to the understanding of the current state of research in inventory management in e-commerce and highlight the opportunities for integrated approaches to address the field’s critical challenges.

Keywords : E-Commerce; Inventory Management; Operations Research; Bibliometric Analysis; Supply Chain Management; Machine Learning; Digital Transformation; Omnichannel Retailing; Cross-Border E-commerce.

Paper Submission Last Date
31 - October - 2026

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