THEORETICAL ASPECTS OF RESEARCH ON THETRADE OF DIGITAL GOODS AND SERVICES
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2667.2025/226-1/9Keywords:
creative economy, digital goods, digital services, e-commerce, innovative technologies, trade, intellectual property, digital distribution, enterpriseAbstract
B a c k g r o u n d . The development of the creative economy is an urgent problem today, which is closely related to the trade in digital goods and services. This topic is of particular importance for Ukraine due to the physical destruction of assets caused by the military actions of the Russian Federation, and due to the formation of a single digital market of the European Union. There is a need to study the theoretical aspects of the modern nature of trade in digital goods and services. The pressing requirement of the time is to outline the role of trade in digital goods and services, and the corresponding benefits and risks for the development of the creative economy.
M e t h o d s . The methods of generalization, analysis and synthesis were used to study the theoretical foundations of trade in digital goods and services. The methods of logical analysis, series of dynamics and the graphic method were used in the analysis of statistical information regarding the sale of digital goods and services. The advantages and risks of digitization of the creative economy are defined and highlighted by the method of detailing.
R e s u l t s . Approaches to defining the categories "digital product" and "digital service" are grouped and analyzed according to their structure, and definitions that fully reflect the studied categories are proposed. It is noted that currently the key forms of trade in digital goods and services are direct sales, advertising and subscription forms, and their key features are defined. The mechanisms of the influence of trade in digital goods and services on the creative economy are considered: in the example of the field of sound recording publishing, we observe a significant increase in revenues after 2015, along with a parallel increase in the share of trade in digital goods and services, which as of 2023 generated 70 % of revenues from the sale of music records . The corresponding advantages and risks of digitization of the creative economy are formulated.
C o n c l u s i o n s . The study contributes to a more complete understanding of the trade of digital goods and services in modern conditions, and creates a theoretical basis for further research on digital distribution. The results can be useful for scientists, employees of specialized bodies of executive and legislative power, managers of e-commerce enterprises, and employees of the creative industry.
Downloads
References
About digital content and digital services, Law of Ukraine dated 10.08.2023. №3321–ІХ. (2023). (Ukraine) [in Ukrainian]. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/ show/3321-20#Text
Adomavicius, G., Bockstedt, J., & Curley, S.P. (2015). Bundling Effects on Variety Seeking for Digital Information Goods, Journal of Management Information Systems, 31(4), 182–212. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2014.1001266
Ambros, M. (2022). A digital services approach to PPP: the Netflix index. Singapore Economic Review. https://doi.org/10.1142/S0217590822500254
Arai, K. (2021). Digital Goods and Digital Platforms. Asian Journal of Law and Economics, 12(3), 253–268. https://doi.org/10.1515/ajle-2021-0057
Arzyantseva, D., & Zakharkevich, N. (2019). Problems of using digital assets in the activities of virtual organizations. Scientific journal "Management and entrepreneurship in Ukraine: stages of formation and problems of development", 1, 1–7. https://science.lpnu.ua/sites/default/files/journalpaper/2019/dec/20445/arzyanceva.pdf
Atasoy, O., & Morewedge, C.K. (2018). Digital Goods Are Valued Less Than Physical Goods, Journal of Consumer Research, 44(6), 1343–1357. https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucx102
Boyer, K., Hallowell, R., & Roth, A. V. (2002). E-Services Operating Strategy – A Case Study and Method for Analyzing Operational Benefits. Journal of Operations Management, 20(2), 175–188. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0272-6963(01)00093-6
Bradley, S., Kim, C., Kim, J.,& Lee, I. (2012). Toward an evolution strategy for the digital goods business. Business, Computer Science, 50(2), 235–252. https://doi.org/10.1108/00251741211203542
Catapano, R. (2022). Preference Reversals Between Digital and Physical Goods. Journal of marketing research, 59(2), 353–373. https://doi.org/10.1177/00222437211065020
Ciriello, R. F., Torbensen, A. C. G., & Hansen M. R. P., Müller-Bloch, C. (2023). Blockchain-based digital rights management systems: Design principles for the music industry. Electronic Markets, 33(1), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-023-00628-5
Cremer, D. et al. (2023). How Generative AI Could Disrupt Creative Work. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2023/04/how-generative-ai-coulddisrupt-creative-work
Danyliuk, T. (2014). The essence of the concept of "service": theoretical aspects. Efficient economy, 8 [in Ukrainian]. http://www.economy.nayka.com.ua/?op=1&z=3247
Dubel, M.V. (2017). Consideration of global trends in the development of digital distribution using the STEAM service as an example. Science, education, society: realities, challenges, prospects, 103–105 [in Ukrainian]. https://jnos.donnu.edu.ua/article/view/6518
Frick, S. J., Fletcher, D., & Smith, A. C. (2023). Pirate and chill: The effect of netflix on illegal streaming. Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, 209, 334–347. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jebo.2023.03.013
Hofacker, C. (2007). E-Services: A Synthesis and Research Agenda. Journal of Value Chain Management, 1(1), 1–53. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/228633756_E-Services_A_Synthesis_and_Research_Agenda
Howkins, J. (2002). The creative economy: How people make money from ideas. Penguin UK.
Ho, M. (2015). The Carrot or the Stick? The Copia Institute, 1, 1–23. https://copia.is/library/the-carrot-or-the-stick/
Huang, Y. (2017). Pricing and coordination with consideration of piracy for digital goods in supply chains. Journal of Business Research, 77, 30–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2017.03.023
Hui K. L., & Chau, P. (2002). Classifying Digital Products. Communications of the ACM, 45(1), 73–79. https://klhui.people.ust.hk/research/2002-CACM.pdf
Javalgi, R. (2004). The export of e-services in the age of technology transformation: challenges and implications for international service providers. Journal of Services Marketing, 18(7), 560–573. https://doi.org/10.1108/08876040410561884
Kovalenko, O., Onisenko, T., Mykytyuk, O., Kravchenko, T., & Svyridyuk, T. (2023). Prospects for the development of enterprises of the creative industry of Ukraine in the challenges of wartime. Bulletin of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University. Economics, 2(223), 60–66 [in Ukrainian]. https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2667.2023/223-2/8
Koyuda, V. (2017). The essence and substantive characteristics of the service as a management base. Economy and society, 9, 473–478 [in Ukrainian]. https://economyandsociety.in.ua/journals/9_ukr/81.pdf
Kvasnicova, T., Kremenova, I., & Fabus, J. (2016). From an analysis of eservices definitions and classifications to the proposal of new e-service classification. Procedia Economics and Finance, 39, 192–196. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2212-5671(16)30282-9
Kyiv School of Economics. (2024). Report on direct damage to infrastructure from destruction as a result of Russia's military aggression against Ukraine as of the beginning of 2024 [in Ukrainian]. https://kse.ua/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/01.01.24_Damages_Report.pdf
Lambrecht, A. et al. (2014). How do firms make money selling digital goods online? Springer, 25, 331–341. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11002-014-9310-5
Maslov, D.S. (2015). Digital goods and their classification. Institute of Market and Economic and Environmental Research of the NAS of Ukraine, 190–192 [in Ukrainian]. https://doi.org/10.36059/978-966-397-266-4/51
Matos, M. (2018). The Effect of Subscription Video-on-Demand on Piracy: Evidence from a Household-Level Randomized Experiment. Management Science, 64(12), 5461–5959. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2017.2875
Ministry of Digital Transformation of Ukraine. (2020). Economic benefits from integration into the EU Digital Single Market: the real numbers [in Ukrainian]. https://thedigital.gov.ua/news/ekonomichni-perevagi-vid-integratsiiv-ediniy-tsifroviy-rinok-es-nazvani-realni-tsifri
Nash Format. (2023). Audiobook recording of "Nash Format" publishing house. https://nashformat.ua/support-audiobooks
Office of the United States Trade Representative (2021). Special 301 Report. https://ustr.gov/sites/default/files/files/reports/2021/2021%20Special%20301%20Report%20(final).pdf
Office of the United States Trade Representative. (2024). Digital Trade –Agreement between the United States of America, the United Mexican States, and Canada (Chapter 19, 1–10). https://ustr.gov/trade-agreements/free-tradeagreements/united-states-mexico-canada-agreement/agreement-between
On approval of types of economic activity that belong to creative industries.(2019). Order of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated April 24, 2019 №265-р. (Ukraine) [in Ukrainian]. https://zakon.rada.gov.ua/laws/show/265-2019-р#Text
Poquiz, J. (2023). Measuring the Value of Digital Piracy. Economic Statistics Centre of Excellence, 1–30. https://escoe-website.s3.amazonaws.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/18151903/ESCoE-DP-2023-05.pdf
Quah, D. (2003). Digital Goods and the New Economy. ResearchGate. IO Products. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/4808107_Digital_Goods and_the_New_Economy
Saade, R. (2012). Exploring the e-Supply Chain of Information Products. Computer Science, Business, 5(4), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.4018/jisscm.2012100103
Statistics of the external sector of Ukraine according to the methodology of the 6th edition of the "Management on the Balance of Payments and International Investment Position. (n. d.). National Bank of Ukraine [in Ukrainian]. https://bank.gov.ua/files/ES/Trade_m.pdf
Stojkoski, V. S. et al. (2024). Estimating digital product trade through corporate revenue data. Nature Communications, 15, 5262, 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-49141-z
The European Parliament and the Council of the European Union. (2015). Laying down a procedure for the provision of information in the field of technical regulations and of rules on Information Society services (Directive (EU) 2015/1535 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 9 September 2015). https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A32015L1535
United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (2024). Creative Economy Outlook 2024. https://unctad.org/system/files/official-document/ditctsce2024d2_en.pdf
UN Trade and Development. (2024) Creative services exports of selected groups of economies (experimental). https://unctadstat.unctad.org/datacentre/dataviewer/US.CreativeServ_Group_E
Video Puppet Limited (2024). Narakeet – AI tool for voicing text.https://www.narakeet.com/
Vietska, O. V. (2019). Prospects of taxation of income from the sale of digital goods and services in Ukraine. Economy of industry, 2(86), 30–50 [in Ukrainian]. http://nbuv.gov.ua/UJRN/econpr_2019_2_4
Virchenko, V. V. (2018). Intellectual property: theoretical origins and economic imperatives of development. Lira-K [in Ukrainian].
Wang, Y. (2009). Marketing mixes for digital products: a study of the marketspaces in China. International Journal of Technology Marketing, 4(1), 15–42. https://doi.org/10.1504/IJTMKT.2009.023554
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Галина КУПАЛОВА, д-р екон. наук, проф., Євгеній ОЛЕШКО, асп.

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Please read more here: https://econom.bulletin.knu.ua/copyright
