Customer Experience in Social Commerce: Thematic and Intellectual Structure Mapping Using Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

The customer experience (CX) in Social Commerce (SC) as a research area gained momentum in two decades after scholars discovered its influential role in loyalty, repurchase intention, competitive advantage, and overall firm performance. Importantly CX, despite being a frequently studied topic, a thorough bibliometric study of the CX construct in the context of SC has never been studied; we look to cover this lacuna in literature. Specifically, this study aims to use bibliometric evaluation to gain a comprehensive interpretation of CX in the SC context. We collated one hundred sixteen articles from Scopus and Web of Science. Then, we combined bibliographic coupling and keyword analysis to map the scientific evolution of the CX construct in SC. We found five clusters using a bibliographic coupling, following a meticulous content analysis; they included: (1) CX and group buying, (2) CX and Swift guanxi, (3) CX and information support, (4) CX and emotional support, and (5) CX and Impulse buying. We believe that the findings would be helpful for decision-makers and policymakers who desire to improve their understanding of CX in SC, in addition to scholars working in the SC field.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Guanxi is a Chinese concept “broadly defined as a close and pervasive interpersonal relationship” and “based on high-quality social interactions and the reciprocal exchange of mutual benefits” (Ou et al., 2014).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Soma Amol Dhaigude

Soma Amol Dhaigude is pursuing PhD in School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Mangaluru, India. Her areas of research include service quality, consumer behaviour and distribution management.

Bijuna C. Mohan

Bijuna C. Mohan is working as Assistant Professor, Marketing at School of Humanities, Social Sciences, and Management, National Institute of Technology Karnataka, Mangaluru, India since 2008. Her areas of research include brand management, consumer behaviour and sustainability. She received the ABP News National B school award for Best Professor teaching Advertising management in 2012.