From Digital Interactions to the Metaverse: Bibliometric Analysis of Contemporary Consumer Behavior and New Research Trends

Abstract

The aim of this work is a bibliometric analysis of scientific production in the field of consumer behavior, cluster analysis, and identification of the latest research trends. The analysis includes 8,837 scientific publications from the Web of Science Core Collection (WoSCC) database from 2020 to 2025, using the PRISMA and SPAR-4-SLR protocols and the VOSVIEWER tool. By applying cluster analysis and co-occurrence analysis, seven research clusters were identified: (1) Psychological, socio-cultural and brand-specific foundations; (2) Consumer engagement, value co-creation and technology-mediated interactions; (3) Digital marketing, social media and online influence; (4) Online environment, e-commerce and data management; (5) Technology adoption, mobile and virtual experience, metaverse; (6) Service quality, satisfaction, loyalty and experience in physical and service environments; and (7) Negative consumer experiences, the impact of the crisis and service recovery. The findings of this study are relevant for theoreticians and practitioners in the field of business economics, and guidelines for further research trends are also observed.