Evolution and trends in consumer behaviour: Insights from Journal of Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

The way consumers behave is fundamental to marketing. Journal of Consumer Behaviour (JCB) is an international journal dedicated to publishing the latest developments of consumer behaviour. To gain an understanding of the evolution and trends in consumer behaviour, this study presents a retrospective review of JCB using bibliometric analysis. Using bibliographic records of JCB from Scopus, this study finds that consumer behaviour research in JCB has grown substantially in terms of collaboration (co‐authorships), global reach (countries), productivity (publications), and impact (citations). The major themes explored by consumer behaviour research in JCB include consumer information processing, consumption communities, consumption value, sustainable consumption, intergenerational consumer behaviour, consumer‐brand relationship, consumer ethics, and conditional relationships in consumer behaviour. The most recent consumer behaviour research in JCB has considered externalities such as the COVID‐19 pandemic and focused on themes such as consumer ethics and sustainable consumption in line with the global movement toward environmental social governance (ESG) and sustainable development goals (SDGs).

Choosing a good research topic for premier journals

“…Nevertheless, only brand image had a significant impact on brand loyalty. Such differences highlight the heterogeneity in consumer behavior, even after the purchase has been made, which extends prior understanding in the field (Lim et al., 2023).…”

Twenty‐five years of consumer vulnerability research: Critical insights and future directions

“…The citations per article and the h‐index were used to produce a single result (Alonso et al, 2009; Hirsch, 2005). Previous bibliographic studies related to various fields such as management (Aguinis et al, 2019; Kumar et al, 2022; Baker et al, 2022; Cumming et al, 2022; Cumming et al, 2023; Goodell et al, 2023; Lim et al, 2022), supply chain management (Kumar & Kushwaha, 2015), international trade (Rialp et al, 2019), green supply chain (Amirbagheri et al, 2019), technologically advanced learning (Shen & Ho, 2020), innovation (Merigó et al, 2016) and digital marketing (Krishen et al, 2021) were considered for refining the methodological plan.…”

Critique and change: The “what”, “why”, “how”, and “so what”

“…Establishing the problem statement is an essential step of developing the critique, which should be done with clarity (e.g., signposted, structured) and conviction (e.g., logical and connected reasoning). To do so, critics and change advocates can (i) Begin with positive issues such as current events that present new opportunities (e.g., accelerated technology adoption and digital transformation ignited by COVID‐19 present opportunities for technology‐enabled solutions—Lim, 2021a; conversational and generative artificial intelligence such as ChatGPT present opportunities for technology‐enabled social practice—Lim, Kumar, Verma et al., 2022; intergenerational shifts including an aging population present opportunities for new product development—Lim, Kumar, Pandey et al., 2023). (ii) Follow up with negative issues such as limitations or shortcomings that create opportunity costs and impede progress (i.e., the pain of staying the same is greater than the pain of change—e.g., increase in costs incurred and savings forgone from maintaining current and unsustainable practices). (iii) Send a strong signal about the significance of these issues by explaining (e.g., the “why” and “so what”) and signposting (e.g., the “location” [bracketing] and “sequence” [ordering—first, second, third, etc.]…”