Gerontechnology and Inclusive Digital Commerce: Innovations for Aging Consumers

Dear Colleagues,

The convergence of global population aging and accelerated digital transformation is fueling the multi-trillion-dollar 'Silver Economy,' which is expected to reach USD 27 trillion by 2050. However, e-commerce, largely designed for digital natives, risks marginalizing older adults, thereby exacerbating the 'Grey Digital Divide' and digital ageism. This Special Issue seeks pioneering research that strategically bridges the gap between Gerontechnology and Digital Commerce.

Older adults often face barriers related to digital literacy, cognitive load, accessibility limitations, and heightened exposure to online fraud. Trust, privacy concerns, and uncertainty about AI-enabled services further complicate their digital participation. These issues call for interdisciplinary research that integrates insights from information systems, human–computer interaction, gerontology, behavioral science, and public policy. Beyond documenting these challenges, this Special Issue aims to advance digital commerce theory by clarifying how platform design and governance shape digital inclusion and consumer trust among heterogeneous users. We particularly encourage work that identifies mechanisms underlying exclusion and trust erosion and specifies boundary conditions that shape the severity of age-related barriers.

Topics of Interest:

• AI Agents and Concierge Commerce;
• Digital Transformation for the Silver Economy;
• Inclusive UX/UI and Gerontechnology;
• Trust, Security, and Fraud Prevention;
• Intergenerational and Surrogate Commerce;
• Health-Integrated Retail;
• Sustainable and Accessible Logistics;
• Ethics and Policy in AgeTech;
• Case Studies on Inclusive Practices.

Prof. Dr. Min Ho Ryu
Dr. Hanbyul Choi
Dr. Dong Yeon Kim
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 250 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for assessment.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-anonymized peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.