Against rising geopolitical tensions, digital platforms face rapid shifts in cross-border user attention. Assistant Professor Rui YANG from the School of Economics and Management at Tongji University (Tongji SEM) has published a new study in the Journal of International Business Studies (JIBS), a top UTD24 journal in international business.

Using the Russia-Ukraine conflict as a quasi-experiment, the research examines how e-commerce platforms attract cross-border search traffic amid external shocks. It finds that platforms in countries near conflict zones gain significantly more international user traffic as alternative suppliers. Moreover, platforms’ search keyword strategies strongly amplify this effect.

Traditional international business focuses on physical trade and investment. This study shifts to attention internationalization: platform globalization begins with being discovered in search engines, before actual transactions. Geopolitical shocks disrupt stable search rankings. Search engines reallocate traffic to viable alternative platforms, reshaping cross-border digital access. Two keyword strategies matter: niche targeting (underserved user queries) and broad coverage (high-volume general keywords), both helping platforms capture redirected cross-border demand.

Implications for Practice: Firms should monitor cross-border search traffic as a leading indicator of international market opportunities. Keyword strategy is a strategic capability that boosts visibility in global digital ecosystems. Search engines are critical intermediaries connecting cross-border supply and demand.

Rui YANG is an Assistant Professor at Tongji SEM. He earned his Ph.D. in Strategic Management from the University of California, Riverside. His research appears in Journal of International Business Studies, Production and Operations Management, and other top-tier journals. He leads projects supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China and has received best-paper awards from AOM and SMS.