Comprehensive Measures, Regional Differences, and Dynamic Evolution of e‐Commerce Level in China Based on the e‐Commerce Data of 31 Provinces From 2013 to 2021

At present, the digital transformation in the global economy is accelerating. In order to understand the development of e‐commerce in China correctly, the study establishes eight secondary indicators to estimate the level of e‐commerce in China from 2013 to 2021 with the entropy weight–CRITIC method. Using the Dagum Gini coefficient, we investigated the overall, intraregional, and interregional differences in the level of e‐commerce in China. Through Kernel density estimation and Markov chain analysis, the study explored the dynamic evolution characteristics of their distribution. From 2013 to 2021, the level of e‐commerce in China exhibited a fluctuating upward trend, with an overall growth rate of 71.82%, but the overall level of e‐commerce was still low, showing a strong presence in the east and a weak presence in the west. It is evident that the differences in the level of e‐commerce mainly came from regional variations, with an average contribution rate of 72.98%. From the perspective of the dynamic evolution of distribution, the level of Chinese e‐commerce exhibited strong stability and characteristics of club convergence. Considering the spatial factors, the convergence of Chinese e‐commerce levels is evident. Based on the results, the study will propose a series of countermeasures and suggestions for adopting a regional coordinated development strategy to reduce the gap in e‐commerce levels between different regions.