E-Commerce: Theoretical and Epistemological Aspect

The radical innovations that led to the structural modernization of the world economy were affected by the development of the digital economy and its main components, among which it is essential to single out e-commerce. After all, it gradually begins to play an important role in the field of trade and the economy, primarily due to its importance and practical use of the assets of scientific and technological progress. Therefore, conducting scientific research to deepen its theoretical and epistemological foundations is timely, allowing us to comprehensively understand its essence and outline the main advantages that various subjects of the national economy receive from its spread. The article aims to clarify the main approaches to understanding the essence of the "electronic commerce" concept, which will allow us to comprehensively characterize the gains from its spread, which society receive. To achieve the goal, several general scientific and specific methods of cognition were used, including analysis and synthesis, content analysis, and systematization. During the study, it was found that the emergence of electronic commerce relates to the active use of the Internet for data transfer and exchange, the development of digital technologies. As a result of the analysis of the scientific literature, five main approaches to its understanding were identified: functional, interactive, component, structural, and static. The value of e-commerce is determined by its advantages because it can create additional impulses for the development of the economy. E-commerce faces certain risks, early consideration of which will allow for minimizing potential losses and creating additional impulses for its growth. In general, digitalization and the active involvement of ICT in economic relations fundamentally change established ways of doing business, affecting not only the increased speed and scale of trade, improved interaction between entities, and allowing companies to enter international markets using new technologies.