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.