Virtual trade show: past assessment, present status, and future prospects

Although virtual trade shows (VTSs) are a major concern for marketers and researchers, conceptual development is lacking. This paper critically reviews the studies on VTSs to identify gaps in the research and to propose avenues for future research. Several databases were utilised to extract the scholarly papers used in this study. This paper highlights the findings from prior studies with a comparison and contrast of salient features of the findings to provide directions for future research. Specifically, this study demonstrates a compendium of empirical research on antecedents and consequences of VTSs. It was found that there are several under-explored areas in the prior research and there is a great potential for theoretical development in this field. Bringing together required inquiries and related theories of VTS, this study contributes to the literature. Finally, the study focuses on the limitations, implications, and future avenues for VTS research.