Mapping the electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) research: A systematic review and bibliometric analysis

In this study, we use bibliometric analysis and systematic review to analyze electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM) research. Our findings show that the research has grown a lot in terms of publications. The publications have mostly come from United States and Europe. The contributors to the field have preferred mixed research designs with more focus on theory building. The geographical focus of the research has been on North America and Europe, which is consistent with the contribution patterns. The prominent topics in the field include negative word of mouth, consumer behavior and trust, word of mouth in social networks, online reviews and ratings, brand loyalty, social media, service failure and service recovery, corporate social responsibility, user-generated content and viral marketing, service quality, and services marketing. There are four primary topics in the field’s current research: determinants of eWOM, eWOM in the hospitality industry, cognitive aspects of eWOM, and service failure and recovery. The future directions and implications of research are discussed.