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• 20 Aug 2024
• Cold Call Podcast

Angel City Football Club: A New Business Model for Women’s Sports

Angel City Football Club (ACFC) was founded in 2020 by venture capitalist Kara Nortman, entrepreneur Julie Uhrman, and actor and activist Natalie Portman. As outsiders to professional sports, the all-female founding team had rewritten the playbook for how to build a sports franchise by applying lessons from the tech and entertainment industries. Unlike typical sports franchises that built their teams and track records over many years before extending their brand beyond a local base, ACFC had inverted the model, generating both global and local interest in the club during its first three years. The club’s early success was reflected in its market valuation of $250 million as of its sale in July 2024 — the highest in the National Women’s Soccer League. Equally important, ACFC had started to bend the curve toward greater pay equity in women’s sports — the club’s ultimate goal. But the founders knew there was much more to do to capitalize on the club’s momentum. As they developed ACFC’s first three-year strategic plan in 2024, they weighed the most effective ways to build value for the franchise. Was it better to allocate the incremental budget to investments in digital brand building or to investments in the on-field product? Senior Lecturer Jeffrey Rayport is joined by case co-author Nicole Keller and club co-founder Kara Nortman to discuss the case, “Angel City Football Club: Scoring a New Model.”

Why Competing With Tech Giants Requires Finding Your Own Edge

In the new book Smart Rivals, Feng Zhu and Bonnie Yining Cao show business leaders how to create competitive advantages by uncovering their hidden strengths and leveraging their individual capabilities.

• 06 Aug 2024

How EdTech Firm Coursera Is Incorporating GenAI into Its Products and Services

In early 2023, Jeff Maggioncalda, CEO of Coursera, started developing the EdTech firm’s strategy for incorporating GenAI into their offerings. By early 2024, the firm had made significant progress in bringing four key capabilities to market, but GenAI was evolving quickly and Coursera needed to continuously improve its offerings. While the firm had been an early mover, competitors were adapting fast. Was Coursera taking full advantage of the opportunities presented by the technology? What more could it do to remain competitive?

• 09 Jul 2024

Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs) and Brand Building

Non-fungible tokens (NFTs), which allow individuals to own their digital assets and move them from place to place, are changing the interaction between consumers and digital goods, brands, and platforms. Professor Scott Duke Kominers and tech entrepreneur Steve Kaczynski discuss the case, “Bored Ape Yacht Club: Navigating the NFT World,” and the related book they co-authored, The Everything Token: How NFTs and Web3 Will Transform The Way We Buy, Sell, And Create. They focus on the rise and popularity of the Bored Ape Yacht Club NFTs and the new model of brand building created by owning those tokens.

• 07 May 2024

Lessons in Business Innovation from Legendary Restaurant elBulli

Ferran Adrià, chef at legendary Barcelona-based restaurant elBulli, was facing two related decisions. First, he and his team must continue to develop new and different dishes for elBulli to guarantee a continuous stream of innovation, the cornerstone of the restaurant's success. But they also need to focus on growing the restaurant’s business. Can the team balance both objectives? Professor Michael I. Norton discusses the connections between creativity, emotions, rituals, and innovation – and how they can be applied to other domains – in the case, “elBulli: The Taste of Innovation,” and his new book, The Ritual Effect.

• 29 Feb 2024

Beyond Goals: David Beckham's Playbook for Mobilizing Star Talent

Reach soccer's pinnacle. Become a global brand. Buy a team. Sign Lionel Messi. David Beckham makes success look as easy as his epic free kicks. But leveraging world-class talent takes discipline and deft decision-making, as case studies by Anita Elberse reveal. What could other businesses learn from his ascent?

• 17 Jan 2024

Psychological Pricing Tactics to Fight the Inflation Blues

Inflation has slowed from the epic rates of 2021 and 2022, but many consumers still feel pinched. What will it take to encourage them to spend? Thoughtful pricing strategies that empower customers as they make purchasing decisions, says research by Elie Ofek.

• 05 Dec 2023

What Founders Get Wrong about Sales and Marketing

Which sales candidate is a startup’s ideal first hire? What marketing channels are best to invest in? How aggressively should an executive team align sales with customer success? Senior Lecturer Mark Roberge discusses how early-stage founders, sales leaders, and marketing executives can address these challenges as they grow their ventures in the case, “Entrepreneurial Sales and Marketing Vignettes.”

Tommy Hilfiger’s Adaptive Clothing Line: Making Fashion Inclusive

In 2017, Tommy Hilfiger launched its adaptive fashion line to provide fashion apparel that aims to make dressing easier. By 2020, it was still a relatively unknown line in the U.S. and the Tommy Hilfiger team was continuing to learn more about how to serve these new customers. Should the team make adaptive clothing available beyond the U.S., or is a global expansion premature? Assistant Professor Elizabeth Keenan discusses the opportunities and challenges that accompanied the introduction of a new product line that effectively serves an entirely new customer while simultaneously starting a movement to provide fashion for all in the case, “Tommy Hilfiger Adaptive: Fashion for All.”

• Research & Ideas

Are Virtual Tours Still Worth It in Real Estate? Evidence from 75,000 Home Sales

Many real estate listings still feature videos and interactive tools that simulate the experience of walking through properties. But do they help homes sell faster? Research by Isamar Troncoso probes the post-pandemic value of virtual home tours.

• 17 Oct 2023

With Subscription Fatigue Setting In, Companies Need to Think Hard About Fees

Subscriptions are available for everything from dental floss to dog toys, but are consumers tiring of monthly fees? Elie Ofek says that subscription revenue can provide stability, but companies need to tread carefully or risk alienating customers.

• 29 Aug 2023

As Social Networks Get More Competitive, Which Ones Will Survive?

In early 2023, TikTok reached close to 1 billion users globally, placing it fourth behind the leading social networks: Facebook, YouTube, and Instagram. Meanwhile, competition in the market for videos had intensified. Can all four networks continue to attract audiences and creators? Felix Oberholzer-Gee discusses competition and imitation among social networks in his case “Hey, Insta & YouTube, Are You Watching TikTok?”

• 26 Jun 2023

Want to Leave a Lasting Impression on Customers? Don't Forget the (Proverbial) Fireworks

Some of the most successful customer experiences end with a bang. Julian De Freitas provides three tips to help businesses invest in the kind of memorable moments that will keep customers coming back.

• 31 May 2023

With Predictive Analytics, Companies Can Tap the Ultimate Opportunity: Customers’ Routines

Armed with more data than ever, many companies know what key customers need. But how many know exactly when they need it? An analysis of 2,000 ridesharing commuters by Eva Ascarza and colleagues shows what's possible for companies that can anticipate a customer's routine.

• 30 May 2023

Can AI Predict Whether Shoppers Would Pick Crest Over Colgate?

Is it the end of customer surveys? Definitely not, but research by Ayelet Israeli sheds light on the potential for generative AI to improve market research. But first, businesses will need to learn to harness the technology.

• 24 Apr 2023

What Does It Take to Build as Much Buzz as Booze? Inside the Epic Challenge of Cannabis-Infused Drinks

The market for cannabis products has exploded as more states legalize marijuana. But the path to success is rife with complexity as a case study about the beverage company Cann by Ayelet Israeli illustrates.

• 07 Apr 2023

When Celebrity ‘Crypto-Influencers’ Rake in Cash, Investors Lose Big

Kim Kardashian, Lindsay Lohan, and other entertainers have been accused of promoting crypto products on social media without disclosing conflicts. Research by Joseph Pacelli shows what can happen to eager investors who follow them.

• 10 Feb 2023

COVID-19 Lessons: Social Media Can Nudge More People to Get Vaccinated

Social networks have been criticized for spreading COVID-19 misinformation, but the platforms have also helped public health agencies spread the word on vaccines, says research by Michael Luca and colleagues. What does this mean for the next pandemic?

• 02 Feb 2023

Why We Still Need Twitter: How Social Media Holds Companies Accountable

Remember the viral video of the United passenger being removed from a plane? An analysis of Twitter activity and corporate misconduct by Jonas Heese and Joseph Pacelli reveals the power of social media to uncover questionable situations at companies.

• 06 Dec 2022

Latest Isn’t Always Greatest: Why Product Updates Capture Consumers

Consumers can't pass up a product update—even if there's no improvement. Research by Leslie John, Michael Norton, and Ximena Garcia-Rada illustrates the powerful allure of change. Are we really that naïve?

Mapping research in marketing: trends, influential papers and agenda for future research

Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC

ISSN : 2444-9695

Article publication date: 5 December 2023

Issue publication date: 7 March 2024

This study aims to map the conceptual structure and evolution of the recent scientific literature published in marketing journals to identify the areas of interest and potential future research directions.

Design/methodology/approach

The 100 most influential marketing academic papers published between 2018 and 2022 were identified and scrutinized through a bibliometric analysis.

The findings further upheld the critical role of emerging technologies such as Blockchain in marketing and identified artificial intelligence and live streaming as emerging trends, reinforcing the importance of data-driven marketing in the discipline.

Research limitations/implications

The data collection included only the 100 most cited documents between 2018 and 2022, and data were limited only to Scopus database and restrained to the Scopus-indexed marketing journals. Moreover, documents were selected based on the number of citations. Nevertheless, the data set may still provide significant insight into the marketing field.

Practical implications

Influential authors, papers and journals identified in this study will facilitate future literature searches and scientific dissemination in the field. This study makes an essential contribution to the marketing literature by identifying hot topics and suggesting future research themes. Also, the important role of emerging technologies and the shift of marketing toward a more data-driven approach will have significant practical implications for marketers.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first comprehensive study offering a general overview of the leading trends and researchers in marketing state-of-the-art research.

• Bibliometric analysis
• Citation analysis
• Research publications
• Science mapping
• Análisis bibliométrico
• Análisis de citas
• Publicaciones de investigación
• Mapeo científico
• 市场营销; 文献计量分析; 引文分析; 研究出版物; 科学绘图。

Ramos, R. , Rita, P. and Vong, C. (2024), "Mapping research in marketing: trends, influential papers and agenda for future research", Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC , Vol. 28 No. 2, pp. 187-206. https://doi.org/10.1108/SJME-10-2022-0221

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2023, Ricardo Ramos, Paulo Rita and Celeste Vong.

Published in Spanish Journal of Marketing - ESIC. Published by Emerald Publishing Limited. This article is published under the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY 4.0) licence. Anyone may reproduce, distribute, translate and create derivative works of this article (for both commercial and non-commercial purposes), subject to full attribution to the original publication and authors. The full terms of this licence may be seen at http://creativecommons.org/licences/by/4.0/legalcode

1. Introduction

Marketing is vital to all businesses’ survival, long-term growth, development and success ( Czinkota et al. , 2021 ). Generally, the domain of marketing encompasses (1) the identification of marketing opportunities, (2) the creation of competitive advantages, (3) the effective utilization of resources, (4) the communication and delivery of products or services to customers, (5) the creation of value to customers and (6) the satisfaction of customers’ needs profitably ( Simkin, 2000 ).

The evaluation of academic marketing literature has progressively become relevant in recent years ( Das et al. , 2022 ; Hair and Sarstedt, 2021 ). The increasing number of academic publications in marketing varies in different contributions, which made it difficult for scholars to track new trends and find influential manuscripts to advance the body of knowledge. The primary objective of a research publication is to be known and influence others’ work. Nevertheless, the created knowledge is fragmented, and the emergence of new marketing topics is continuously changing the research map of marketing. Moreover, marketing is an applied discipline in that marketing research not only aims to generate scientific knowledge but also to provide insights and knowledge that can be practically used to inform marketing decisions ( Jedidi et al. , 2021 ). In addition, technological advancement has rapidly affected marketing practices and management ( Amado et al. , 2018 ). To address this challenge, this paper aims to map the conceptual structure and the evolution of knowledge to uncover the existing topics, trending areas of interest and future directions.

Despite considerable research efforts in the marketing field, little has been done to review prior research works systematically. Moreover, recent review articles have mainly focused on specific marketing domains or are limited to particular contexts, such as customer experience ( Chauhan et al. , 2022 ), marketing communication ( Domenico et al. , 2021 ), customer engagement ( Chen et al. , 2021 ), consumer behavior ( Oliveira et al. , 2022 ), advertising ( Jebarajakirthy et al. , 2021 ) and product or brand positioning ( Saqib, 2021 ), while context-specific reviews include marketing in emerging markets ( Paul et al. , 2016 ), sustainable marketing ( Lunde, 2018 ), business-to-business marketing ( Pandey et al. , 2020 ), luxury brand marketing ( Arrigo, 2018 ) and tourism marketing ( Han and Bai, 2022 ). The lack of a holistic review of marketing research created a gap in the existing research. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a big picture of the most recent marketing literature. The most recent review work in the same vein was conducted by Morgan et al. (2019) , who evaluated 257 marketing strategy articles published in the six most influential marketing journals during 1999–2017. Nevertheless, given its focus on marketing strategy and limited research sources, it does not provide a comprehensive framework that covers all aspects of the marketing field. To complement the work by Morgan et al. (2019) , this paper conducts a review with a more recent timeframe that focuses on recent trends, patterns and development in the field. The inclusiveness of journals will also enable identifying areas of interest beyond marketing strategy.

What is the knowledge structure of the state-of-the-art most influential academic research in marketing?

What are the current research trends?

What are possible pathways for future research in marketing?

The present work will facilitate the understanding and advancement of theories and knowledge in the field. Also, this paper provides valuable insights into the field’s most relevant and pressing issues and informs where future research efforts should be focused. This will, in turn, improve the practical relevance and usefulness of future research and ensure that research efforts are targeted toward topics that will yield impactful results. Moreover, it offers up-to-date information for marketing researchers.

2. Methodology

This study focuses on characterizing the most influential academic marketing articles published between 2018 and 2022 and discussing the marketing state of the art.

2.1 Search strategy

A search string was applied in the Scopus database to find the most relevant articles for this research ( Ramos et al. , 2019 ). The Scopus database was chosen for the literature review as it is generally considered one of the largest repositories with the most relevant indexed publications and one of the most universally acknowledged bibliographic databases ( Kumar et al. , 2020 ). It is recognized as the most well-organized and of the highest credibility and quality standards, with the most significant global impact and more comprehensive cover ( Muñoz-Leiva et al. , 2015 ; Rojas-Lamorena et al. , 2022 ) and is consistent with previous bibliometric reviews applied in the marketing research setting ( Kumar et al. , 2021 ; Paul and Bhukya, 2021 ). In addition, it follows Donthu et al. (2021) ’s recommendation to select only one database to minimize human errors during analysis. All marketing journals (212) indexed in Scopus were included in the current study. The journal selection takes a rather inclusive approach instead of the sole inclusion of marketing-specific journals, as marketing is a diverse and evolving field not strictly tied to a single-subject field ( Baumgartner and Pieters, 2003 ) but often intersects with other disciplines. For instance, given the rapid advancement of technology and its influence on marketing practices, topics such as information systems or big data are growing in importance and relevance to the marketing literature ( Amado et al. , 2018 ). Accordingly, journals such as the International Journal of Information Management have also contributed significantly to marketing recently ( Veloutsou and Ruiz Mafe, 2020 ). The search was conducted on June 9, 2023.

2.2 Selection process and final data set

The search was conducted in the Scopus database and limited to 2018 to 2022 to obtain state-of-the-art articles. Five years is a reasonable timeframe to capture a discipline’s essence and to conduct a bibliometric analysis ( Borgohain et al. , 2022 ). The collection of articles over five years reflects varied, robust, broad, inclusive and unrelated marketing research interests in the marketing field ( Bettenhausen, 1991 ). The focus on the most recent works permits uncovering the most recent trends without the influence of older topics. Only articles were selected as they represent the most advanced and up-to-date knowledge and are recognized for their academic value ( Rojas-Lamorena et al. , 2022 ). In total, 44,767 articles were collected. To select the most recent influential marketing articles, the top 100 most cited articles were selected. The citation metric acknowledges the impact of the articles ( Donthu et al. , 2021 ) and reflects the impact of scholarly work in subsequent research ( Purkayastha et al. , 2019 ).

In addition, it is recognized as one of the most relevant metrics of academic research ( Dowling, 2014 ). Although assessing the influence of an article based on citation analysis represents a significant limitation because articles may be cited for multiple reasons, citation analysis is considered an objective approach that exhibits less systematic biases for research impact evaluation ( Baumgartner and Pieters, 2003 ). Previous works have used citation metrics for bibliometric analysis. For instance, Law et al. (2009) analyzed the most influential articles published in Tourism journals using citation counts, whereas Brito et al. (2018) identified the areas of interest in football research and listed the articles based on citation frequency. From each article, the following variables were retrieved: authors’ names and keywords, document title, year, source title and citation count. The information was extracted in CSV file format.

2.3 Final data set

The final data set includes 100 articles from 28 journals. The authors’ names were reviewed for normalization purposes as they have different nomenclatures in different articles (e.g. Dwivedi YK vs Dwivedi Y) so that the software understands them as the same.

2.4 Data analysis

The CSV file with the final data set was input for the bibliometric analysis. Data were analyzed using the mapping analysis R-tool bibliometrix ( Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017 ). This package allows different types of analysis, offering an overview of the research field. A bibliometric analysis permits to analyzing the bibliographic material quantitatively, providing an objective and reliable analysis ( Broadus, 1987 ; Sepulcri et al. , 2020 ) and summarizing the existing literature and identifying emerging topics of research ( Hota et al. , 2020 ). The authors’ names and keywords, year of publication, source title and the number of citations were collected from each article. A performance analysis was performed to acknowledge the field’s citation structure, most relevant sources, authors and articles. Then, science mapping analysis through a co-occurrence analysis was performed. The co-occurrence analysis aims to overcome the descriptive nature of the bibliometric analysis, uncovering gaps and research trends ( Palmatier et al. , 2018 ; Quezado et al. , 2022 ). The gaps and research trends led to a future research agenda.

3. Results and discussion

3.1 total citations by year.

As indicated in Table 1 , the 100 articles were cited 41,888 times, an average of 418.88 citations per article. The most contributing years were 2019 and 2020, with 33 published articles yearly. The year with the highest number of citations was 2019, with 14,621 citations, corresponding to 34.90% of the total citations. This record is strongly linked to the work of Snyder (2019) , with 1,872 citations that characterized different types of literature reviews and suggested guidelines on conducting and evaluating business research literature reviews. Due to the increasing number of publications, it is challenging to keep current with state-of-the-art research ( Briner and Denyer, 2012 ). Reviewing the existing research is fundamental for understanding marketing research inconsistencies, gathering and synthesizing previous research and serving as guidance for researchers and practitioners. In addition, literature reviews contribute to identifying potential gaps, suggesting novel research lines and allowing a balanced growth of a research field ( Hulland and Houston, 2020 ).

The year with the highest mean total citations per article and year was 2021 (527.5 and 175.83, respectively). This result is highly associated with Donthu et al. (2021) ’s work, with 1,221 citations, that explained how to develop a bibliometric analysis.

The main difference between a literature review and bibliometric analysis is the focus and the methodological approach. A literature review aims to critically analyze and synthesize existing knowledge under a research topic ( Snyder, 2019 ). In turn, a bibliometric analysis is a specific approach within the field of scientometrics that uses quantitative and statistical methods to analyze the scientific production and articles’ characteristics published in a specific research domain ( Aria and Cuccurullo, 2017 ).

3.2 Most influential articles

Seminal articles in marketing assume an essential role in its development ( Berry and Parasuraman, 1993 ). The number of citations was used to define and measure the impact of the most influential articles. The most cited document (total citation = 1,872) was Snyder’s (2019) work on conducting an overview and suggesting guidelines for conducting a literature review ( Table 2 ). The normalized citation compares an article’s performance to the data set’s average performance ( Bornmann and Marx, 2015 ; Rita and Ramos, 2022 ). Snyder (2019) ’s work has the highest normalized citation index (4.13), revealing its outstanding performance compared with the remaining articles from the data set.

Among the top 10 most cited articles, three are related to PLS-SEM. The partial least squares – structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) is relevant for marketing as it allows to examine of complex relationships between latent variables and manifest variables, permitting a flexible and less restrictive analysis in terms of statistical assumptions than other modeling techniques, such as confirmatory factor analysis and principal component analysis ( Hair et al. , 2020 ). By using PLS-SEM, marketing researchers can explore complex relationships among variables, test research hypotheses, identify the relative importance of different influencers and assess the validity and reliability of the measured variables ( Sarstedt et al. , 2019 ). It is frequently used in research involving the modeling of theoretical constructs, such as customer satisfaction ( Ramos et al. , 2022 ), brand image ( Kunkel et al. , 2020 ) or perceived quality ( Ariffin et al. , 2021 ) research.

Surprisingly, there are no articles from 2018 in the top 10 most cited articles. However, there are two articles published in 2021. One of the papers published in 2021 is the work of Verhoef et al. (2021) , which explores digital transformation and innovation in business models and suggests a research agenda for future studies. Digital transformation and innovation are highly relevant for marketing as it provokes consumer behavior change ( Lemos et al. , 2022 ). In addition, it allows companies to adapt to consumer behavior changes, seize the opportunities for segmentation and personalization, improve communication and engagement and increase operational efficiency ( Muneeb et al. , 2023 ; Zhang et al. , 2022 ).

3.3 Source impact

Table 3 depicts the top 10 most impactful sources of the 100 most influential marketing articles. The intellectual convergence is exhibited based on common sources and referencing patterns ( Donthu et al. , 2021 ), and identifying journals may facilitate future literature search and scientific dissemination.

Among the 28 journals, the International Journal of Information Management (IJIM) contributed the most papers (26 papers), followed by the Journal of Business Research (JBR) (22 papers) and the Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services (JRCS) (6 papers). These journals are all First Quartile journals based on SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) indicator, with an impact factor of 4.906, 2.895 and 2.543, respectively. The IJIM focuses on contemporary issues in information management ( Elsevier, 2023a ). Information management field of research plays a fundamental role in marketing, providing data and insights that guide marketing strategies, improve segmentation and customization, leverage automation marketing, data-driven decision-making and the performance evaluation of marketing initiatives ( Dwivedi et al. , 2020 ). The JBR aims to publish recent business research dealing with the spectrum of actual business practical settings among different business activities ( Elsevier, 2023b ), while the JRCS focuses on consumer behavior and policy and managerial decisions ( Elsevier, 2023c ). The findings indicate the contribution and importance of IJIM to the marketing field, recognizing the relevance of information management. Surprisingly, leading marketing journals listed in the Financial Times 50 ( Ormans, 2016 ), such as the Journal of Consumer Research , Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science and Journal of Marketing , only produced a small number of relevant articles in our data set. This result suggests that their papers may not be as impactful or influential as those published in other outlets. Nevertheless, the quality of the articles published in these outlets reflects the most original and well-executed research, as they have high submission rates. However, their rate of acceptance is very low.

Among the top 10 most productive journals, JBR is the one with the highest number of citations. This result confirms Table 2 ’s results as it lists six articles that were published in this journal ( Donthu et al. , 2021 ; Hair et al. , 2020 ; Sheth, 2020 ; Sigala, 2020 ; Snyder, 2019 ; Verhoef et al. , 2021 ).

3.4 Contributing authors

Key authors are essential to the field’s structure and growth ( Berry and Parasuraman, 1993 ) and positively influence the most impactful articles ( Rojas-Lamorena et al. , 2022 ). Thus, it is imperative to identify them and acknowledge their impact. Between 2018 and 2022, 100 documents were written by 312 different authors.

Table 4 characterizes the top 10 most productive authors among the most influential marketing research articles over the past five years. The authors’ indices were calculated, including h -index, g -index and m -index. The Hirsh index ( h -index) is the proposal to quantify productivity and the journal’s impact considering the number of papers and citations per publication ( Hirsch, 2005 ). The g -index aims to measure the performance of the journals ( Egghe, 2006 ), considering the citation evolution of the most cited papers over time. Furthermore, the m -index, also called the m -quotient, considers the h -index and the time since the first publication ( n ); hence, m -index = h -index/ n ( Halbach, 2011 ).

Professor Dwivedi YK is the most prolific, with seven published articles indicating more than one paper yearly. Although he is placed second as the most cited author (3,361), he has the highest h - (7), g - (7) and m -index (1.17). Professor Dwivedi’s research focuses on digital innovation and technology consumer adoption and the use of information systems and information technology for operation management and supply chain, focusing on emergent markets. Digital innovation and understanding technology consumer adoption allow companies to engage with consumers efficiently and personally ( Alalwan et al. , 2023 ). In addition, information systems and information technology applied in operation management and supply chain permit a higher efficiency and visibility in commercial activities, aiding companies to optimize processes, reduce costs and improve customer care ( Tasnim et al. , 2023 ). Professor Dwivedi is a Professor at the School of Management, Swansea University, UK ( Swansea, 2023 ). The second most productive author is Hair JF, and Hughes DL, with five articles each. Professor Hair JF is the most cited author in the list of the most productive authors. This record is highly associated with the work “Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis” ( Hair et al. , 2020 ), with 1,103 citations. Multiple papers gather authors from the list. For instance, the article “Artificial Intelligence (AI): Multidisciplinary perspectives on emerging challenges, opportunities, and agenda for research, practice and policy” ( Dwivedi et al. , 2021 ) was co-authored by Professors Dwivedi YK and Hughes DL. This paper has 637 citations and addresses the transformative power that artificial intelligence (AI) may have for the automation and replacement of human tasks, highlighting opportunities, challenges and impacts. AI plays a fundamental role in marketing, permitting advanced personalization, task automation, advanced data analysis, campaign optimization and improved customer experience, leading to personalized experiences and better marketing results ( Duan et al. , 2019 ; Dwivedi et al. , 2021 ).

Fractionalized frequency displays the multiauthored articles. This analysis is relevant to understand how researchers interact with each other ( Rojas-Lamorena et al. , 2022 ). A credit is attributed to each author, depending on the number of co-authors. If a paper has two authors, each receives a half-point. If a paper has three authors, each receives a third of a point, and so on ( Cuccurullo et al. , 2016 ). Professor Hughes DL has the lowest score (0.57) on the five most productive authors list, suggesting a strong relationship with colleagues through co-authorship based on shared interests.

3.5 Co-occurrence analysis

Figure 1 presents the authors’ keywords co-occurrence analysis and reflects the relationship between the keywords and the data set ( Wang et al. , 2012 ). Co-occurrence analysis aims to establish relationships and map the conceptual structure of the most influential marketing academic articles and reveal current research trends ( Eduardsen and Marinova, 2020 ). The thicker the lies among each cluster, the stronger the connection between the keywords. The size of each edge indicates the occurrence frequency. Thematic map displays the top 50 keywords and a minimum of 5 clusters. The thematic map shows six clusters, of which two are with the largest nodes, including AI (brown) and Covid-19 (blue). However, clusters with smaller nodes are bibliometric analysis (red), social media (purple), blockchain (green) and customer engagement (orange).

The brown cluster suggests a topic under AI technology. The cluster’s keywords highlight an interconnection and application of AI, machine learning and cognitive computing in the marketing research field. Deep learning, natural language processing and machine learning make part of a broader spectrum of AI ( Verma et al. , 2021 ). Cognitive computing refers to the capacity of computer systems to mimic human capacity to process information, learn and make decisions ( Duan et al. , 2019 ). These technologies handle big data efficiently, predict consumer behavior and support decision-making in actionable insights, transforming marketing strategies ( Blanco-Moreno et al. , 2023 ; Dwivedi et al. , 2021 ).

The blue cluster reflects the pandemic that affected the globe between 2020 and 2023 ( United Nations, 2023 ). This cluster reveals a close relationship between the Covid-19 pandemic and consumer behavior ( Sheth, 2020 ). The interest in understanding the attitudes and consumers’ decision-making is highly relevant for future pandemics ( Pereira et al. , 2023 ). In addition, the pandemic brought social and industry challenges that deserve academic attention ( Dwivedi et al. , 2020 ; Muneeb et al. , 2023 ). This cluster also addresses overconsumption driven by impulsive behavior promoted by the pandemic ( Islam et al. , 2021 ; Marikyan et al. , 2023 ). This cluster suggests insights on how companies can adequately develop marketing strategies to face the pandemic challenges and effectively respond to health crises.

The red cluster reveals a direct connection between bibliometric analysis and scientific assessment. The bibliometric analysis is applied to reveal research patterns and knowledge structure and access the scientific production impact ( Ramos and Rita, 2023 ). The use of bibliographic coupling, co-occurrence analysis and the Scopus database supplies the data set for the identification of relationships and patterns within the literature ( Donthu et al. , 2021 ), summarizing the existing literature and identifying emerging topics of research ( Hota et al. , 2020 ).

The purple cluster highlights the terms social media and marketing. The keyword social media highlights the role of platforms, such as Instagram or TikTok, for advertising ( Alalwan, 2018 ), understanding the role of influencers ( Lou and Yuan, 2019 ), and for co-creation in brand communities ( Kamboj et al. , 2018 ), influencer marketing. Social media platforms are fundamental for any communication strategy as they connect with the audience, create engagement and awareness and promote products and services ( Lou and Yuan, 2019 ). The strategic use of social media in marketing is fundamental for companies to establish an effective presence and build long-lasting relationships.

The orange cluster suggests a relationship between live streaming and customer engagement ( Wongkitrungrueng and Assarut, 2020 ). This interconnection suggests that live streaming can be an effective channel for developing social commerce, influencing purchase intentions ( Sun et al. , 2019 ). Real-time and direct interaction with customers promote greater involvement and improve customer experience.

The green cluster suggests a focus on applying blockchain technology in information systems. Blockchain is a decentralized and immutable technology for transaction registers studied in the supply chain context ( Min, 2019 ). It has a significant potential to transform data management ( Lemos et al. , 2022 ).

4. Conclusions and future research agenda

This study represents a map of the conceptual structure and evolution of the state-of-the-art scientific literature published in marketing journals to identify the areas of interest and potential future research directions. This review aimed to (1) acknowledge the structure of the state-of-the-art most influential academic marketing research, (2) identify current research trends and (3) suggest future research prospects.

4.1 RQ1: knowledge structure

Regarding RQ1, the most cited article among the top 100 between 2018 and 2022 was the work of Snyder (2019) , with 1,872 citations, followed by the work of Donthu et al. (2021) , with 1,221. The years 2019 and 2020 were those that most contributed to the top 100 most cited, with 33 articles each. Accordingly, these years had the most citations, 14,621 and 13,692, respectively. The IJIM was the source with the highest number of articles published from our data set ( n = 26). However, the JBR, with 22 published articles, was the journal with the highest citations ( n = 12,265). Every journal from the top 10 prolific sources is ranked in Scopus (SJR) as Q1. Professor Dwivedi YK was the most prolific author, with seven articles published, followed by Professors Hair JF and Hughes DL, with five articles each. Although placed second on the most productive authors list, the most cited author was Professor Hair JF, with 3,615 articles.

4.2 RQ2: current research trends

As for RQ2, this bibliometric analysis allowed us to identify current research trends through the co-occurrence analysis. Since a comprehensive future research agenda stimulates researchers to continue their research efforts ( Hulland and Houston, 2020 ), we suggest marketing future research questions to gain a deeper knowledge of current research trends ( Table 5 ).

Although AI has existed for over six decades ( Duan et al. , 2019 ), the development of supercomputers that analyze big data led to the exponential use of this technology. Its application in marketing varies and includes trend and prediction analysis, chatbots and marketing automation. However, particularly for data analysis, multiple research questions are yet to be answered ( Dwivedi et al. , 2021 ). Grounded on the AI (brown) cluster, it would be interesting to uncover different uses of AI to improve big data analysis.

The Covid-19 pandemic disrupted global habits ( Sheth, 2020 ). New habits emerged, changing the industry landscape in multiple dimensions, such as consumer, leisure and work behavior. Although multiple studies were published regarding the topic, much is yet to be uncovered. The effects of this pandemic are yet to be fully acknowledged, demanding future studies to comprehend the permanent changes in society ( Islam et al. , 2021 ). In addition, uncovering the best-implemented industry marketing strategies can be helpful, as it is inevitable that new pandemics occur in the future ( Pereira et al. , 2023 ).

Bibliometric analyses map and summarize existent research, extending the global understanding of a research topic and increasing the quality and success of scholarly work ( Donthu et al. , 2021 ). However, the analysis is mainly descriptive ( Ramos and Rita, 2023 ). Combining bibliometric analysis with other methods may enhance the results, leading to an advancement in using such an approach.

Social media is broadly used for marketing-related activities. Through social media platforms, it is possible to build brand image, generate leads for the company’s website, analyze and monitor data, or be an influencer marketer ( Alalwan, 2018 ; Lou and Yuan, 2019 ). Nevertheless, the implementation of gamification techniques ( Bhutani and Behl, 2023 ; Wanick and Stallwood, 2023 ), privacy concerns ( Saura et al. , 2023 ) and collective decision-making ( Dambanemuya et al. , 2023 ) are issues that deserve the attention of researchers.

Livestreaming captured the attention of digital retailing marketers in recent years and significantly changed social interaction. However, different types of live streaming exist, such as webinars, game streaming, corporate streaming, vlogs or personalized content, and can be used in different industries ( Zhang et al. , 2023 ). Investigating the influence of live streaming on consumer engagement may enhance understanding of its relevance for the industry and improve marketing effectiveness ( Wongkitrungrueng and Assarut, 2020 ).

Blockchain technology allows tracing and enhances transaction transparency, creating authenticity certificates to prevent fraud or loyalty programs to build customers’ loyalty and trust ( Lemos et al. , 2022 ). Despite several studies being conducted to understand the impact of this technology on marketing ( Marthews and Tucker, 2023 ; Tan and Salo, 2023 ), there is much to be learned and questions unanswered.

4.3 RQ3: future research agenda

Based on the comprehensive bibliometric analysis findings, potential directions for future research are presented ( Table 6 ). Topics surrounding data-driven marketing are particularly relevant ( Zhang et al. , 2022 ) due to the data abundance and technological advances, and they have the potential to be further developed. For instance, issues arising from adopting AI to uncover hidden patterns in big data or integrating data from different sectors or industries to understand consumer behavior are yet to be understood. In addition, environmental sustainability is highly relevant due to the increasing customers’ awareness of the topic and its influence on developing marketing strategies ( Jung et al. , 2020 ). However, multiple questions are yet to be answered. In particular, the influence of gamification techniques to promote positive, environmentally sustainable consumer behavior and how emerging technologies influence the customers’ perception of sustainable products. Mass personalization allows consumers to customize product features ( Qin and Lu, 2021 ). This topic is highly relevant to the industry and underexplored in marketing. For instance, how can mass personalization be efficiently implemented in highly productive industries? Or how can emerging technologies improve mass personalization programs? Finally, the wearable technologies market is exponentially growing and is increasingly essential to consumer behavior ( Ferreira et al. , 2021 ).

5. Conclusions and limitations

Through the bibliometric analysis of the 100 most influential marketing papers published between 2018 and 2022, this review presents potential directions for knowledge advancement and comprehensive information to facilitate future literature search ( Boell and Cecez-Kecmanovic, 2014 ) by identifying the current research focus, conceptual structure and trends in the marketing field. In addition, this review contributes to practice by identifying the most influential articles for the marketing scientific community interested in gaining scientific insights. Meanwhile, the important role of emerging technologies and the shift of marketing toward a more data-driven approach will have significant practical implications for marketers.

This work has limitations that need to be stated. First, data were limited to Scopus database and restrained to indexed marketing journals. However, it is essential to note that all scientific databases have limitations. Second, to select the most influential marketing documents, the only criterion was on a commonly used metric – the number of citations. Although citation metrics are commonly used, they may incorrectly demonstrate the quality of the work. There are multiple reasons for a work to be cited ( Vogel and Güttel, 2012 ), such as a journal’s prestige or factors related to the methods ( Hota et al. , 2020 ). The Mathew effect phenomenon also exists in science ( García-Lillo et al. , 2017 ). Third, articles take time to be cited. This means that the most recent articles from our data set may have fewer citations, but it does not mean that their quality is poorer. Fourth, to select the most influential marketing articles, every journal under the subject area “Business, Management and Accounting” and category “Marketing” were selected. However, there are journals listed in other subject areas and categories. Nevertheless, the data set may still provide significant insight into the marketing field.

Thematic map based on the authors’ keywords co-occurrence

Top 100 most cited articles structure

Year		TC*	Mean TC* per article	Mean TC* per year	Citable years
2018	26	9,015	346.73	57.79	6
2019	33	14,621	453.36	90.67	5
2020	33	13,692	414.91	103.73	4
2021	8	4,220	527.5	175.83	3
2022	0	0	0	0	2
Total	100	41,888	418.88	69.81

Note:

Document	Title	TC	Average TC per year	Normalized TC
	Literature review as a research methodology: an overview and guidelines	1,872	374.40	4.13
(2021)	How to conduct a bibliometric analysis: an overview and guidelines	1,221	407.00	2.31
(2020)	Assessing measurement model quality in PLS-SEM using confirmatory composite analysis	1,103	275.75	2.66
	Tourism and COVID-19: impacts and implications for advancing and resetting industry and research	977	244.25	2.35
(2019)	Predictive model assessment in PLS-SEM: guidelines for using PLSpredict	913	182.60	2.01
(2021)	Digital transformation: a multidisciplinary reflection and research agenda.	758	252.67	1.44
(2019)	How to specify, estimate, and validate higher-order constructs in PLS-SEM	728	145.60	1.61
(2019)	Artificial intelligence for decision making in the era of big data – evolution, challenges and research agenda	724	144.80	1.60
	Impact of covid-19 on consumer behavior: will the old habits return or die?	716	179.00	1.73
	The rise of motivational information systems: a review of gamification research	639	127.80	1.41

Source impact

Journal	No. of articles	Scopus quartile	SJR	TC
	26	Q1	4.91	10,008
	22	Q1	2.90	12,265
	6	Q1	2.54	1,875
	4	Q1	3.43	1,376
	4	Q1	2.48	1,706
	4	Q1	6.02	1,220
	4	Q1	6.25	1,850
	3	Q1	1.63	1,769
	3	Q1	2.66	984
	3	Q1	10.8	1,120

Notes:

Authors	Topical focus	No. of articles	Fractionalized frequency	Total citations	-Index	-Index	-Index
Dwivedi YK	Digital innovation	7	1.16	3,361	7	7	1.17
Hair JF	Multivariate analysis	5	1.18	3,615	5	5	0.83
Hughes DL	Artificial intelligence	5	0.57	2,305	5	5	1.00
Ringle CM	Data and business analytics	4	0.84	2,512	4	4	0.67
Sarstedt M	Structural equation modeling	4	0.84	2,512	4	4	0.67

Co-occurrence topics and future research avenues

Current research trends	Future research questions
Brown cluster – AI (e.g. , 2019; , 2020; , 2021)
Blue cluster – Covid-19 (e.g. ; ; , 2021)
Red cluster – bibliometric analysis (e.g. , 2018; ; , 2021)
Purple cluster – social media (e.g. ; , 2018; )
Orange cluster – live streaming (e.g. , 2019; )
Green cluster – Blockchain (e.g. , 2018; ; )

Note:

IoT = Internet of things

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Acknowledgements

Paulo Rita’s work was supported by national funds through FCT (Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia), under the project – UIDB/04152/2020 – Centro de Investigação em Gestão de Informação (MagIC)/NOVA IMS.

Since submission of this article, the following authors have updated their affiliations: Ricardo Ramos is at Technology and Management School of Oliveira do Hospital, Polytechnic Institute of Coimbra, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal; ISTAR, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa (ISCTE-IUL), Lisboa, Portugal; Centre Bio R&D Unit, Association BLC3 – Tecnology and Innovation Campus, Oliveira do Hospital, Portugal; Paulo Rita is at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal; and Celeste Vong is at NOVA Information Management School (NOVA IMS), Universidade NOVA de Lisboa, Lisboa, Portugal.

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Research Papers | Publications

Social Media Marketing: A Literature Review on Consumer Products

Proceedings of the International Conference on Business & Information (ICBI) 2020

15 Pages Posted: 10 Jun 2021

A Siriwardana

University of Kelaniya

Date Written: November 19, 2020

Social media is used by billions of people around the world and has fast become one of the defining technologies of our time. Social media allows people to freely interact with others and offers multiple ways for marketers to reach and engage with consumers. Due to its dynamic and emergent nature, the effectiveness of social media as a marketing communication channel has presented many challenges for marketers. It is considered to be different to traditional marketing channels. Many organizations are investing in their social media presence because they appreciate the need to engage in existing social media conversations in order to build their consumer brand. Social Medias are increasingly replacing traditional media, and more consumers are using them as a source of information about products, services and brands. The purpose of this paper is to focus on where to believe the future of social media lie when considering consumer products. The Paper followed a deductive approach and this paper attempts to review current scholarly on social media marketing literature and research, including its beginnings, current usage, benefits and downsides, and best practices. Further examinations to uncover the vital job of social media, inside a digitalized business period in promoting and branding consumer products. As a result of the comprehensive analysis, it undoubtedly displays that social media is a significant power in the present marketing scene.

Keywords: Consumer Products, Customer Engagement, Digitalization, Social Media

Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation

A Siriwardana (Contact Author)

University of kelaniya ( email ).

Kelaniya Sri Lanka Kelaniya, Western 11600 Sri Lanka

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Marketing Management Research Paper Topics

This page is designed to serve as a comprehensive guide to marketing management research paper topics , offering insights into various dimensions of marketing that are essential in today’s globalized business environment. It includes an exhaustive list of topics divided into categories, practical tips on choosing and writing on marketing management subjects, and an exclusive section dedicated to iResearchNet’s specialized writing services. Whether a student, academician, or professional, this guide aims to provide a resourceful pathway to explore the multifaceted world of marketing management research, emphasizing the need for empirical inquiry, analytical thinking, and innovative approaches.

100 Marketing Management Research Paper Topics

Marketing management is a diverse field encompassing various aspects of marketing, such as strategy, consumer behavior, product development, branding, and more. Below is a comprehensive list of marketing management research paper topics divided into 10 different categories, each containing 10 specific topics. These topics cater to different levels of complexity and interest and can be explored for detailed research.

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• The Impact of Digital Marketing on Traditional Advertising Methods
• An Analysis of Guerrilla Marketing Techniques in Small Businesses
• The Role of Social Media in Influencing Consumer Behavior
• Evaluating the Success of Viral Marketing Campaigns
• Personalization in Marketing: Trends and Challenges
• The Influence of Environmental Sustainability on Marketing Strategies
• Brand Positioning and Differentiation Strategies
• The Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Marketing Decision Making
• B2B vs B2C Marketing Strategies: A Comparative Analysis
• Ethical Considerations in Influencer Marketing

Consumer Behavior

• The Psychology of Consumer Buying Behavior
• Impact of Cultural Factors on Consumer Preferences
• How Pricing Strategies Influence Consumer Choices
• The Effect of Online Reviews on Consumer Purchase Decisions
• Consumer Loyalty Programs and Their Impact on Retention
• Generational Differences in Consumer Behavior
• The Role of Emotions in Consumer Decision Making
• Ethical Consumerism and its Influence on Purchasing Behavior
• The Impact of Social Proof on Consumer Trust
• Understanding the Impulse Buying Behavior in Retail Settings

Product Management

• Product Life Cycle Analysis and Strategies
• New Product Development Processes: A Case Study
• The Role of Packaging in Product Perception
• Product Line Extension vs Brand Extension: A Critical Evaluation
• Managing Product Recalls Effectively
• Pricing Strategies for New Product Launches
• Role of Consumer Feedback in Product Improvement
• The Impact of Quality Management on Product Success
• Product Differentiation in Competitive Markets
• Strategies for Managing Obsolete Products
• Building Global Brands: Strategies and Challenges
• The Role of Storytelling in Brand Building
• Impact of Celebrity Endorsements on Brand Image
• Rebranding Strategies and Their Impact on Consumer Perception
• The Importance of Brand Equity and How to Measure It
• Building Brand Loyalty Through Customer Engagement
• Co-branding Strategies and Their Effectiveness
• The Influence of Brand Personality on Consumer Preferences
• Managing Brand Reputation in the Digital Age
• The Role of Corporate Social Responsibility in Branding

Sales Management

• The Art of Sales Forecasting: Methods and Accuracy
• Sales Training Techniques and Their Effectiveness
• Relationship Selling vs Transactional Selling
• Sales Promotion Strategies and Their Impact on Revenue
• The Role of Sales Automation Tools in Enhancing Performance
• Managing Sales Territories for Optimal Performance
• The Effect of Sales Incentives on Employee Motivation
• Integrating Customer Relationship Management (CRM) in Sales
• The Impact of Cross-Selling and Up-Selling Strategies
• Ethical Considerations in Sales Management

Digital Marketing

• Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategies
• Effective Content Marketing for Online Engagement
• Social Media Advertising: Trends and ROI Measurement
• Email Marketing Best Practices for Conversion
• The Role of Analytics in Digital Marketing
• Influencer Marketing in the Age of Social Media
• Mobile Marketing Strategies for Consumer Engagement
• The Future of Virtual Reality in Digital Marketing
• The Use of Big Data in Personalized Marketing
• Ethical Considerations in Digital Advertising

International Marketing

• Strategies for Entering Emerging Markets
• Cultural Sensitivity in International Marketing
• The Role of Global Marketing in Expanding Business Horizons
• International Pricing Strategies and Currency Considerations
• Managing International Marketing Partnerships and Alliances
• The Effect of Political Factors on International Marketing
• Standardization vs Localization in International Marketing
• The Role of E-commerce in Global Marketing Strategies
• Cross-Cultural Communication in International Business
• The Impact of Globalization on Local Brands

Services Marketing

• Quality Management in Service Delivery
• Strategies for Enhancing Customer Satisfaction in Service Industries
• The Role of Technology in Service Innovation
• Marketing Strategies for Professional Services
• Measuring Customer Expectations and Perceptions in Services Marketing
• The Effect of Online Platforms on Service Distribution
• Service Recovery Strategies and Customer Loyalty
• The Role of Employee Training in Service Excellence
• Relationship Marketing in Service Industries
• Ethical Considerations in Healthcare Services Marketing

Retail and E-commerce

• Omnichannel Retailing Strategies and Customer Experience
• E-commerce Growth and the Future of Traditional Retail
• The Role of Artificial Intelligence in E-commerce Personalization
• Consumer Trust and Security in Online Shopping
• Strategies for Reducing Shopping Cart Abandonment
• Mobile Commerce Trends and Consumer Behavior
• The Impact of E-commerce on Supply Chain Management
• Social Commerce: Integrating Social Media and Online Sales
• The Role of User Experience (UX) Design in E-commerce Success
• Ethical Considerations in E-commerce Operations

Marketing Ethics and Social Responsibility

• Ethical Challenges in Targeted Advertising
• The Role of Green Marketing in Sustainable Development
• Social Marketing Campaigns for Public Health
• Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) and Brand Image
• Ethical Considerations in Market Research Practices
• The Influence of Ethical Leadership on Marketing Strategies
• The Impact of Fair Trade Practices on Consumer Perception
• Social Responsibility in Alcohol and Tobacco Advertising
• Ethical Considerations in Children’s Advertising
• The Role of Ethics in Product Development and Testing

In conclusion, marketing management is an extensive and multifaceted field that encompasses a wide range of research topics. From strategies and branding to ethics and international considerations, there is a rich array of subjects that students and researchers can delve into. The above topics offer a starting point for insightful inquiry, practical applications, and critical evaluation. Whether you are aiming for academic excellence or professional development, these topics can help foster a deeper understanding of marketing management and its integral role in today’s dynamic business landscape.

Marketing Management and the Range of Research Paper Topics

Introduction to marketing management.

Marketing Management is a complex and dynamic field that lies at the heart of business operations. It involves the planning, execution, and monitoring of marketing strategies, tailored to meet customer needs and business goals. The success of any product or service in the market largely depends on the effectiveness of marketing management.

Key Principles and Concepts

• Strategic Planning : Marketing management starts with the identification of target markets and the development of a marketing mix to satisfy consumers within that market. This includes the 4Ps of marketing: Product, Price, Place, and Promotion.
• Consumer Behavior Understanding : It’s essential to understand consumer behavior to create strategies that resonate with the target audience. This includes demographics, psychographics, and behavioral aspects like needs, preferences, and purchase behavior.
• Digital Marketing and Social Media : With the advent of the internet, digital marketing has become an indispensable tool. It includes SEO, content marketing, email marketing, social media marketing, and more.
• Branding and Brand Management : Building a strong brand image is vital for long-term success. Branding strategies include creating a unique brand identity, consistent messaging, and managing customer perceptions.
• Marketing Analytics and Metrics : Utilizing data and analytics helps in making informed decisions. Metrics such as customer lifetime value (CLTV), customer acquisition cost (CAC), and return on marketing investment (ROMI) are crucial.

Range and Depth of Research Paper Topics

The field of marketing management offers a plethora of research paper topics reflecting its multifaceted nature. Here are some broad categories:

• Strategic Marketing Management : Topics here may include SWOT analysis, competitive strategies, market segmentation, and differentiation.
• Digital Marketing and Social Media : Research on emerging digital marketing trends, social media strategies, influencer marketing, etc.
• Consumer Behavior : This includes studying consumer buying habits, cultural influences on purchasing, customer satisfaction, and loyalty programs.
• International Marketing Management : Topics related to global marketing strategies, cross-cultural communication, international branding, etc.
• Marketing Analytics and Metrics : This covers data-driven marketing, predictive analytics, performance metrics, and big data in marketing.
• Ethical Issues in Marketing : Exploring ethical considerations like deceptive advertising, privacy concerns, green marketing, and social responsibility.
• Emerging Trends in Marketing Management : Investigating newer trends like AI in marketing, omnichannel marketing, virtual reality, personalized marketing, etc.

These categories provide students with various angles to approach marketing management, from traditional strategies to current technological advancements.

Marketing management, with its diverse and ever-changing landscape, offers a wealth of intriguing and challenging topics for research. Whether one is drawn to the more traditional aspects or the innovative, technology-driven facets, the opportunities for exploration and analysis are boundless.

Understanding marketing management is crucial for anyone venturing into the business world. It combines creativity with analytics, strategy with execution, and always keeps an eye on the changing tides of consumer behavior. For students, academics, and professionals alike, delving into this field can provide valuable insights and skills that are applicable across various domains and industries.

Through this article, we have touched upon the key concepts and principles, and explored the extensive range of research paper topics within the realm of marketing management. These concepts and topics not only form the basis of academic study but also act as foundational pillars for businesses aiming to thrive in today’s competitive marketplace.

How to Choose Marketing Management Research Paper Topics

Choosing the right research paper topic can be a daunting task, especially in a field as broad and dynamic as marketing management. A well-chosen topic can be the difference between a research paper that’s engaging and insightful, and one that falls flat. Here’s a comprehensive guide to help you choose the ideal marketing management research paper topic:

Selecting a research paper topic in marketing management is not merely about picking something that seems interesting. It’s about aligning the topic with your interests, the course requirements, the targeted audience, and the current trends in the field. Here’s how to navigate this complex decision-making process:

• Identify Your Interests : Choose a topic that genuinely excites you. Whether it’s digital marketing or consumer behavior, aligning with your interests will make the research process more engaging.
• Consider the Relevance : Make sure the topic is relevant to your course and the current landscape of marketing management. Trending topics like social media advertising or AI in marketing might be more appealing.
• Check the Availability of Resources : Research the availability of credible sources on the topic. Libraries, academic journals, and online databases should have ample material for your chosen subject.
• Assess the Complexity : Balance complexity with your level of expertise. A topic that’s too simple may lack depth, while something too complex might be overwhelming.
• Align with Your Career Goals : If you have specific career goals in marketing, select a topic that adds value to your professional development.
• Evaluate the Scope : Define the scope of your research. A too broad topic will lack focus, while a narrow topic might lack content.
• Seek Guidance from Professors or Experts : Don’t hesitate to consult with professors or industry experts. They can provide insights that align with academic expectations and industry trends.
• Consider Ethical Implications : If your topic involves sensitive issues like consumer privacy, ensure that you approach it with the necessary ethical considerations.
• Analyze Existing Research : Look at existing research to identify gaps or areas for further exploration. Building on previous work can add depth to your paper.
• Create a Preliminary Thesis Statement : Once you’ve narrowed down your topic, create a preliminary thesis statement. This will guide your research and keep you focused on specific aspects of the subject.

Choosing the right topic for a marketing management research paper is a critical step in the research process. It sets the tone for the entire project and can greatly influence the quality and relevance of the work. By following these tips and giving careful thought to aspects such as interest, relevance, complexity, scope, and ethics, you can select a topic that not only meets academic requirements but also resonates with your passions and professional aspirations.

Remember, the chosen topic is not just a subject of study but a chance to contribute to the field, offering insights or solutions to existing challenges. Engage with the process, explore various avenues, and you’ll find a topic that’s not just suitable but truly inspiring and rewarding to work on.

How to Write a Marketing Management Research Paper

Writing a research paper on marketing management requires a thoughtful approach that balances theory, practice, analysis, and creativity. It’s not just about presenting facts but weaving them into a coherent narrative that adds value to the field of marketing management. Below you’ll find a guide that covers essential steps in crafting a high-quality research paper.

Embarking on a research paper in marketing management is an opportunity to delve into various aspects like market strategies, consumer behavior, digital marketing, or branding. It’s about unearthing insights, exploring theories, analyzing trends, and presenting them in an academically rigorous and engaging manner. Here’s how to structure and compose a standout marketing management research paper:

• Understand the Assignment : Read the assignment instructions carefully. Understand the requirements, deadlines, formatting guidelines, and grading criteria. Reach out to your professor if anything is unclear.
• Start with a Strong Thesis Statement : Develop a clear and concise thesis statement that defines the purpose of your research. It should articulate the main argument or question you intend to explore.
• Create an Outline : Plan the structure of your paper by creating an outline. Break it down into sections like introduction, literature review, methodology, findings, conclusion, and bibliography.
• Conduct Thorough Research : Use reputable sources like academic journals, books, and industry reports. Validate information through multiple sources to ensure accuracy.
• Write the Introduction : Open with a compelling introduction that provides background on the topic, states the research question, and outlines the scope of your paper.
• Develop the Literature Review : Present an overview of existing literature on your topic. Compare and contrast different theories, methodologies, and findings, and highlight the gaps your research will address.
• Detail the Methodology : Explain the research methods you used. Whether qualitative or quantitative, describe the approach, tools, data collection, and analysis techniques.
• Present Findings and Analysis : Summarize the research findings and analyze them in the context of your thesis statement. Include charts, graphs, or other visuals to enhance understanding.
• Conclude Thoughtfully : Sum up the main findings, reflect on the implications, suggest areas for future research, and restate the thesis in the light of the research.
• Edit and Proofread : Pay meticulous attention to grammar, punctuation, and style. Consider seeking feedback from peers or professionals to ensure clarity and coherence.

Writing a research paper in marketing management is more than an academic exercise; it’s a rich intellectual experience that calls for curiosity, critical thinking, and creativity. The process outlined above is not rigid but provides a framework that you can adapt to your specific topic and interest.

Remember, a great research paper is not just about meeting academic standards but contributing something meaningful to the field of marketing management. Engage with the material, think critically, argue persuasively, and present your ideas with clarity and flair. Your research paper can be a reflection of your passion for marketing and a testament to your scholarly rigor and intellectual insight.

iResearchNet Writing Services

For custom marketing management research paper.

Marketing Management is a complex field that combines various disciplines, including economics, sociology, psychology, and more. It demands in-depth knowledge, critical thinking, and the ability to synthesize vast amounts of information. When it comes to writing a research paper on marketing management, the process can be overwhelming for many students. That’s where iResearchNet comes into play, offering customized writing services tailored to your unique needs. Below are the features that make iResearchNet the perfect choice for your marketing management research paper.

At iResearchNet, we understand the challenges of writing a research paper in the field of marketing management. The intricacies of market analysis, consumer behavior, digital marketing, branding strategies, and so on require a thorough understanding and specialized skills. Our expert writing team is here to provide top-quality, custom-made research papers that meet your specific needs, ensuring academic success and intellectual growth.

• Expert Degree-Holding Writers : Our writers hold advanced degrees in Marketing Management and related fields. They are well-versed in current theories, practices, and trends, ensuring your paper is both academically sound and practically relevant.
• Custom Written Works : Every research paper is crafted from scratch based on your guidelines and requirements. We guarantee originality, aligning the content with your particular subject matter, focus, and style.
• In-Depth Research : Our writers delve deep into academic and industry resources to gather pertinent information, providing a well-rounded view of your chosen topic, enriched with insights and evidence.
• Custom Formatting : We adhere to the specific formatting guidelines of your choice, ensuring consistency and compliance with academic standards.
• Top Quality : Quality is at the core of our services. From language proficiency to content relevance, our quality control team ensures that every paper meets the highest standards of academic excellence.
• Customized Solutions : Whether it’s a complete research paper, a literature review, or specific chapters, we provide customized solutions tailored to your unique needs, timeframes, and academic level.
• Flexible Pricing : We offer competitive and flexible pricing options to suit various budgets. Our transparent pricing structure means you pay for what you need without hidden costs.
• Short Deadlines : Need a paper urgently? Our writers can deliver quality work even within tight deadlines, ensuring that you never miss a submission date.
• Timely Delivery : We honor our commitments and deliver your paper on or before the agreed deadline, providing ample time for review and revisions if needed.
• 24/7 Support : Our customer support team is available around the clock to answer your queries, provide assistance, and ensure a smooth and satisfying experience.
• Absolute Privacy : Your privacy is paramount to us. All personal and payment information is kept confidential, and your association with us is always discreet.
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• Money Back Guarantee : Your satisfaction is our priority. If for any reason our services don’t meet your expectations, we offer a money-back guarantee, reflecting our commitment to quality and customer satisfaction.

Writing a research paper on marketing management is a demanding task, but you don’t have to face it alone. With iResearchNet, you have a team of dedicated professionals ready to assist you every step of the way. From the initial idea to the final draft, our tailored services are designed to empower your academic journey and intellectual pursuits. Trust in our expertise, embrace our support, and let us transform your ideas into a scholarly masterpiece that resonates with the dynamism and complexity of marketing management. Experience the iResearchNet difference today!

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• Embark on a Smooth Journey : Writing a marketing management research paper is an enriching yet challenging task. Allow our expert writers to guide you through this academic expedition, crafting a paper that’s reflective of your potential. With iResearchNet, you choose clarity, coherence, and creativity.
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71+ Research Paper Topics & Ideas for Marketing Students  

As a marketing student, you probably have access to a plethora of resources such as your college library and of course, the internet, to come up with great research paper topics.

However, the thought of writing your research paper can be daunting, especially if you’re still brainstorming and don’t know what to write about.

Just like any other piece of writing, start by keeping your audience in mind. Then, make a list of research paper topics that are more relevant to your interests, or a new under-developed field (for example; augmented reality, or people sentiments towards Artificial Intelligence), or a unique research topic that intrigues your audience.

But if you’re still struggling to pin down one out of the many research paper topics for your program, we’ll suggest a number of them for you to either choose from; or for you to take inspiration from and come up with your own.

Table of Contents

How to Choose the Best Research Paper Topics

Before we dive into the details, you’ll have to familiarize yourself with the basics. For starters, pick up a pen and paper and brainstorm different topics that you’d like to write about.

While personal interest is definitely important, we also suggest you opt for a topic that will intrigue your readers.  Here are a couple of factors you ought to keep in mind while selecting a topic:

Keeping your personal interest in mind

You probably won’t be able to write a stellar research paper if you’re not interested in the topic. Sit down with your peers and advisors to discuss possible ideas. It will be easier for you to discuss different themes once you’ve written down all your ideas in one place. If you’ve decided on a specific keyword for instance “consumer behaviour”, you can look for similar research papers on the internet.

A research paper isn’t a descriptive essay which you can drag aimlessly. Your research paper needs to be based on factual data and that’s only possible if you’ve conducted thorough research. While jotting down points for your first draft, ensure your statements are supported with references or examples citing credible academicals and research work.

Don’t leave it till the last day

A lot of students tend to undermine the writing process and leave for the last few days. Bear in mind that you can’t possibly write your entire research paper overnight. In order to succeed, you’ll have to devote sufficient amount of time to research.

Also, be prepared to schedule meetings with your advisor on a regular basis as you’re bound to require help along the way. At this point, make sure you only rely on credible sources that will support your dissertation.

Examples & List of Research Paper Topics

If you’re still unable to decide a topic of your interest, here is a list of 70 unique marketing research topics that you can use as marketing project topics for your MBA, or any other marketing course:

• How do organizations use CSR ( corporate social responsibility ) to reinforce brand equity?
• What manipulation tactics do brands use to get more customers?
• How can brand image be communicated via social media marketing?
• How can social media impact the buying choices of shoppers?
• Are consumers equipped to shield themselves from direct marketing strategies?
• Determine and analyze consumer buying behavior for [product name]
• How does advertising impact consumer behaviour?
• How does family orientation impact marketing communications?
• What characteristics do buyers look for when purchasing a product online?
• How does global marketing incorporate standardization?
• What attributes do consumers look for when comparing products online?
• How do financial institutions differentiate their goods and services on the basis of social class?
• Is direct marketing really the most effective form of marketing?
• What internet marketing trends can be expected for the future?
• How to marketing strategies differ across different cultures?
• Can brand advertising impact political campaigns?
• How do brands exploit impulsive buying?
• How does loyalty cards encourage sales and boost customer loyalty?
• Can well-marketed brands get away with selling substandard quality products?
• How is globalization having on impact on consumer behaviour?
• Impact of brand image on customer loyalty
• Brand attributes that lead to an increase in customer loyalty
• Successful marketing approaches that helped break through strong market monopoly
• Impact of cause marketing on brand affinity with young mothers
• Effect of consumer promotions and discount offerings on brand equity
• The outcomes of advertising in a recession
• Influence on Social Media advertising on consumer behaviour
• Effect of TV advertising on top of mind awareness
• Understanding customer perceptions around event sponsorships
• Does corporate social responsibility translate into sales?
• Canadians perspective on being targeted with mobile ads based on their browser history
• Is direct marketing welcomed by people?
• Are customers able to differentiate between various mortgage offering by competing banks?
• Does social media influence buying behaviour
• Do people like being click baited into sponsored posts?
• Understanding the impact of celebrity endorsements on ROI for CPG brands
• Women’s sentiments around comparison advertising
• How effective is comparison advertising to build brand equity?
• Do consumers prefer purchasing routine grocery products online?
• Is earned media perceived to be as important as it appears to be?
• What makes people want to share content to their friends?
• Understanding why content goes viral
• Marketing challenges around the evolving family structures
• Are we losing the emotional value and significance of money being in a cashless society?
• Is centralized global marketing a good idea for brand health in local markets?
• How is augmented reality going to enhance marketing experiences?
• How will artificial intelligence support in making better marketing decisions?
• Is immersion marketing through virtual reality technology going to be accepted?
• What does the luxury auto buyer look for in a car?
• How to instill a desire to purchase for customers in the luxury category
• Harmful effects of advertising to kids
• Impact of in-store branding on brand salience
• Effect marketing strategies for restaurant businesses
• Habit formation and ways to integrate new products in consumer lifestyles
• Is display advertising going to die?
• Can Snapchat help small business grow?
• How do customers perceive the brand who advertise on Instagram?
• The impact of humour in advertising
• Do customers pay attention to nutrition labels?
• What triggers impulse buying behaviour
• Essentials to sky rocket a new brand to heights of awareness
• The factors that lead to customer satisfaction in young adults
• Elements that help build an emotional connection with your audience
• How do males and females differ in their buying behaviour of mobile phones
• Does language targeting help in ethnic advertising?
• Customer Perceptions: Are well known brands good in quality?
• Is radio still an effective method of advertising?
• Rural vs Urban marketing challenges to be mindful of
• Impact of internal branding on employee retention and turnover
• An in-depth analysis of political marketing in Canada

More Categories of Research Topics

Still in need of some inspiration? Here are a few research paper areas that you can explore:

• Distribution
• Consumer Behavior
• Relationship Marketing
• Brand Management
• Nonprofit Marketing
• Market Segmentation & Targeting
• Internet Marketing
• Marketing Planning & Forecasting
• Product Design & Positioning
• Direct Marketing
• Advertising
• Purchasing & Materials Management

Hopefully, these marketing thesis topics will help you come up with a few topics of your own. If you’re still confused about which area, you’d like to work with, we suggest you consult your advisor for some additional help. Good luck!

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• DOI: 10.37075/rp.2021.5.01
• Corpus ID: 245194093

Theoretical Foundations of the First Purchase in Marketing

• Published in Research Papers 10 December 2021
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233 Marketing Research Topics To Come Up With An Impressive Paper

Marketing is everywhere nowadays – from TV adverts to the pop-up ads that appear on our web browsers. No matter how much you may try to ignore it, marketing knocks still knocks at your door.

Despite all these, however, many students still struggle to develop top-notch marketing research paper topics. You might say, how is that even possible? Well, my friend, let me bring it to your attention that there are hundreds, if not thousands, of post-graduate students struggling to find such writing ideas.

But this where we draw the battle lines.

Marketing Topics For Research Paper: What You Need To Know

To be certain of a top grade in any field of study, you have to go the extra mile. Marketing is one of those flooded fields with stiff competition. Therefore, you have to come up with something fresh and original to convince your reader.

• Create interest in the reader’s mind of a particular offering
• Be precise and to the point
• Not repeat what is already out there
• Not offer the reader what is not there

Unlike any other topic, these are unique because they intend to sell a product or service to potential buyers. Thus, it would help if you handled it with a lot of care.

What To Avoid When Writing Marketing Paper Topics

Below are crucial points to consider for your marketing research topic:

• Do not be too wordy
• Avoid using words that are uncommon among the famous market
• Beware of being sensational

When writing your research paper’s marketing topics, the end goal should be to sell the product and build a reputable brand for yourself.

Explore these writing ideas for your inspiration:

Marketing Research Topics For College Students

• Marketing strategies for integrating new products into segmented markets
• The impact of coronavirus on marketing communication strategies
• How can companies best advertise their products overseas?
• Pitfalls to avoid when crafting marketing messages for children and other minors in the society
• Factors that determine client satisfaction in new markets
• Discuss the effectiveness of using discounts and loyalty cards in the marketing of products
• The impact of using black Friday offers in the wake of the Black lives matter movement
• Is it practical to contact clients via email subscriptions and newsletters?
• The role of conducting marketing research before attempting to bring a new product on board
• Define market segmentation and the essential pointers that segment various markets
• Compare and contrast marketing strategies in developing countries versus developed countries
• How do multinational companies carry out marketing as compared to local enterprises?
• The role of technology in marketing: A case study of simulations and virtual reality
• Evaluate the effectiveness of consumer education and awareness in marketing
• How does the marketing of food items vary from other products in the market?
• Discuss the effectiveness of various marketing channels and strategies
• Emerging opportunities and challenges in the field of marketing
• Modern tactics and paradigms used in business and consumer marketing
• Why it is essential to understand the culture of a market before venturing into it
• The role of academic papers of marketing in the business world

Professional List of Marketing Research Topics

• How CSRs help companies to make inroads into communities
• The impact of brand manipulation on the company’s reputation
• The role of social media in marketing: A case study of Twitter marketing
• How the fashion industry markets its product to potential clients
• The impact of gender and stereotypes in creating marketing and promotional messages
• How global marketing varies from local and national marketing strategies
• The role of political campaigns in impacting marketing and sale of products
• Techniques used by the gaming industry to attract teenagers and youths
• Analyzing successful business enterprises: A case study of Apple industry
• Adverse impacts of advertising alcoholic related products to children
• What makes a brand stay in the market for years without losing its meaning?
• Has technology replaced traditional marketing tools and strategies?
• The role of smartphone advertising in reaching the digital natives and tech-savvies
• The impact of radio and TV marketing on getting middle and working-class
• Compare and contrast new market entry strategies versus traditional ones
• How companies take advantage of impulsive or exorbitant buyers
• Evaluate the effectiveness of in-store branding
• Discuss the advertising strategies used by hotels and restaurants in attracting potential clients
• The impact of social class on preparing marketing and promotional messages
• How centralized marketing affects global brands and products

Sport Marketing Research Topics

• The role of sports hubs in the management of sports organizations
• Facilities and services that help save costs on sports
• Sourcing of funding for sporting activities in developing countries
• The part of the World Cup and Olympic games on marketing strategies and promotional messages
• Marketing strategies that work best for football fans
• The effect of sports celebrities on marketing and promotions
• How effective is branding on sportswear as a marketing strategy?
• Evaluate the effectiveness of Adidas advertising in the Olympic Games 2008 in China
• The role of marketing and modern challenges in advertising decisions in the sports industry nowadays
• Consumer buying behavior with brand loyalty and types of sports buying behavior.
• Factors that cause people to buy certain sports products: A case of Nike
• Explore the historical overview of the exciting development of Nike in providing athletes with equipment for their sports.
• Analyze the interior structure of a sports company and how this affects its marketing strategies
• Specific characteristics of companies that have excelled through sports branding and marketing
• The impact of the orientation of sports heritage, performance, and style in marketing
• Critically analyze the impact of using Chelsea as a brand name in product advertising
• The production and replacement of goods and services: A case of sportswear
• How sports brands operate effectively and competitively in international markets
• Creating the relevant skills for sports advertising and branding
• The impact of practical knowledge about innovative techniques of production in sports marketing

Best-Rated Research Papers Topics in Marketing

• Evaluate the effectiveness of online shops as compared to the physical ones
• How multinational companies compete in the markets by creating an international marketing orientation
• Discuss how certain companies gain a competitive advantage in comparison to other companies
• Analyze the importance of concentrating on the needs of consumers when composing marketing messages
• The essence of feedback from clients in a marketing strategy
• How have giant companies remained and strengthened their leading position in the European sports industry?
• Discuss the underlying aspects of modern advertising
• The effectiveness of poster advertising on bus stations before the launch of a product
• Slogans’ role in marketing: A case study of Adidas’ saying: ‘Impossible is nothing.’
• Evaluate the effectiveness of commercials with sports personalities: A case of David Beckham
• How companies adapt cultural incidents and attention to individualistic attractions in marketing messages
• Ways of determining the budget for a marketing campaign
• Assess the workability of creating an innovative and creative marketing message
• Discuss how companies strike a balance between making profits and effective marketing strategies
• Should modern marketing messages be informative or persuasive?
• The impact of comparative marketing messages on the behavior of a product in the market
• Why an evaluation of the company’s strength and weaknesses is essential in developing its marketing plan
• The role of integrated marketing information of an organization on its marketing plans
• How to discover management trends in market segments
• Why companies need to build units for marketing information that are concerned with trends and developments within the marketplace

Research Topics in Real Estate Marketing

• Why finance is a critical consideration in real estate marketing
• Reasons for the fluctuating financial system in real estate
• The impact of coronavirus and recession on the real estate industry
• Is the curriculum on real estate marketing effective in producing talented minds?
• The effects of property finance marketing on the modern society
• The role of business investors in helping people own homes
• Owning a Home and the Effect of Credit Unions
• Challenges and benefits of mortgages and loans on the real estate industry
• Explain how real estate companies can cope with business financial loans
• Give a detailed analysis of potential customers in real estate marketing messages
• Discuss the various property financing versions in the USA
• Evaluate the importance of studying Geography and finance in real estate marketing
• Discuss the slow rate of growth of real estate industries in developing countries
• Why have real estate marketing messages been greeted with a cold shoulder?
• Discuss the unexploited possibilities and opportunities in rural areas
• How to maintain equity and still control debt funding in real estate industries
• The role of investors together with institutional traders in managing the real-estate companies
• Technologies advances in real estate that are transforming the industry
• How the fiscal sector is affecting property market developments
• Assess how real estate companies are coping with the changing market demands

Sample Marketing Research Project Ideas

• Distinguish between brand loyalty as a behavior and as an attitude in marketing
• The importance of rankings concerning the popularity of brands
• Discuss marketing strategies that create a higher self-confidence in buying decisions
• Analyze the higher level of risk in purchasing decisions
• Why some customers are more store loyal than others
• The role of global brands in creating a marketing ecosystem
• Discuss the history of world commerce and how marketing strategies have evolved over time
• How has the internationalization of finance and business affected marketing?
• The importance of geographical extension among marketers
• Why do customers pay keen attention to the price of products
• The role of mass production in determining the marketing strategies
• How to balance between demand and supply when creating marketing messages
• How to create a suitable image for a brand, product, or service
• The impact of global brands communicating in worldwide sports events
• A primary investigation of what motivates people to buy certain products over others
• How virtual communities help marketers communicate their messages
• An exploration of using cinematic media to promote food products
• The impact of personal styles and preferences on marketing messages
• What effect do personal statements from celebrities have on marketing strategies?
• An analysis of sponsorship based on marketing

High-Quality Marketing Thesis Topics

• The implications of social media marketing on cost and speed of delivery
• An investigation of the relationship between marketing messages and customer emotions
• Examine the relationship sources of income and buying behaviors
• Research into the causes of the decline of newspaper advertising
• Are marketing messages overrated?
• The impact of brand ambassadors on user-generated branding programs
• Explore the effects of integrating relationship marketing strategies
• Effects of increased commercialization
• How often should a promotional notice be posted in a day?
• Do global warming and its consequences have anything to do with marketing?
• How to create an emotional appeal in marketing messages
• Analysis of strategic success factors in the internalization of marketing messages
• The impact of repetitive advertising upon consumers
• International business management strategies that work well for start-ups
• The effect of marketing messages on the physically disabled
• Evaluate how marketing messages have been used to spread sexual messages
• Discuss the legal and ethical implications of marketing
• How to craft compelling marketing messages that do not discriminate against race
• What causes the relevant authorities to ban particular marketing messages?
• The impact of creating controversial sports messages

Motivating Marketing Research Questions

• Opportunities and threats to marketing products and services overseas
• How long have you been a customer, and what has kept you going back?
• How can companies attract their target audience more often?
• Factors that necessitate one company to stand out from another
• How to improve your product and service delivery
• Practical ways of better serving your clients
• Discuss how big is your potential market
• Will this market segment grow or shrink in the future?
• What other products and services out there are similar to the ones we are offering?
• Who are our top competitors, and what are they doing differently from us?
• What portion of the market share do our competitors own?
• What part is available for you to own or take?
• What is the educational level of the people you are writing the promotional message to?
• What is the household income of your potential market?
• What is the impact of the household size on the kind of marketing strategy to compose?
• What are the hobbies and interests of your potential clientele?
• What are the most significant challenges you are likely to encounter when marketing?
• What is your preference when it comes to making purchases?
• What determines the shop or boutique where you buy your products?
• How will the product fit the needs of the potential clients?

Must-Have Marketing Research Topics For College Students

• Latest marketing strategies in the light of the changing mobile customer experience
• How country relations impact the marketing communication messages used at the cross-border level
• The new way to boost sales through conversational strategies
• The impact of marketing conferences and conventions on the practice
• Why most companies slash marketing budgets at the expense of profits
• The role of marketing automation in reaching out to more clients
• The importance of social networking in developing contacts for marketing
• Discuss the effectiveness of content marketing for the entertainment industry
• The essence of tag lines in creating memorable marketing messages
• Why should a company have customer evangelists?
• How to incorporate value prepositions in marketing messages
• The impact of marketing messages on millennial and Generation X
• How companies are using blogs and YouTube to market their products
• Discuss the effectiveness of online marketing among the youth
• Should nonprofit organizations prepare marketing messages?
• The importance of web analytics in determining the performance of a marketing message
• Do companies follow procedure when it comes to permission email marketing?
• Explore the various challenges of email campaigns
• Discuss the effectiveness of word-of-mouth marketing strategy
• Why the voice of the consumer is necessary for a marketing campaign

Hot Topics in Marketing

• Analyze the developments made in B2B marketing
• Discuss the qualities of a top-notch advertisement copy
• What is the importance of benchmarking in business marketing?
• The role of brand management in keeping it afloat
• Discuss the effectiveness of corporate blogging
• Evaluate marketing strategies that consider customer engagement
• How to retain customer through marketing campaigns
• How to market products amid economic crisis
• The impact of 5G on high-tech marketing
• How does hiring outside resources affect marketing?
• The essence of keywords in online marketing
• The rise of personal branding on Instagram and YouTube
• How to collaborate marketing operations in different localities
• Analyzing the consumer buying behavior of apple laptops
• The impact of family orientation on the consumer behavior
• Features that clients look for when purchasing online products
• Why companies should understand customer perceptions of their products
• Discuss the relationship between corporate social responsibility and sales
• Evaluate the acceptance of direct marketing from people
• The impact of click baits on marketing strategies: Are they ethical?

Marketing Class Project Ideas

• The impact of sentiments from brand ambassadors on the performance of products
• Consider the behavior of consumer purchases online and offline
• What makes a person refer his/her to a particular product?
• Why products go viral
• The emotional value of marketing messages
• Significance of a cashless society
• Augmented reality and marketing
• Understanding car buyers
• How humor affects advertising
• Triggers to impulsive buying behavior
• Customer satisfaction among young adults
• Male and female marketing techniques
• Impact of customer perceptions
• Political marketing in the USA
• Brand management
• Market targeting
• Market forecasting
• Purchasing management
• Product positioning
• Nonprofit marketing

Digital Marketing Research Topics

• Social media marketing
• Telemarketing
• Smartphones and relationship marketing
• Pitfalls of e-marketing
• Marketing timing across social media platforms
• Digital market segments
• Customer privacy
• Confidentiality
• Black Fridays
• Snapchat marketing
• Virtual reality technology

We hope that the over 200 marketing topics were able to meet your needs. If not, we offer affordable thesis help online for college students.

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100 best marketing research topics for all.

Because of the many aspects of marketing, choosing marketing topics to write about may put one in a dicey situation. This article provides some hot topics in marketing that will help you select an area of focus and select relevant topics from that niche. From marketing research topics for college students to social issues in marketing, we have got you covered! So sit down and relax as we take you through the list of marketing research topics our professional writers prepared just for you!

Marketing Thesis Topics

Are you in need of well-thought-out marketing thesis topics and marketing dissertation topics? Then you’re in the right place! This list of marketing paper topics presented will give you a distinct thesis/dissertation.

• Analysis and determination of consumer buying behavior for Coca-Cola
• A study on famous well-marketed brands that got away with selling substandard quality products
• A study showing the impact of advertising on consumer behavior
• Brand advertising and political campaigns: a possible interwoven impact?
• A review of the outcomes of advertising in a recession
• Exhaustive research on how brands exploit impulsive buying
• A study of how celebrity endorsements on ROI affect CPG brands
• A survey of the impact of augmented reality on marketing experiences
• Critical research on how AI will help make better marketing decisions
• A study of the perspective and reception of Americans to targeted ads based on their browser history

Current Marketing Issues

There are numerous marketing issues around the world today. These global marketing issues threaten the survival of many businesses and the economy at large. Here is a list of current marketing issues!

• A decline in organic reach on social media platforms
• Difficulty in building a well-recognized brand name
• Getting readers to see content
• Understanding marketing results
• Marketing budgets included by BREXIT
• Optimizing business for voice search
• Bridging the technology gap
• Ensuring compliance with GDPR
• Overdependence of potential customers on amazon
• The effect of COVID-19 on the global economy

Marketing Research Topics

Getting marketing topics for research has been made considerably more comfortable with this list of marketing research paper topics. Ready to explore the marketing research topics we have, let’s delve right in!

• Exploring how organizations use corporate social responsibility (CSR) to reinforce brand equity
• The effect of social media on buying choices
• Online purchasing: a study of the product characteristics buyers look for
• An exploration of the differences in marketing strategies across cultures
• Manipulation tactics: how brands can get more customers
• A study of how customer loyalty is affected by brand image
• Analyzing how TV advertising affects the top of mind awareness
• Do people appreciate being click baited into sponsored posts?
• A study on how to make customers purchase goods and services in the luxury category

Digital Marketing Blog Topics

Digital marketing remains a very important aspect of marketing in the world today. Here are some very juicy digital marketing topics you can write a great blog on!

• 10 insightful differences between paid search and organic search
• Tips for promoting content on Pinterest
• SEO tactics to avoid like the plague
• How to increase your followers on social media
• Best tips to help you grow your paid social ROAS
• Why should you follow your competitors on social media?
• Dos and don’ts of social media marketing
• How to create content your audience will be eager to share

Marketing Essay Topics

• What is the most effective form of marketing?
• Internet marketing trends to expect in the future
• What important brand attributes lead to an increase in customer loyalty?
• A look into marketing approaches that broke through strong market monopoly
• The impact of social media on consumer buying behavior
• Comparison of advertising versus building brand equity
• Rebuilding trust in influencer marketing
• How to generate leads effectively

Content Marketing Topics

• 10 biggest graphic design mistakes companies make in their marketing pieces
• How to create captivating e-newsletters that people will pay attention to
• Repurposing marketing content for small businesses
• Working more micro-content into marketing efforts
• Multi-step versus one-step content marketing campaigns
• The five Cs when creating content marketing copy
• Creating compelling content marketing campaigns in 10 steps
• Content marketing: how to generate more leads and close sales

Strategic Marketing Problems

There are many marketing problems in companies and businesses that threaten to cripple the advancement of the industry. Here is a list of some marketing problems you may be willing to proffer solutions to.

• Inability to explain products or services delivered
• Not clearly defining a company’s market segment
• Lack of innovating commercial department
• Lack of business visibility
• Missing links between sales and marketing departments
• Lack of marketing plan
• Lack of personal branding, brand image, and professional reputation
• Thinking the company or business can survive without marketing

Marketing Blog Topics

• Facebook advertising: pros and cons
• 10 benefits of inbound marketing
• The most frustrating problems faced in inbound marketing
• How to generate subscribers for your blog faster than ever!
• 10 benefits of content marketing lead magnets
• Five video content marketing myths you must discard
• 30 social media campaign ideas from big brands

Controversial Marketing Topics

• Does google give preferential treatment to big brands?
• Does social media affect SEO ranking?
• Are grey SEO techniques safe?
• Are YouTube videos more engaging than TV ads?
• Are building e-mail lists still one of the best ways to sell?
• Will immersion marketing through VR technology to be accepted?

Sport Marketing Research Topics

Sports marketing continues to remain a significant source of revenue. Hence, research in this area will continue to stay relevant. Here are some sport marketing topics you could consider working on.

• How the extraordinary content offered by intelligent chatbots can help sports teams strengthen fan loyalty
• Emerging opportunities in sports marketing and how to capitalize on them
• How to effectively capitalize on the wearables market
• Should more women and children get into sports?
• Should seniors be allowed to participate in some games?

Marketing Presentation Topics

• Mastering in-house SEO
• The path to gaining and building customers trust
• Brand awareness versus ROI
• Effectively personalizing customer communications
• The best SEO strategies that increase site traffic

International Marketing Topics

Marketing connects the global world, and this is why it is essential to marketing development. Here are some international marketing topics to consider!

• The effect of globalization on consumer behavior
• How do international brands compare to local brands?
• Do international brands always have advantages over a local brand?
• Creating brand awareness by utilizing global event marketing
• How to market products on an international level

Marketing Plan Topics

• The importance of a marketing plan to the success of a business or product launch
• Building a tactical marketing plan
• How is a marketing strategy different from a marketing plan?
• Indispensable parts in writing a marketing plan

Ethical Issues In Marketing

• Targeted Ads based on browser history
• Immersion marketing through virtual reality
• The exploitation of impulsive buying
• Click baiting into sponsored posts

Affiliate Marketing Topics

• How to find profitable niches in affiliate marketing
• How to get readers interested in what you market
• How to build a personal website: the ultimate guide

Congratulations! We hope you have been able to guide you in choosing your desired topic in marketing successfully. Alo, you can check out our business topics. We wish you the best in your research!

Best Ever 111+ Research Topics for Marketing By Experts

Are you struggling to find a well-thought marketing research topic for your thesis? Finding a research topic for marketing can give hard times. Marketing students spend a lot of time doing assignments. But they also have the opportunity to utilize their time and discover their true interests. Marketing has a wide range of aspects.

Therefore it is sometimes difficult to find the perfect topic for your thesis. In such a time, this article is your savior. In this article, we brought you some research topics that are interesting and equally unique. We have tried to cover every niche in this blog which is research topics for marketing. From marketing research topics to social issues.

If you have any pending marketing essays, then don’t worry. We are here to help you with your marketing essay. However, you can get the best marketing essay help from us. So, don’t waste your time get marketing essay help now.

Below is the List of All Interesting Research Topics for Marketing for Your Thesis

Table of Contents

• A study on consumer buying behavior for Coca-Cola.
• The distribution system in small-scale companies and multinational companies. Compare.
• Business marketing paradigms and tactics in the modern market.
• Use of CPR (Corporate social responsibility) by companies to build their brand.
• Marketing research and business sales. Define the relationship between them, their need, and their importance.
• Different market segments.
• Impact of globalization on consumer behavior.
• Covid-19 and its effect on the global economy. 
• How does advertisement on TV affect consumers’ top mood?
• Impact of advertising in the recession period.
• Marketing strategy in the fashion industry.
• Using Starbucks as an example. Explain International Market Entry.
• Views on celebrities promoting brands. Result and impact on return on investment.
• Artificial Intelligence.
• Conversational Marketing.
• A new trend of marketing- Video Marketing.
• Digital Marketing and Search engine optimization.
• The strongest form of marketing strategy- The influencer market.
• Marketing and Social media management.
• Importance of email in the market: Email Marketing.
• How important is information and computer technology (ICT) in Supply Chain Market?
• Impact of ICT on Supply Chain Market.
• Importance of Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). Describe it with the example of Adidas.
• Content promotion on Pinterest. Briefly explain.
• How can you boost followers on Instagram?
• How to organically increase Return on ad spend.
• Advantages of following your competitor on social platforms.
• Social Media Marketing Strategy: Dos and don’ts.
• How to create content that is engaging? 
• The most successful and powerful form of promotion.
• Social media and consumer behavior. Their relationship and impact on each other.
• Effective ways of generating leads.
• Expected trends in the future for marketing. 
• Methods of creating a captivating e-newsletter for the public’s attention.
• Importance of Brand name, Brand image, and reputation.
• Thought of running a business without marketing. Views, pros, and cons.
• Facebook advertisement promotion: effective or not.
• How often a business should launch new campaigns?
• Are giveaways on social media worth it?
•  How huge a Giveaway should be according to the business scale?
• The whole strategy for making content go viral.
• Is Snapchat capable of effectively advertising?
• Effective and unique campaign ideas.
• Difference between the quality of small business products and well-known business products.
• Should radio still be preferred as an advertising option?
• Facebook versus Instagram: which is best for marketing?
• Difference between leads generated from Facebook and leads generated from Instagram.
• Click-baited sponsored content. Impression on the consumer.
• Social media marketing, advertising, and business-to-consumer marketing. Advantages and disadvantages.
• Influence of BREXIT on UK financial institutions.

List of Popular Marketing Research Topics

• Personalization is essential in marketing.
• The impact of the marketing mix on organizational performance.
• The significance of STP analysis in any corporate organization.
• What effect does television advertising have on the customer’s overall mood?
• How can lockdown scenarios affect the organization’s public relations efforts?
• The significance of environmental auditing in developing efficient marketing strategies.
• One of the most popular green advertising taglines is “Just Do It.”
• Apple, Southwest Airlines, and Budweiser all have excellent marketing techniques.

Content Marketing Topic Ideas

• What is pillar content, and how can it help you increase sales?
• Marketing content repurposing for startups.
• The most important elements of every effective content marketing.
• When should you use micro-content in content marketing campaigns?
• The most powerful content promotion techniques. 
• The advantages of one-step vs. Multi-step content marketing campaigns.
• Lead generation content marketing strategies.
• How to increase email subscription rates using content.
• As an emerging content marketing strategy, interactive content marketing.
• Canva’s design school content marketing strategy in action.

Strategic Marketing Topic Ideas

• Lack of business visibility.
• There is no marketing strategy.
• Inconsistencies in the value communication of products or services.
• Innovative marketing solutions are not worthwhile to invest in.
• Market research that could have been better executed.
• The departments of marketing and sales need to be linked.
• A company does not keep track of its customers’ past interactions.
• My company is too small to succeed without marketing.
• The marketing department relies on traditional marketing strategies.
• The company’s target market segment is unknown.

Marketing Research Topics in Distribution In 2023

• Evaluating the effectiveness of online distribution channels for small businesses.
• Understanding the impact of delivery speed and convenience on consumer buying decisions.
• Analyzing the role of social media in driving online sales for distributors.
• Assessing the impact of new payment methods on distribution channels.
• Examining the effect of personalized marketing on customer loyalty for distribution companies.
• Investigating the role of packaging and branding in influencing consumer purchase decisions in retail distribution.
• Understanding the importance of data analytics in optimizing distribution strategies for retailers.
• Analyzing the impact of e-commerce on traditional distribution channels.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of loyalty programs in retaining customers for distribution companies.
• Investigating the role of influencer marketing in promoting new products for distributors.
• Examining the impact of online reviews on consumer trust and purchase decisions in distribution channels.
• Understanding the role of customer service in enhancing the customer experience for online shoppers.
• Investigating the effectiveness of cross-channel marketing strategies in reaching new customers.
• Analyzing the impact of global trade and tariffs on distribution channels for multinational companies.
• Evaluating the importance of supply chain management in ensuring timely delivery of products to customers.
• Understanding the impact of demographic changes on distribution channels, such as the rise of millennial consumers.
• Investigating the effectiveness of subscription-based models in increasing customer loyalty for distributors.
• Analyzing the role of data privacy and security in building trust with customers in online distribution channels.
• Understanding the impact of sustainability and eco-friendliness on consumer purchasing decisions in retail distribution.
• Evaluating the effectiveness of in-store promotions and displays in driving sales for physical retail distribution channels.

Digital Marketing Blog Topics In 2023

• The Future of SEO: How Artificial Intelligence Will Change the Game
• Personalization in Digital Marketing: Strategies to Reach Your Target Audience
• The Rise of Voice Search: How to Optimize Your Content for Voice Assistants
• Social Media Marketing Trends: What to Expect in the Next Five Years
• The Importance of Video Marketing in 2023: Tips for Creating Engaging Content
• The Ethics of Digital Marketing: Balancing Privacy and Personalization
• The Power of Influencer Marketing: How to Collaborate with Influencers in Your Niche
• The Future of Email Marketing: Automation and Personalization
• Emerging Technologies and their Impact on Digital Marketing
• The Role of Data Analytics in Digital Marketing: Leveraging Insights for Business Growth.

List of Best Research Topics for Marketing for You in 2023

If you are still in need of some inspiration regarding marketing research topics, then here are a few marketing research topics that you can explore:

• To examine the factors that are influencing customer loyalty by brand image. A case of Adidas.
• To assess the marketing approaches that influence consumer buying behavior.
• The impact of inorganic over organic reach on several social media platforms.
• To identify how brands exploit impulsive buying.
• To Identify How Internet Marketing Has Changed the Lives of Consumers and Brands.
• To examine the difference between advertising & creating brand equity.
• The impact of brand strategies and advertising on youth.
• To identify which social media platforms are used most by brands to reach their customers for create awareness
• To determine the factors and elements that emphasize the development of emotional connection with the customers.
• To Analyse the Effect of Emotional Targeting of the Brand on Customers.

Hopefully, this list of the best marketing research topics will help. If you’re still confused about which area you’d like to work in, below are some more topics related to the Pandemic. 

3 Pandemic Related Research Topics for Marketing (COVID-19)

Below are the top 3 pandemics related marketing research topics:

• Marketing shift in the retail sector – A case of Covid – 19
• Vaccine Access & Inequality
• “Common Good” vs Medical Privacy
• How to choose right topics for marketing
• The Importance of marketing in today’s life
• How to create an effective marketing presentation

What Should a Marketing Thesis Structure Look Like?

After you find the perfect marketing research topic, you may struggle with how you should outline it on paper. Therefore, we brought you this ideal outline for your thesis that you can use or change here and there to make it more like you. 

INTRO: Foundation of the thesis

Background.

Stating the purpose.

Stating the thesis.

MAIN BODY: Argument 1: Precise explanation.   

Support evidence. 

Argument 2: Precise explanation.   

Conclusion.

Argument 3: Precise explanation.   

CONCLUSION:

Restate the argument. and summarize everything 

Slightly conclude everything.

Tips and Tricks to Choosing the Best Research Topics for Marketing

Firstly, you’ll have to be familiar with the basics before we even deep dive into the details. If you want to start, pick up a pen and paper and then write about different topics that you’d like to write about. 

Here are some of the factors that you want to keep in mind while selecting research topics for marketing:

Try To Keeping Your Personal Interest In Mind

You won’t be able to write a research paper if you are not interested in the topic. Sit down and relax. Try to think about topics in which you’re interested.

It will be a lot easier for you to discuss different themes once you’ve written down all your ideas in one place. 

Don’t Leave It In The Middle

More than 50% of the students start the writing process, but they are not able to complete it and leave it in the middle. Just keep in mind that you’re not able to write an entire research paper overnight.

In order to succeed, you’ll have to give a sufficient amount of time to research.

If you want some help, get some advice from your advisor daily.

A research paper is not something into which you can drag something aimlessly. On the other hand, your research paper needs to be based on actual data, which is only possible if you conduct thorough research. 

While writing a note for your research, make sure your statements are supported with references or examples. Above all three tips that you have to keep in mind while selecting research topics for marketing.

All of these are unique research topics for marketing students. And they are perfect for college students to write their marketing thesis because the internet has plenty of information on each one of them. Make sure to read enough about the selected topic before starting to write. And also make an outline of the thesis at the start, so that you have a reason to get going with the thesis.

Once finished, make sure to ask for feedback from your instructor. And cross-check for spelling mistakes, grammatical errors, and any sort of mistake. if you need an assignment of marketing , then contact our marketing assignment writer .

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1. how to select the best research topic for a marketing thesis.

Whatever topic you decide to go with. Just make sure that you’re interested in it. Because being interested in what you write makes the whole process go a lot smoother and easy. Sit back and think of the possible ideas that excite you and you can write about them. And write down a bunch of ideas before you select the main one. Because it is good to select from a long list rather than just going with the first topic that came into your mind. This might take time. But that is what this article is for, above 45 different topics on different aspects of marketing are given. You can go through it, we’re sure there will be one that might interest you.

Q2. How to make your marketing thesis sound more realistic?

A marketing thesis is totally different from one that is an essay. So you can not aimlessly ramble on it. You need to add facts to it to support your main argument. And also make sure that your facts are very well supported by examples and references. That can only be done when you have thoroughly searched through the subject. The Internet has an abundance of information on the topics discussed above. Make sure to acknowledge enough information before starting the thesis.

Q3. What are the different types of Research Papers?

Here we listed the top 7 different types of research papers:

1. Report Paper 2. Survey Research Paper 3. Cause and Effect Research Paper 4. Experimental Research Paper 5. Analytical Research Paper 6. Argumentative Research Paper 7. Problem-Solution Research Paper

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Top 120 Marketing Topics For Your Paper

Marketing is an essential sphere of the modern world and is, therefore, subject to intense research. The good news for researchers is that with this flood of data, writing a research paper should be easier. The bad news, however, is that with so much data, decision-making may not be so straightforward. Therefore, you have to choose the right marketing topics among this many options.

Best Marketing Research Paper Topics

Social media marketing topics, sports marketing topics, international marketing topics, content marketing topics, controversial marketing topics, digital marketing topics, marketing topics for presentation, marketing plan topics, trending marketing topics, interesting marketing dissertation topics, marketing topics ideas for essay.

Choosing marketing topics for your research may put you in a somewhat confusing situation. Although they are difficult to find, they needn’t be! Hence, this article focuses on hot marketing topics to write about. With our list of hot topics in marketing, you’ll not doubt as to where to focus and what topics to choose.

From marketing paper topics to marketing blog topics, we have got you covered! Here are 120 marketing topics just for you!

Are you into any kind of marketing research, or do you need some marketing essay topics for a college assignment? Then relax! We refuse to leave you out in the dark. With our marketing topics for research, you’ll be on top of your game. No bluffing – these marketing topics for research paper spans all forms of education. What do I mean? These marketing topics cover some marketing thesis topics, marketing dissertation topics, and marketing research topics for college students! Also, you can easily get qualified marketing thesis help from our experts. Are you ready for the list of marketing research topics? Let’s delve right in!

• Evaluation of the best distribution strategies for new companies.
• Mistakes to avoid when choosing marketing distribution channels.
• The influence and opportunities of online shopping in China.
• How social media impact the German Christmas market.
• How consumer purchase decision influences e-marketing.
• How Internet Marketing Affects Pharmaceutical Marketing And Ethics.
• Gender And Its Effect On Buying Decision.
• Factors That Influence Impulsive Buying And How Brands Exploit Them
• How the Brand Extension Affects Brand Personality.
• Black Friday Sales: How Companies Use And Benefit From These Sales.
• Direct Marketing Strategies: Are Consumers Immune To Its Effect?

Social media marketing is no longer a new marketing concept. Many companies now use diverse social media platforms for marketing their brands and influencing people into getting hooked on their products or services. Here are some social media marketing topics that many companies will find interesting.

• Social media and the survival of a business.
• The best social media to use for baby products.
• How to apply marketing mix on Facebook.
• Facebook vs. Instagram, which is the best marketing platform?
• Can Facebook help your business to grow?
• How To Pick The Right Social Media Platforms For Your Business.
• Effective Communication Of Brand Image Via Social Media Marketing.
• Snapchat: Can This Platform Help Small Businesses Grow?
• Instagram: How Customers Perceive Brands Who Advertise On This Platform.
• What Makes People Want To Share Content With Their Friends?
• How Does Social Media Advertising Impact Consumer Behavior?

Sports marketing is a trendy type of marketing. Here are some sports marketing research topics you should consider.

• A Critical Analysis Of The Effect Of Traditional Advertising On Ticket Purchases.
• A Study Of How Football Teams Use Social Media Platforms (Twitter) To Gain The Loyalty Of Their Fans.
• Olympics: A Comparative Study Of The Trends In The Market Of The Host Country, And Growth Ratio.
• Women In Sports: The Effect Of Female Athletes On The Brand Loyalty Of Sports Goods Consumers?
• A Study On How Small And Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Can Support Sports Marketing.
• The trending opportunities in sports marketing and how to make use of them.
• The best way you can use to make use of wearable markets
• Should seniors be permitted to participate in sports games?
• How can intelligent sports chat boards help sports teams to strengthen their loyalty?
• Should more women and children get into sports?

Marketing is one of the strings that hold the modern world together. Here are some international marketing topics that will dig deeper into global marketing and interest most readers.

• Comparative Analysis Of International And Local Brands
• How Companies Create Brand Awareness Via International Event Marketing.
• How Manufacturers Can Market Their Products Internationally.
• A Critical Acritical Of The Steps To Magnificent Multilingual Marketing Campaign.
• A Study On How Businesses Can Be Successful At Localization.
• How does globalization impact consumer behavior?
• International brands vs. local brands, which one has an advantage?
• How to create brand awareness through global event marketing.
• Ways you can use to market your products on an international level.
• How to utilize global event marketing when creating brand awareness.

Although most brands use content marketing, many are not good at it because it makes your business vulnerable. Marketers put their thoughts and ideas on the line hoping to see a good response. Here are some content marketing topics to help you study brands that got their content marketing right!

• Why Coca-Cola’s “Share A Coke” Campaign Was A Huge Success.
• A Study Of The Make-a-wish Batkid Campaign.
• The Idea Behind Hootsuite’s Game Of Social Thrones Video.
• How Velcro Made The Boring Fascinating.
• How To Companies Like Okay Use Influence To Spread Powerful Messages.
• Tips when creating content on Pinterest.
• Guide on how to create content that your audience will want to share.
• Five biggest graphic design mistakes that companies make when they are marketing their pieces.
• Ways you can use to generate more leads and close sales using content marketing.
• 10 steps to create a compelling marketing campaign.

Controversial marketing puts brands in the spotlight. These ads do pay off! Here are some controversial marketing topics for brands that made famous controversial marketing ads.

• A Study On How Nike’s “Believe In Something” Ad Increased Their Stocks Prices.
• Why Burger King’s “Whopper Neutrality” Got Millions Of Views.
• Why Weight Watchers’ Partnership With DJ Khaled Increased Their Success.
• Why Gillette’s “We Believe: The Best Men Can Be” Was A Controversial Ad.
• How The Timing Of The Anheuser-Busch’s “Born The Hard Way” Ad Made It Controversial.
• The truth about Google giving preferential treatment to big brands.
• Is it true that social media affects SEO rankings?
• TV ads and YouTube videos: which ones are more engaging?
• Is the building of the email list an effective way to sell?
• Will immersion technology through VR technology be accepted?

Digital marketing is rapidly growing, influencing millions of people across the world. Here are five digital marketing topics and digital marketing blog topics you should consider.

• Search Engine Marketing: Critical Analysis Of Visual Keyword Tools.
• Traditional Marketing Versus Digital Marketing: An Analytical Comparison.
• ROI For Various Digital Marketing Strategies
• Targeted Marketing: Facebook Analytics.
• Coupon Code: Customer Preferences On These Promotional Activities.
• What are the differences between paid search engines and organic search?
• Tips that you can use to help you grow your paid ROAS.
• Top 10 reasons you should follow your competitors on social media.
• What are the dos and don’ts when you are using social media marketing?
• Top SEO tactics that you should avoid.

Need to give a presentation on marketing? These five marketing presentation topics will enthrall your listeners!

• How To Use The Blue Ocean Strategy
• Fundamentals Of Marketing Management.
• Digital And Social Media Marketing.
• How To Effectively Manage Customer Service.
• Essential Creative Thinking Skills All Marketing Managers Should Have.
• What does in-house SEO entail?
• What is the path to gaining and building your customers’ trust?
• Which is better, brand awareness or ROI?
• How to effectively personalize client’s communication
• What are the best SEO strategies that increase site traffic?

Starting a business without a marketing plan could be suicidal. These marketing plan topics will help you preach the importance and place of marketing plans in the business world.

• Why a Marketing Plan is a Crucial Aspect When Launching Your Business or Product.
• Why you should have a strong marketing plan before launching your business.
• How to build a tactical marketing plan
• Marketing Strategy versus marketing plan: The differences.
• Why do businesses lack proper marketing plans?
• Ways you can use to build a tactical marketing plan
• Is there a difference between a marketing plan and a marketing strategy?
• What are the vital parts when you are writing a marketing plan?
• What part does a marketing plan play in the success of a business or product launch?

Trends! Trends! Trends! Here are some trending marketing topics that almost everyone will find interesting!

• The Era of Fake News: Why and How Marketing leaders should protect their brands.
• How to Improve Your Martech Stack Effectiveness.
• Why you should redesign your Websites to do what customers want.
• Why we should pay attention to artificial intelligence.
• What are the marketing strategies that airline companies in the US employ?
• Why should you do a competitor analysis when creating a marketing strategy for your brand?
• How do clients perceive businesses that use Facebook to market their business?
• Is it possible for a business to grow simply by using Facebook marketing?
• How to handle online marketing and deal with internet security.

Though there are several marketing strategies, they differ in the way that marketers employ them. If you are looking for interesting marketing strategies that you will use to impress your lecturer, here is a list of options to use.

• What is the marketing strategy that is employed by the fashion industry?
• Does gender have any impact on the family purchase decision?
• Analyze how Apple was successful in global marketing.
• Ways that companies differentiate their services based on social class.
• Political campaign and brand marketing.
• Is there a harmful impact of advertising on children?
• What are the best marketing strategies for hotel businesses?
• How do companies use smartphones to tap into the thinking of their clients?
• Uber and Netflix: Compare the new market entry strategies used by these two companies.

Choosing a marketing topic idea for an essay can be overwhelming. However, to help you out, here are some ideas you can use to impress your lecturer.

• What is the most effective form of marketing?
• What form of marketing trends do you expect in the future?
• What attributes can brands have that will help to increase brand loyalty?
• Ways to rebuild trust in influencer marketing.
• What causes a lack of personal branding, brand image, and professional reputation?
• Is it possible for businesses to survive without marketing?
• Top ten frustrating problems that are caused by inbound marketing.
• A look at seven video content myths you must discard.
• 20 social media campaign ideas for big brands.
• Five effective ways you can use to increase traffic to your website.

So here we are! 120 marketing topics! Make your pick of the marketing topics you find workable or check out our business topics . Good luck with your work!

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370+ Best Marketing Research Topics & Ideas for Students to Consider

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Ever had that brain-freezing moment where you're staring at a blank page, desperately hunting for that perfect marketing research topic? We've all been there. Welcome to your new cheat-sheet – a collection of unique, compelling, and downright cool marketing research paper topics. 

This isn't your standard list. We've gone beyond the beaten track, exploring the wild frontier of marketing, from neuromarketing mysteries to influencer insights. We've broken it down into digestible sections, so you can dive straight into your area of interest or academic level. Go ahead, check out these marketing research topics for papers and dissertations to make your next project shine!

What Are Marketing Research Topics?

In its simplest form, marketing is all about telling a compelling story to your audience. It's how businesses communicate the value of their products or services to customers, intending to promote and sell them. Yet, it's not just about selling. Marketing also involves understanding customer needs, crafting solutions to meet these needs, and building relationships that result in customer loyalty.

Now, when it comes to marketing research topics, you'll find an expansive universe of possibilities, each as diverse as the next. You might explore how to position your product to maximize impact or delve into the powerful online strategies that can make your brand viral. Or, you could examine the psychology behind consumer behavior, understanding what drives people to buy one product over another. 

These are just a handful of the abundant marketing topics you can encounter. Now let’s see what branches they are divided into.

Branches of Marketing Topics

Before you choose any marketing research topic idea, let’s figure out the main branches of this field. Here are the buckets they fall into:

• Strategic marketing: This is the art of planning with a long-term view. Topics here could cover competitive positioning, market segmentation, or establishing a unique selling proposition.
• Digital marketing: This direction is all about reaching customers online. You might explore search engine optimization, email marketing campaigns, or the effectiveness of different digital advertising strategies.
• Social media marketing: This branch leverages social platforms to engage customers. Marketing topics here could revolve around the role of influencers, the power of user-generated content, or the impact of social media on brand perception.
• Content marketing: This revolves around creating valuable content for customers. Here, you could delve into the importance of storytelling, how to create compelling blog posts, or the effectiveness of video marketing.
• Consumer behavior: This branch focuses on understanding what drives consumers. You might examine factors influencing buying decisions, the psychology of consumer choice, or trends in consumer behavior.

How to Choose a Marketing Research Topic?

Choosing the right marketing research paper topic is crucial for a couple of reasons. Firstly, a good topic can keep you motivated throughout your study. It can be the difference between seeing your research as a chore or an adventure. Secondly, a well-chosen topic can contribute to the field, spark discussions, or even influence marketing strategies.

So, what makes a marketing research topic good? Most importantly, it should be an area of interest that excites you and piques your curiosity. Researching something you don't care about won't bring out your best work. Also, make sure the topic is relevant – check if it fits into the current research landscape or challenges existing knowledge. Last but not least, ask yourself if the topic is manageable within the scope of your assignment and resources. 

With these criteria in mind, let's see how to select the right marketing research topic. Below are some valuable suggestions from our thesis writing service :

• Begin research Get familiar with the field by reading up on the latest publications and material. Note down all ideas for later reference.
• Identify your interest area Start by asking yourself what aspect of marketing excites you most. Is it the psychology of consumer behavior, the analytics of digital marketing, or the creative aspects of content marketing?
• Examine current trends Stay updated with the latest developments in the marketing field. Read industry reports, blogs, or news to identify hot topics or emerging trends.
• Find a gap Look for questions that haven't been sufficiently answered or areas that need more exploration. This could be a unique perspective on an existing topic or an entirely new question.
• Consider practicality Make sure your topic is feasible to research. Do you have access to the necessary resources, data, or tools?

Remember, choosing the right topic is a journey, one that requires time, exploration, and sometimes, a bit of trial and error. Don't rush it, savor the process, and you'll end up with a great topic. But in case you are stuck, we developed a list of potential research topics in marketing – all worth attention.

List of Marketing Research Topics & Ideas 

We've collated a captivating list of marketing research paper topics, perfect for igniting your curiosity and sure to impress your professors. Remember to align your chosen topic with your course requirements to ensure it's the perfect fit. Let's dive in!

• Engaging Gen Z through social media marketing.
• Challenges and opportunities in influencer marketing.
• Ethical boundaries in digital advertising.
• Rise of voice search: Impact on SEO.
• Sustainable marketing: Beyond a trend?
• Navigating cultural differences in international marketing.
• AI and personalization in digital marketing.
• Consumer behavior in online vs. offline shopping.
• Impact of viral marketing on brand awareness.
• Neuromarketing: Exploring the consumer's mind.
• The role of AR and VR in enhancing consumer experience.
• Branding in the age of social movements.
• Efficacy of content marketing in B2B sectors.
• Emotional marketing: Manipulation or genuine connection?
• Privacy concerns in data-driven marketing.

Good Marketing Research Topics

Eager to dive deeper into the world of marketing? Here are more fresh and exciting marketing project topics. Each is poised to offer intriguing insights and comes with plenty of data to fuel your arguments. Get ready to explore!

• Measuring the impact of customer reviews on sales.
• Gamification as a marketing strategy: Pros and cons.
• How color psychology influences branding?
• Experiential marketing: A new customer engagement strategy.
• How does social responsibility improve brand image?
• Celebrity endorsements: Effective or outdated?
• Ethical implications of neuromarketing.
• Green marketing: Just a trend or a sustainable strategy?
• Impact of humorous advertising on brand recall.
• Local SEO strategies for small businesses.
• How storytelling boosts content marketing success?
• Role of AI in predicting consumer behavior.
• Effects of scarcity tactics in e-commerce.
• Mobile marketing trends shaping the future.
• Impact of data privacy regulations on digital marketing.

Interesting Marketing Research Topics

Looking for a theme to add a dash of intrigue to your research? Explore this list of market research topics guaranteed to spark curiosity and foster insightful discussions.

• Using virtual reality for product demonstrations.
• Impact of emotional appeals in advertising.
• How does nostalgia influence consumer choices?
• Role of chatbots in improving customer service.
• Leveraging user-generated content for brand promotion.
• Social media's role in crisis management.
• Role of big data in personalized advertising.
• Is there a backlash against intrusive online ads?
• Psychology behind successful loyalty programs.
• Impact of culture on global advertising strategies.
• Influencers vs. celebrity endorsements: Which is more effective?
• Ethical implications of predictive analytics in targeting consumers.
• Effectiveness of cause marketing in boosting sales.
• Role of augmented reality in enhancing shopping experiences.
• Strategies for improving online customer engagement.

Best Marketing Research Topics

What sets outstanding marketing research projects apart? They should be relevant, intriguing, and offer new insights. With that in mind, we've compiled the best research topics in marketing that tick all these boxes. Ready to make your research truly outstanding? Dive in!

• Influence of virtual reality on consumer experiences.
• Power of storytelling in brand building.
• How does sustainability shape consumer choices?
• Impact of memes on online brand promotion.
• Role of blockchain in ensuring ad transparency.
• Emotional intelligence in customer service: Is it crucial?
• Does user-generated content boost trust in brands?
• Social media's impact on body image: A concern for advertisers?
• Role of data analytics in shaping promotional strategies.
• Ethics in advertising: How far can shock tactics go?
• Evolving consumer expectations in the era of personalization .
• What drives the success of viral ads?
• How does color influence brand recognition ?
• Impact of artificial intelligence on consumer data collection.
• Strategies to counter negative publicity on social media.

New Research Topics in Marketing

As an ever-evolving field, marketing constantly introduces new areas to investigate. It's vital to keep abreast of the latest trends to discover untapped research topics. To help you stay ahead of the curve, here are brand new marketing research topic ideas, each one reflecting innovations in the field.

• Role of voice assistants in shaping buyer behavior.
• Exploring the ethics of using AI in advertising.
• Omnichannel retailing: A shift in consumer shopping experience?
• Role of podcasts in influencing consumer behavior.
• How does virtual reality reshape shopping experiences?
• Personalization vs. privacy: A growing concern in digital advertising?
• Use of drone technology for product delivery.
• Impact of artificial intelligence on customer segmentation.
• Role of WhatsApp chatbots in e-commerce: Do they enhance customer satisfaction?
• How does mobile payment influence consumer buying behavior?
• Influencer marketing in the age of fake followers.
• The rise of shoppable posts in social media.
• Exploring the potential of augmented reality in product visualization.
• How do data breaches affect brand trust?
• Impact of social media algorithms on content visibility.

Controversial Topics in Marketing

Struggling to come up with an interesting research topic on marketing? Consider exploring controversial marketing ideas. These themes can help you to spark heated debates and draw attention from your tutor. Below are a few fantastic controversial marketing topics to write about. 

And don't forget, you can pick a topic and entrust it to a professional essay writer online . Our experts can conduct thorough research and deliver top-quality work, no matter how complex the subject. Take your pick and let our professionals do the heavy lifting for you!

• Has the rise of ad-blockers signified failure in digital advertising?
• Deceptive marketing tactics: Where is the line drawn?
• Does native advertising compromise journalistic integrity?
• Ethical dilemmas of data mining in personalized marketing.
• Use of sexual imagery in advertising: Effective or exploitative?
• Neuromarketing: Intriguing science or manipulative strategy?
• Are shock tactics in advertising crossing the line?
• Role of consumerism in environmental degradation.
• Negative impacts of beauty standards perpetuated by ads.
• Is manipulation an inherent part of marketing?
• Stereotypes in advertising : Harmless categorizing or dangerous bias?
• Social media marketing to children: Ethical or exploitative?
• Are privacy concerns leading to a decline in personalized advertising?
• Does influencer marketing promote unrealistic lifestyle expectations?
• Is greenwashing a consequence of sustainability trends in marketing?

Marketing Topics & Ideas for Students

Are you searching for marketing topic ideas tailored to your academic level? You're in the right place! In the following sections, you'll discover multiple marketing essay topics and research ideas organized according to various levels of study. Scroll down, find your academic level, and start exploring!

Marketing Research Topics for College Students

College is a time for exploration and growth, and what better way to study this niche than with some thought-provoking marketing research ideas for college students? Take a look at these titles suitable for a college-level understanding, yet engaging enough to fuel your curiosity.

• Subliminal advertising : Myth or reality?
• Impact of music in retail environments on consumer behavior.
• The role of humor in successful ad campaigns.
• Exploring the 'Fear of Missing Out' (FOMO) effect in event marketing.
• Push vs. pull marketing strategies : Which works better?
• Marketing campaigns that changed public opinion.
• Celebrity scandals: A death knell for brand image?
• Influence of packaging design on purchase decisions.
• The role of color psychology in food marketing.
• Impact of customer relationship management (CRM) on customer loyalty.
• Are loyalty programs effective in retaining customers?
• The role of social proof in online sales.
• How cultural factors influence buying decisions.
• Word-of-mouth marketing in the digital age.
• The effect of customer service quality on brand loyalty.

Marketing Research Topics for University Students

As a university student, you're expected to tackle more complex tasks. So, we've curated a list of advanced marketing research ideas, perfect for a university level understanding.

• How globalization shapes brand strategies.
• Is corporate social responsibility just a trend or a necessity?
• The influence of economic downturns on consumer behavior.
• Emotional connections: Are they key in fostering customer loyalty?
• Understanding the ' Halo Effect ' in brand perceptions.
• Lessons learned from cross-cultural promotional blunders.
• Exploring the psychology behind pricing strategies.
• The role of neurolinguistic programming in persuasive messaging.
• How sensory experiences enhance customer interactions.
• Nudging consumer behavior: Is it ethical?
• The impact of data analytics on strategic decision-making.
• Unraveling the gender stereotypes present in commercials.
• Assessing the effectiveness of ambush promotional strategies.
• How does ethical branding improve a company's image?
• Tracing the evolution and impact of guerrilla promotional strategies.

Marketing Research Topics by Category

As promised, we've meticulously organized an array of marketing topics for a research paper into specific categories for your convenience. Whether you're interested in digital marketing, consumer behavior, or any other subfield, just scroll down. Below, you'll find our comprehensive collection, each with a selection of field-specific marketing research paper ideas.

Digital Marketing Research Topics

Digital marketing revolves around promoting and selling products or services using digital platforms. As this domain continues to grow, it opens up a multitude of unique research avenues. Let's uncover some digital marketing topics to discuss:

• Role of artificial intelligence in customer segmentation.
• Does video content really boost online engagement?
• Potential of augmented reality for product visualization .
• Understanding consumer trust in online reviews.
• Effectiveness of mobile apps in customer retention.
• Future of email promotion in social media era.
• Role of SEO in driving organic traffic.
• Impact of page loading speed on bounce rates.
• Online sales: Does free shipping enhance conversion rates?
• Influencer collaboration vs paid advertising : What offers better ROI?
• Impact of personalization on e-commerce conversion rates.
• Importance of responsive design in user experience.
• Is social proof essential for online sales conversion?
• Podcasts as a promotional tool: How effective are they?
• Evolution of privacy laws and its impact on online data collection.

Strategic Marketing Research Problems Topics

Global brand strategies with setting goals, deciding on actions to achieve these goals, and mobilizing resources to execute the actions. It requires a thorough understanding of market trends, competitive landscapes, and consumer behavior. Take a glance at these topics in marketing that explore various problems and challenges in this subfield:

• Impact of poor internal communication on marketing strategy.
• Aligning brand identity with customer perceptions.
• Challenges in establishing a global brand strategy .
• Role of competitive intelligence in shaping business strategy.
• Impact of poor customer service on brand loyalty.
• Mergers and acquisitions.
• Role of organizational culture in strategy implementation.
• Navigating the risks of product diversification.
• Coping with increased price competition in saturated markets .
• Impact of supply chain disruptions on product availability.
• Overcoming barriers in implementing green business practices.
• Strategies for maintaining brand relevance in fast-paced markets.
• How does a changing regulatory environment impact strategy formulation?
• Importance of innovation in maintaining a competitive edge.
• Balancing profit margins and customer satisfaction in pricing strategy.

Social Media Marketing Research Paper Topics

It’s hard to imagine our life without social media. It has revolutionized the way we communicate and interact with one another. In this regard, there are a bunch of research topics on marketing for students who need to write a social media essay or paper.

• The rise of TikTok: Understanding its business appeal.
• How does Instagram's 'Shop Now' feature affect consumer behavior?
• The role of LinkedIn in B2B lead generation.
• Assessing the influence of Twitter's character limit on message effectiveness.
• Exploring Facebook's 'Reactions' and their impact on brand engagement.
• Potential of Pinterest for visual brand storytelling.
• Snapchat's 'Story' feature: A boon for experiential branding?
• The impact of YouTube influencers on purchase decisions.
• Understanding the role of social listening in reputation management.
• Virality on social platforms: A calculated strategy or pure luck?
• Live streams as a tool for real-time audience engagement.
• The ethics of social media data mining.
• User-generated content: An untapped branding tool?
• Role of social platforms in crisis communication.
• Analyzing the popularity of unboxing videos on social media.

>> More ideas: Social Media Research Paper Topics

Content Marketing Research Topic Ideas

Content marketing is all about creating, publishing, and distributing content for a targeted audience. It's about storytelling, providing valuable information, and building relationships with customers. Here are some fascinating content marketing topics for research:

• Evaluating the impact of blog posts on SEO.
• Long-form vs short-form content: What's more engaging?
• Infographics: A tool for simplifying complex information.
• Podcasts: A rising star in information dissemination?
• Understanding the role of eBooks in lead generation.
• Is interactive content the future of customer engagement?
• Webinars: Are they still relevant in the age of short videos?
• White papers: Their influence on decision-making in B2B.
• How does user-generated content shape brand perception?
• The rise and role of meme culture in content strategy.
• Storytelling in branding: Fad or fundamental?
• Exploring the trend of episodic content in audience retention.
• Role of content curation in demonstrating industry thought leadership.
• Using case studies as social proof in conversion strategy.
• The impact of voice search on content creation.

Marketing Research Topics in Consumer Behavior

Consumer behavior explores how individuals, groups, and organizations select, use, and dispose of goods, services, or ideas. It seeks to understand the decision-making processes and what influences them. Consider these topics of marketing and consumer behavior:

• Environmental concerns and their role in purchase decisions.
• Family influence on children's brand preferences.
• Celebrity endorsements and their impact on consumer trust.
• Psychological triggers and implications of impulse buying.
• Loyalty programs and their influence on repeat purchases .
• Brand image and its effect on product evaluation.
• Role nostalgia plays in purchase decisions.
• Psychology behind buying 'limited edition' items.
• Color and its impact on consumer perceptions and behaviors.
• Music's influence on shopper mood and behavior in stores.
• 'Made locally' label's effect on consumer choice.
• Fear of missing out (FOMO) in online buying.
• Customer reviews and their impact on online shopping behavior.
• Social media's influence on body image and related product choices.
• Paradox of choice: More selection leading to less satisfaction?

B2B Marketing Project Topics

Business-to-business (B2B) marketing focuses on selling products or services to other organizations. This subfield offers a range of topics related to marketing research. Take a look at some of our suggestions:

• Impact of digital transformation on business sales.
• LinkedIn's role in lead generation for businesses.
• Efficacy of email marketing in business transactions.
• Chatbots: Enhancing customer service in business marketing?
• Necessity of personalization in business marketing.
• Influence of webinars in generating leads for businesses.
• Understanding influencer marketing in a business context.
• Ethical issues in data collection for business marketing.
• A deep-dive into account-based marketing strategies .
• Role of predictive analytics in business marketing.
• Marketing strategies designed for small businesses.
• Overcoming challenges in business branding.
• Efficacy of content marketing in a business context.
• Implications of GDPR on business marketing.
• Emerging trends in business marketing.

>> View more: Business Topics to Write About

International Marketing Research Topics

International marketing focuses on understanding and responding to global opportunities. It requires a more extensive research approach with an eye towards cultural, political, and economic developments outside the home country. Explore these international market research ideas for papers:

• Cultural nuances and their impact on advertising strategies.
• Cross-border e-commerce: Growth and challenges.
• Exploring the role of localization in global branding.
• Understanding tariff wars and their impact on marketing strategies.
• Influence of political climate on international marketing decisions.
• International public relations: A comparative study.
• Social media and its role in global product launches.
• A study of emerging markets and their attractiveness for marketers.
• International consumer behavior: Similarities and differences.
• Localization vs. standardization in global marketing.
• Case study: Successful global rebranding campaigns.
• Impact of Brexit on European marketing strategies.
• Green marketing practices across the globe.
• International market segmentation and targeting strategies.
• International marketing ethics: A cross-cultural analysis.

Real Estate Marketing Research Topics

Real estate marketing involves understanding and responding to the needs of potential buyers, sellers, and investors in the property market. Go through these project topics in marketing related to real estate research:

• Marketing luxury apartments: Challenges and solutions.
• Selling residential properties in a buyer's market.
• How social media influences property buying decisions.
• Effectively marketing rental properties in competitive markets.
• Marketing strategies for eco-friendly homes.
• Role staging plays in promoting properties.
• Drones: The new trend in real estate showcasing.
• Advertising strategies in rapidly urbanizing areas.
• Promoting properties through influencer partnerships.
• Customer reviews' impact on online property listings.
• Neighborhood branding's influence on real estate sales.
• Online vs offline property promotion: A comparative study.
• Comparing marketing strategies: Luxury versus budget properties.
• Marketing properties during economic downturns.
• Digital marketing best practices for property agents.

Marketing Research Paper Topics in Distribution

The world of distribution is multi-layered and complex, intertwined with other key areas like logistics, supply chain management, and marketing. It's about ensuring products get into the hands of customers efficiently. Investigate this exciting area with these research topics in marketing field.

• Impact on sales: Direct vs indirect distribution methods.
• Influencing factors in selecting distribution channels.
• E-commerce's revolutionizing role in product distribution.
• Case study: Successful distribution strategies in retail.
• Drones and future delivery systems: A feasibility study.
• Role big data plays in optimizing distribution channels.
• How sustainable practices influence distribution strategies.
• Importance customer convenience plays in distribution planning.
• Overcoming distribution challenges in rural areas.
• Examining the relationship: Distribution strategies and market share.
• AI's role in streamlining distribution processes.
• Omnichannel distribution: A necessity or a luxury?
• Importance distribution planning plays in new product launches.
• Distribution's role in creating a competitive advantage.
• Changes in distribution strategies due to the pandemic.

Neuromarketing Research Topics

Neuromarketing focuses on how psychological, cognitive, and emotional processes affect consumer behavior. It combines neuroscience with traditional marketing research for a deeper understanding of decision-making processes. Here are some interesting neuromarketing topics:

• Influence of colors on consumer decision making.
• How product placement impacts buying behavior.
• Emotional triggers in advertising: An analysis.
• Consumer responses to sensory branding .
• Impacting purchase decisions with visual illusions.
• Role of auditory cues in product preference.
• Influence of olfactory cues on consumer behavior.
• Celebrity endorsements and neural responses.
• Comparing digital vs. physical shopping experiences: A neuromarketing perspective.
• Effects of negative emotion on impulse buying .
• Role neurolinguistics plays in shaping consumer opinions.
• Neuromarketing strategies for personalized advertising.
• Video vs. image ads: A comparative neuromarketing study.
• Assessing effectiveness of humor in ads: A neuroscientific approach.
• How storytelling in marketing sways the consumer's brain.

>> View more: Psychology Paper Topics

Influencer Marketing Topics for Research

Influencer marketing blends social media and advertising. It's an evolving field, ripe for research. We invite you to check these compelling research paper topics about marketing and influencers:

• Measuring return on investment in influencer marketing.
• How micro-influencers impact small business growth.
• Authenticity versus promotion: Striking a balance.
• Ethics in influencer marketing: A critical review.
• Power social media influencers hold over consumer behavior.
• Video blogging and brand visibility.
• Effect of influencer-led contests on audience engagement.
• Does influencer reputation affect brand perception?
• Celebrity versus non-celebrity influencers: Who wins?
• Impact of influencer gender on audience engagement.
• Fashion influencers and their role in brand awareness.
• Fitness influencers: Inspiring or creating pressure?
• Role influencers play in promoting sustainable products.
• Influencers and crisis management: A case study approach.
• Influencer partnerships: Temporary boost or long-term gain?

Ethical Marketing Research Paper Topics

Ethical marketing revolves around the principles of honesty, fairness, and responsibility in advertising practices. With an increasing emphasis on business ethics, research in this area can yield insightful findings. Consider these awesome research paper topics related to marketing and ethics:

• Honesty in advertising: A lost art?
• Exploring fairness in competitive marketing practices.
• Corporate social responsibility: Marketing strategy or ethical obligation?
• Greenwashing: Misleading environmental claims in advertising.
• Privacy and data collection: An ethical debate.
• Ethical implications in children's advertising.
• Body positivity and marketing: Strides and stumbles.
• Cultural sensitivity in international marketing campaigns .
• Animal rights and marketing: Exploring ethical considerations.
• Influence of ethical claims on consumer perception.
• False advertising: Consequences and solutions.
• Ethical dimensions in influencer partnerships.
• Human rights issues in marketing.
• Health claims in food advertising: Fact or fiction?
• Role of ethics in pharmaceutical marketing.

Integrated Marketing Communication Research Topics

Integrated Marketing Communication (IMC) blends different promotional tools to deliver clear, consistent, and compelling messages. IMC is crucial for brands to create unified customer experiences. Here are original, attention-grabbing integrated marketing communication topics for research :

• Role of social media in IMC strategy.
• IMC impact on customer loyalty.
• Public relations in an IMC context.
• Online-offline IMC strategies: A comparative study.
• Influencer endorsements in IMC: Effectiveness assessment.
• IMC in non-profit organizations: An exploratory study.
• Impact of IMC on brand equity.
• Event sponsorship in IMC plans.
• IMC strategy for launching new products.
• Role of IMC in crisis management.
• Digital transformation and its influence on IMC.
• IMC in enhancing customer relationships.
• AI and IMC: A synergy exploration.
• IMC for sustainable product marketing.
• Evaluating IMC success: Metrics and measurement methods.

Marketing Analytics Research Topics

Marketing analytics employs data and metrics to measure the success of marketing initiatives, enabling informed business decisions. Here are groundbreaking topics that offer intriguing insights into marketing analytics:

• Social media data: A gold mine for marketers?
• Predictive analytics in customer retention strategies.
• Quantifying influencer marketing: Metrics that matter.
• Role of big data in personalized branding.
• Real-time analytics in optimizing marketing campaigns.
• Analytics in content marketing: Determining success.
• AI-powered marketing analytics: Boon or bane?
• Sentiment analysis in brand perception.
• Location-based analytics in mobile branding.
• Web analytics: Decoding customer online behavior.
• Customer segmentation through data analytics.
• ROI calculation in digital marketing.
• Analyzing customer journey with cross-channel analytics.
• Leveraging analytics for email marketing.
• Voice search analytics: Future brand promotion tool?

Sport Marketing Topics to Write About

Sport marketing involves promoting teams, games, and related products to fans and broader audiences. It's an exciting field, mixing passion, business, and competition. Explore these sports marketing related topics if you are interested in this field:

• Social media's role in popularizing sport events.
• Fan engagement in a digital age.
• Impact of athlete endorsements on brand perception.
• Sustainability initiatives in the sports world.
• Leveraging virtual reality for improved fan experiences.
• Esports' influence on traditional sports promotion.
• Strategy shifts for supporting women's sports leagues.
• Analyzing the dynamics of sports sponsorship deals.
• Successful merchandising tactics for sports teams.
• Team performance and its influence on merchandise sales.
• Sports events as a tool for promoting tourism.
• Accessibility in sports venues: Implications for fan inclusion.
• Personal branding strategies for athletes.
• Controversy's role in athlete endorsements.
• Mobile trends shaping the sports industry.

Extra Marketing Research Paper Topics

Couldn't find a fitting topic in marketing? Don’t worry! We added some more ideas to choose from. Below are some additional topics you might like. Let’s continue your research on marketing topics together.

Marketing Presentation Topics

Presentations on marketing concepts can illuminate the strategies behind successful advertising campaigns, brand positioning, and customer engagement. These unique and original topics will provide an interesting spin on conventional marketing subjects:

• Humanizing artificial intelligence in customer relations.
• Role of silent films in modern advertising.
• Using quantum computing to optimize marketing efforts.
• Neural networks in predicting consumer behavior.
• Astral marketing: Leveraging astrology in branding.
• Biophilic elements in retail space design.
• Gamification in non-gaming brand experiences.
• Marketing possibilities in metaverse.
• Cybersecurity's influence on digital consumer trust.
• Marketing potential of brain-computer interfaces.
• Implementing circular economy principles in product promotion.
• Micro-moments: Capitalizing on instant decision making.
• Haptic technology's potential in experiential marketing.
• Role of digital twins in customer profiling.
• Impact of space tourism on brand partnerships.

Marketing Thesis Topics

Are you about to write a thesis or dissertation? Consider these pro-level marketing topics for thesis and dissertations:

• Emotional algorithms: Predicting consumer behavior through AI.
• Phygital retail : Blending physical and digital shopping experiences.
• Impact of blockchain technology on consumer trust in digital marketing.
• Sensory branding in virtual reality environments.
• Leveraging neuromorphic engineering for personalized marketing.
• Ethical implications of using deepfake technology in advertising.
• Quantum computing's potential impact on big data analytics.
• The role of immersive technology in shaping luxury brand experiences.
• Micro-personalization: Exploring marketing's hyper-customized future.
• Bio-adaptive marketing: The next frontier in personalization?
• Implications of facial recognition technology on privacy and marketing ethics.
• Exploring the marketing potential of Internet of Behaviors (IoB) .
• Edge computing's influence on real-time marketing strategies.
• Use of augmented intelligence in predicting consumer life cycle.
• Leveraging satellite technology for geolocation-based marketing.

Bottom Line on Marketing Topics for Research Papers

The marketing research paper topics and ideas attached above provide a great starting point for your project. But don't be afraid to address other angles related to the subject. Whatever you choose to study, make sure you draw clear connections between your sources and your argument. And if you need any help with writing or research, remember to contact our professional academic assistants.

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• A Research Guide
• Research Paper Topics

25 Ideas for Marketing Research Paper Topics

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25 Marketing Topics for the Most Demanding Students

• Pharmaceutical marketing and ethics
• Effects of gender on a family buying decision
• Factors that influence the level of impulse buying
• Social media in marketing?
• The impact of brand extension on brand personality
• The use of Black Friday sales and how these benefits company gross
• The use and benefit of sending birthday announcements and coupons
• Market segmentation
• Relationship between marketing research, customer knowledge, and business sales
• Telemarketing
• The effect of the recession on promotional activities
• An attitude of people in different roles towards direct marketing
• How smartphones and tablets can be used to tap into customers thinking?
• Relationship marketing
• The leadership among the marketing team
• Loyalty programs as instrument of marketing
• Factor affecting educationists/scientist response to patent registration
• Relationship between customers internal usage practices usage practices and awareness to internal advertising
• Factors affecting positive and negative word of mouth in restaurant industry
• Maternity and baby products marketing
• Marketing strategies and paradigms
• E-marketing
• Effects of occupational status on women food buying and cooking behavior
• Effect of self-placement of habitual buying products on their sales
• Market entry strategy in an emerging market using country of origin information

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• How we work
• PhD Research
• Research Paper Marketing

How to Write a Marketing Research Paper: A Comprehensive Overview

Research paper on marketing: definition.

A marketing research paper is a fairly large work that requires students to collect data on different aspects of the field. Typically, students undertaking their undergrad or postgrad studies, particularly those studying in management, are the ones who commonly write this type of paper.

A research paper on marketing combines qualitative and quantitative analysis to understand various targets and markets better. The research quality and findings are always evaluated by peer review. It makes potential objections and counterarguments an integral part of the paper.

This type of paper is a widely used method of sharing progress with the academic community. So, even if you do not plan to pursue a job in the field but aim for a career in academic research, learning to write such a type of paper is crucial. And that is exactly what we can assist you with!

Steps to Writing Marketing Research Papers

Not sure how to start or what to put in your research paper marketing? Do not worry! To give you a better sense of the process, we have listed the key steps below.

Step 1: Pick a good topic

The first step in writing almost any academic paper is to choose a topic that aligns with your interests. If you are unsure about your interests, a good idea is to explore the available options on the web. Next, write down at least 10 marketing research paper topics that you think fit. Lastly, narrow them down to an ideal option.

Step 2: Prepare a plan

Every research work requires a robust plan. That’s why, after you select a topic, the next step is to develop a solid research plan. Your strategy should detail each phase of the investigation, whether it is experimental or not. Once done, take the time to understand the design and type of study at this stage. If you need professional help, consider using a PhD research proposal writing service.

Step 3: Gather materials

Research papers differ significantly from essays and dissertations. You can’t simply express your opinions on the paper. Instead, you have to gather accurate and valid data from reliable sources. During the data collection stage, it is also crucial to cross-check it to ensure the data is factual and accurate. Also, use both quantitative (o-data) and qualitative (x-data) information.

Step 4: Analyze data

Just because you gathered data from various sources does not guarantee it is reliable. Some data may be irrelevant or inaccurate. So, the crucial next step is a thorough analysis. Some of the techniques you can use at this stage of your PhD marketing research process include:

• Factor analysis.
• Text analysis.
• Benchmarking.

Step 5: Writing and editing

Suppose you have completed all the preceding steps. The final step is to commence writing. In your digital marketing research paper, ensure meticulous citation of all data and proper structure:

• Title page.
• Thesis statement.
• Introduction.
• Conclusion.
• References.

Finish it before the deadline to allow time for a quality review. If you spot any errors in your paper, address them promptly.

If you aim for high grades, make sure not to skip any of the above steps. Each step is important and contributes to an effective paper.

Top 20 Marketing Research Paper Topics to Consider

To make topic selection easier for you, we have hand-picked 20 compelling marketing topics for research paper. Feel free to review our list and choose the one that best aligns with your interests. Also, make sure you can write a solid thesis on it.

• Impact of augmented reality on user experiences.
• Consumer purchase decision and the influence of e-marketing.
• Impact of implicit and explicit consumer knowledge on buying behavior.
• Integration of IoT and smart devices for automated customer service.
• Relationship between brand awareness and repeat purchases.
• Technologies to improve online decision-making processes.
• Role of ICT in supply chain management.
• Conventional business marketing techniques.
• Importance of Instagram Reels in new product promotion.
• Assessing the ROI of commonly used digital strategies.
• Benefits of smartphones in understanding customer thinking.
• Loyalty programs as effective tools.
• Impact of impulsive buying behavior on businesses.
• Pros and cons of SEO in digital marketing.
• Effective methods for user retention.
• Importance of product labels in capturing user attention.
• Effectiveness of Black Friday as a sales driver.
• In-depth analysis of Facebook’s application in the field.
• Relationship between influencer marketing and lifestyle branding.
• Application of Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) in the field.

If you are still struggling, try to look for more topics for marketing research papers on the web. Another option is to consult your supervisor. Remember, trending topics change as fast as strategies do. So, dedicate enough time to the groundwork, and you will write a perfect paper!

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Ultimate Tips for Doing PhD Marketing Research

Writing a PhD-level paper requires a thorough approach. Here are some tips to guide you through the process:

Choose a specific niche that aligns with your interests. Make sure the selected topic has the potential to contribute to the existing knowledge.

Conduct an in-depth review of relevant literature. These are the key steps:

• Understand the current state of things.
• Identify gaps.
• Recognize key theories.

Develop a strong research question. It should be focused and capable of contributing new insights to the field.

Create a detailed proposal. It should outline the following:

• Your objectives.
• Research questions.
• Methodology.
• Potential contributions.

Ensure it aligns with the standards of your institution. For those looking to enhance their project management skills, exploring a PhD project management online program can provide valuable insights and tools for managing research effectively.

Choose the most suitable methodology. Whether quantitative, qualitative, or a mix of both, ensure it fits your objectives.

Clearly outline how you’ll collect data. This may involve the following:

• Interviews.
• Case studies.
• Experiments.
• A combination of methods.

Employ appropriate data analysis techniques. Clearly interpret your findings and relate them to your research questions. Be prepared to discuss the implications of your results.

Seek feedback from your supervisor. Regular meetings will help you receive guidance and stay on track.

When in doubt, always consult a style guide or request a marketing research paper example from a librarian. Also, you can ask your supervisor for help. If still in doubt, consider receiving professional PhD research help from qualified experts of our writing service. Individual approach, reasonable prices, and flawless work tailored to your needs are guaranteed!

Tasks At Work: Comparative Advantage, Technology and Labor Demand

This chapter reviews recent advances in the task model and shows how this framework can be put to work to understand the major labor market trends of the last several decades. Production in each industry necessitates the completion of a range of tasks, which can be allocated to workers of different skill types or to capital. Factors of production have well-defined comparative advantage across tasks, which governs the pattern of substitution between skill groups. Technological change can: (1) augment a specific labor type—e.g., increase the productivity of labor in tasks it is already performing; (2) augment capital; (3) automate work by enabling capital to perform tasks previously allocated to labor; (4) create new tasks. The task model clarifies that these different types of technological changes have distinct effects on labor demand, factor shares and productivity, and their full impact depends on the pattern of substitution between different factors which arises endogenously in the task framework. We explore the implications of the task framework using reduced-form evidence, which highlights the central role of automation and new tasks in recent labor market trends. We also explain how general equilibrium effects ignored in these reduced-form approaches can be estimated structurally.

We thank the editors Christian Dustmann and Thomas Lemieux for their detailed comments. Acemoglu gratefully acknowledges support from the Hewlett and Smith Richardson Foundations, Kong from the Bradley Foundation, and Restrepo from the National Science Foundation (Award No. 2049427). The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research.

Restrepo received compensation for advising internal research at OpenAI on the economic effects of LLMs.

MARC RIS BibTeΧ

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Multi-agent platform to support trading decisions in the FOREX market

• Open access
• Published: 30 August 2024

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• Marcin Hernes   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0002-3832-8154 1 ,
• Jerzy Korczak 2 ,
• Dariusz Krol 3 ,
• Maciej Pondel 1 &
• Jörg Becker 4  

Trading decisions often encounter risk and uncertainty complexities, significantly influencing their overall performance. Recognizing the intricacies of this challenge, computational models within information systems have become essential to support and augment trading decisions. The paper introduces the concepts of trading software agents, investment strategies, and evaluation functions that automate the selection of the most suitable strategy in near real-time, offering the potential to enhance trading effectiveness. This approach holds the promise of significantly increasing the effectiveness of investments. The research also seeks to discern how changing market conditions influence the performance of these strategies, emphasizing that no single agent or strategy universally outperforms the rest. In summary, the overarching objective of this research is to contribute to the realm of financial decision-making by introducing a pragmatic platform and strategies tailored for traders, investors, and market participants in the FOREX market. Ultimately, this endeavor aims to empower people with more informed and productive trading decisions. The contributions of this work extend beyond the theoretical realm, demonstrating a commitment to address the practical challenges faced by traders and investors in real-time decision-making within the financial markets. This multidimensional approach to financial decision support promises to enhance investment effectiveness and contribute to the broader field of algorithmic trading.

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1 Introduction

A combination of statistical analysis, financial mathematics, econometrics, and, increasingly, artificial intelligence often informs trading decisions. These methods are frequently integrated into multi-agent systems to enhance trading activities in the foreign exchange market (FOREX) [ 1 ]. These systems strongly emphasize high-frequency trading (HFT), short-term position openings/closings, and sophisticated algorithms that leverage robust indicators and modern technology. The goal is to generate profits by capitalizing on minimal price fluctuations, characterized by high-frequency occurrences, where profits often arise from market liquidity imbalances or short-term pricing inefficiencies.

In general, the trading platforms must offer real-time guidance on trading positions, such as when to open/close positions, whether to go long or short or when to step away from investments. These guidelines form specific trading strategies, defined by their verifiability, quantifiability, consistency, and objectivity [ 2 ].

A trading strategy should outline the assets, entry / exit points, and money management rules, drawing from fundamental, technical, or behavioral analysis. These strategies are validated through backtesting (historical data) or forward testing (simulated trading environments compared to real-world results). Online trading adds further challenges [ 3 ], requiring the real-time use of one or multiple algorithms, often implemented as software agents. Currently, most trading systems are based on single or numerous algorithms without employing agents [ 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 ]. They are also based on the single agent architecture [ 11 ]. This paper introduces A-Trader, a multi-agent platform designed to support financial decision-making within the FOREX market. As the A-Trader platform is presented, several critical issues in designing advisory systems for stock markets will be addressed. These challenges encompass:

Integration of Diverse Decision Sources: Harmonizing many decision sources, offering insight into effectively integrating varied inputs for informed decision-making.

Selection of Recommendation Methods and Algorithms: Exploring the crucial task of selecting the most suitable recommendation methods and algorithms.

Cooperation and Control of Advisory Algorithms: The importance of seamless collaboration and control of advisory algorithms is emphasized, providing valuable insights into optimizing algorithmic efficiency.

Composition of the Global Investment Strategy Evaluation Criterion: We underscore a holistic approach to performance assessment by examining the need for a comprehensive evaluation criterion for global investment strategies.

System Openness and Interoperability: The authors discuss the importance of system flexibility and adaptability, offering an in-depth understanding of the prerequisites for system openness.

The solutions implemented in the A-Trader platform will exemplify the issues mentioned above. A-Trader is a dynamic multi-agent experimental platform for constructing, simulating, and assessing investment strategies, catering to various investor types. Technically, A-Trader is integrated with an online data system, MetaTrader, which provides raw and preprocessed data and buy-sell decisions generated by agents using various methods. The platform develops investment strategies and continuously evaluates them based on the open/close and short/long positions determined by the most highly rated agents. The significant advantage of A-Trader over other trading platforms lies in its use of a multicriteria function to evaluate the strategy unlike platforms that rely solely on return-based metrics, A-Trader calculates a return rate based on risk-based measures, including factors like the number of transactions, gross profit, gross loss, profitable trades, consecutive profitable transactions, non-profitable successive transactions, Sharpe ratio, average volatility coefficient, and average return per transaction [ 12 , 13 ].

In this paper, it will be demonstrated that:

The use of advanced technologies and a system architecture offers better performance and greater openness than existing solutions.

Provides a flexible and agile methodology for the development of investment strategies.

It ensures more realistic trading performance analysis based not only on return-based metrics but also on risk assessment and endogenous benchmarks.

The approach allows for the creation of strategies with superior performance compared to other methods.

The multi-agent approach enables the simulation of trader behavior, which can be used to enhance FOREX decision-making processes.

The paper is structured as follows. The first part of the paper introduces A-Trader’s architecture and functionalities. The second part delves into the specifications of various trading agents. Three categories of trading agents are examined: agents based on technical analysis, agents based on macroeconomic and fundamental analysis, and behavior-based agents. Subsequently, it outlines trading strategy-building approaches using the set of available agents, and concludes with an analysis of the results from research experiments evaluating the performance of selected trading strategies on FOREX.

2 Background

The design and implementation of multi-agent systems in stock trading has been a focal point for numerous projects and research reports.

2.1 Multi-agent systems for financial decision support

This paper [ 14 ] proposes a modular multi-agent reinforcement learning-based system for financial portfolio management (MSPM) to address the challenges of scalability and reusability in adapting to ever-changing markets. Using evolving agent modules (EAMs) for generating information and Strategic Agent Modules (SAMs) for portfolio optimization, the system ensures improved adaptability and performance, evidenced by significant outperformance in US stock market data. The multi-agent deep reinforcement learning framework proposed in [ 15 ] leverages the collective intelligence of expert traders, each focused on different timeframes, to improve trading outcomes. It employs a hierarchical structure in which knowledge flows from agents trading on higher time frames to those on lower time frames, improving robustness against noise in financial data. Other examples of multi-agent architectures based on the deep reinforcement learning framework are shown in papers [ 16 ] and [ 17 ].

A proposal for a framework for evolutionary multi-agent trading for FOREX was introduced in [ 18 ]. In this paper, the authors focused on currency trading and included the impact of FX trading spread. They used technical indicators to provide temporary features from which a decision tree defined the training strategy. Tree representation classifiers were built with Genetic Programming (an evolutionary technique). The authors proposed a general FOREX Genetic Programming Framework (FXGP), and the proposed simplified framework (sFXGP) has been deployed to construct multiple agents operating concurrently [ 19 ]. The works [ 20 , 21 ] present an approach for financial market prediction, where agents examine the similarities between the ask and bid asset histories to predict quotes in real time. The paper [ 22 ] shows development of ForexMA, a multi-agent system that enhances decision-making in Forex trading by integrating both qualitative and quantitative information. The architecture includes three agents, namely, the Facts Analyzing Agent, the Decision Agent, and the Performance Analyzing Agent. The authors demonstrated that ForexMA outperforms human expert traders by delivering high-frequency, rapid solutions in a matter of seconds. This system was tested and proven to generate more accurate predictions than those made by human experts, who typically operate on lower frequency timeframes and require several hours to analyze the information.

2.2 Advanced methods for financial decision supporting

This section analyses the methods developed not as agent-based approaches but can be transformed into agent structures in multi-agent systems.

The works [ 23 , 24 ] present the use of neuro-fuzzy computing and neural networks for making quotation predictions based on analysis of a financial time series’s geometrical patterns. Another paper proposing a behavioral approach for trading decisions is [ 25 ]. Some authors present strategies based on trading bots [ 26 ] or deep belief networks (DBN) [ 27 ] to build investment decisions based on the S&P500. Deep learning techniques, in turn, are presented in [ 28 ]. The deep learning approach is based on such methods, as recurrent neural networks, including Long Short-Term Memory [60], spiking neural networks [ 29 , 30 , 31 ]. Machine learning (ML) techniques significantly impact on the automatic identification of trading agents to identify profitable strategies to trade in the stock or currency market. Financial predictions incorporating ML approaches construct training, test, and off-sample data sets as a collection of instances using commonly used technical indicators. An example of ML models applied to trading scenarios in the FOREX market was discussed in [ 32 ]. The authors wanted to verify whether, using these models, it is possible to obtain consistently profitable returns. The authors proved that while getting good returns using simple classifiers is possible, each model needed a specific setup, including variables such as the retraining period, the size of the retraining set, and the number and type of attributes selected to construct the model. The complexities of the market require a combination of parameters that, for the same instrument, could change under different market conditions and seasons. The models needed to learn new patterns to cope with the dynamics of the market, but at the same time, to avoid noisy ways that might not be related to the current market situation could only be based on training comprised of current values of the time series using a sliding window approach.

An ensemble approach was proposed in [ 33 ] where the authors classify the FOREX market, and behavioral analyzes are considered by a certain amount, 2) downtrends when FX rates decrease by a certain amount, and 3) sideways trends. They extract features from these trends using multi-scale features. Multiple classifiers are trained using these features. Bayesian voting was used to create an ensemble of these classifiers, which can recognize trends in the market. The experimental results showed that the proposed system could accurately identify up and down trends in the FX rate signal.

Mayo states that a significant amount of intraday market data is noise or redundant, and if it is eliminated, then predictive models built using the remaining intraday data will be more accurate. He proposed an algorithm known as Evolutionary Data Selection (EDS), which uses a model building algorithm in conjunction with the available training data to find an optimal subset of those data [ 34 ].

Until now, articles have discussed the competition between multi-agent trading systems and their performance in trading scenarios [ 50 ]. Some of them explore advances in artificial economics, including agent-based models, and their applications in finance and game theory [ 51 ]. Focusing on the evolution of multi-agent foreign exchange (FX) traders, Longinov analyzes their performance in FX markets [ 18 ]. Currently, there are many platforms for HFT decision support in FOREX, such as FinEXo, Trade360, AvaTRADE, EXsignals, and Trade Chimp.

2.3 Assessment of existing approaches

The presented theoretical and practical approaches and solutions are often insufficient for HFT decision support. They are characterized by low performance (insufficient to support HFT) and costly maintenance. Moreover, the problem with openness and integration of the technologies appears in most cases.

The existing platforms are mainly based on technical analysis. Fundamental analysis and behavioral analysis are considered to a low degree. The disadvantage of existing approaches is also a performance measurement process. Mainly return-based measures are only taken into consideration, and it causes to limitation of personalization of the strategies evaluation byways(for example, a specific group of users can take into consideration mainly the rate of return-based measures, and other groups of users want to take into consideration combining-based measures). Therefore, investors often also need other classes of measures, for example, risk-based measures, to properly manage risk. The existing platforms are also not fully open-accessible, and users can develop their strategies using the tools proposed by the given platform. It is very difficult to integrate strategies developed by a user in other software environments with the given trading platform. Therefore, the main research problem undertaken in this paper is to develop an approach that overcomes the presented disadvantages of existing approaches. For this purpose, we developed the conception and prototype of a multi-agent platform in our research.

3 Architecture and functionalities of A-trader

The primary strengths inherent in multi-agent systems, including A-Trader, lie in their openness to integrate novel trading algorithms and specific functionalities that enable model-building communication among various agents. These systems operate on the principles of collective intelligence, allowing for tailored solutions using diverse market monitoring methods. Multi-agent technology facilitates the customization of solutions through agents that evaluate existing methods and preprocess learning datasets. These agents have learning capabilities, evolving their knowledge about financial market behavior. Overcoming computational challenges are achieved by leveraging a service-oriented architecture and cloud computing (SOAP). The SOAP communication protocol, as implemented in A-Trader, greatly simplifies the integration of individual solutions due to its open and easily implementable nature Footnote 1 . Incorporating PUSH technology, a common feature in distributed systems, notably accelerates information propagation within the system, as discussed in further detail in [ 35 ]. The system retrieves real-time data from the currency market using MetaTrader or JForex software. A-Trader analyzes quotation data using many criteria, ensuring near real-time processing and the capability to handle diverse data sources. For a more in-depth understanding of A-Trader’s architecture, system elements, and agent details, refer to [ 13 , 36 , 37 ].

In general terms, A-Trader is composed of agents capable of generating independent decisions. These decisions can be characterized by model building by consistency or contradiction, e.g., the two independent agents can simultaneously generate open and closed positions. Figure  1 presents an overview of the architecture and functional concept of A-Trader.

A-Trader system architecture

The main goal of the Supervisor Agent (SA) is to generate profitable trading advice to achieve a specific rate of return and reduce investment risk. This agent performs based on Basic and Intelligent agents’ decisions. It provides different trading strategies and final open/close long/short positions to the trader or automatically to the market. The Supervisor also resolves Computing Agent knowledge conflicts within the Cloud and evaluates their performance. Based on collected knowledge, this agent determines which decisions are considered in a given strategy and which are ignored.

The Notification Agent (NA) receives the data (quotations), distributes messages (signals) to various agents, and controls the system operation running in a multi-threaded manner. Information about the message flow (which agent sends signals to which agent) is read during the NA initialization from the Routing Table.

Figure  2 shows an example of the data flow inside the NA. This agent “listens” at the given port, and if information from Agent A5 is received, then NA searches, in the Routing Table, the agents who listen to messages (signals) from Agent A5. In the considered example, these are Agents A7 and A9. Next, the NA agent searches for threads being sent (Sending Threads Table) to Agents A7 and A9 and sends them through.

Data flow inside the Notification Agent

The Cloud of Computing Agents (CCA) consists of the Basic Agents Cloud (BAC) and Intelligent Agents Cloud (IAC). BAC consists of agents that preprocess the data and calculate the fundamental technical analysis indicators. IAC consists of agents with a knowledge base. They can perform the learning process and can change their internal state and parameters. This group of agents uses methods based on artificial intelligence (neural networks, rule-based systems, genetic algorithms, cognitive technologies, etc.), agents observing market behavior and agents analyzing text messages. User-defined Intelligent Agents Cloud (UAC) consists of agents created by external users. Integration of User-defined Agents within the system without installing the agent on the servers is possible in A-Trader. The result of the Basic Agents and the Intelligent Agents activity is a decision that the NA transfers to the Supervisor Agent.

The Market Communication Agents (MCA) communicate between A-Trader and the external environment. MCA provides the actual values of quotations, and they are responsible for performing open/close long/short position orders.

A visualization agent (VA) visualizes quotations, decisions, and long/short positions in the form of charts.

The layer of Cloud Computing Agents is the system’s core that analyzes signals contained in notifications and delivers decision recommendations to the Supervisor Agent. The Supervisor Agent then generates the final decision, as previously stated. Selected agents (especially belonging to CCA) running on A-Trader architecture are described in the next section.

Analyzing the computational complexity of a-Trader, it should be noted that it depends on the computational complexity of the algorithms of the individual agents. However, the architecture of the system makes it possible to determine decisions within 5 to 20 milliseconds of receiving the last quotation as an input signal (server parameters: Intel Core i7-9700K 8 cores, RAM 16 GB, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 2060 16GB, SSD M.2 480 GB, HDD SATA 7200 2000 GB).

4 Agent descriptions

A software agent is an intelligent program that not only executes based on acquired data but also takes specific actions to achieve a specified goal (for example, making satisfactory decisions in the FOREX market). A-Trader contains various types of agent, as mentioned in the previous chapter: Market Communication Agents, Notification Agents, Visualization Agents, Supervisor Agents, Historical Agents, and agents belonging to the cloud of computing agents (Basic Agents, Intelligent Agents, and User Agents), and currently, approximately 1600 agents are implemented on the platform. In cloud of computing agents These there are 800 basic agents (BAC) processing data agents (these agents calculate mainly technical analysis indicators related to FOREX market quotations), 500 intelligent agents (IAC), running in different aggregates and generating buy-sell decisions (about 250 agents based on three-valued logic, 250 agents based on fuzzy logic) and 300 agents generating open/close long/short positions (thus providing the strategies).

An experimental platform was designed to easily integrate new agents (user agents) and allow the reuse of existing agent decisions in new strategies. We adopted three conventions for generating agent responses / signals: three-value logic, fuzzy logic, and our signals. Three-value logic is a manner for the representation of agents’ knowledge to provide buy / sell decision signals, generated as the agent’s output signal, where the value 1 denotes a buy decision, the value -1 denotes a sell decision, and the value 0 denotes don’t care . For a trading decision, fuzzy logic agents are more appropriate. The confidence range for decisions on A-Trader is \([-1\dots 1]\) , where ’-1’ denotes a strong sell decision, ’0’ denotes a strong leave unchanged decision and ’1’ denotes a strong buy decision. The signal for open/close positions can then be generated based on a given decision’s confidence level. For example, a short position is opened when a confidence level is greater than -0.8, whereas a long position is opened when a confidence level is more significant than 0.6. As a result, open/closed positions can achieve more profitable results than positions generated based on three-value logic. It should be stressed that the level of confidence for open/close positions is very important, and it can be determined by considering trader experience or automatically determined by the Supervisor using, for example, a genetic algorithm. Specific signals are generated by agents which do not have simple/linear interpretation, for example, signals from agents with unsupervised learning.

Currently, A-Trader consists of three groups of buy/sell decision agents.

4.1 Agents based on technical analysis

Agents based on technical analysis use three-valued logic or fuzzy logic. Technical indicators have interpretations such as the market is oversold, the power of buyers is exhausted, etc. where assembling some of these may give satisfactory results. The shorter the investment horizon, the greater the effectiveness of technical analysis. To illustrate how an agent works, let us present an example of a fuzzy logic agent called FuzzyTrendLinearRegression . This agent makes decisions in the following manner. A given number of M quotations is approximated by the equation: \(y = ax + b\) (straight line). The inclination of this line depends on the value of the coefficient “a” or the tangent value of the inclination angle using linear regression.

The FuzzyTrendLinearRegression agent specification.

The agent generates a buy signal when the coefficient value of “a” changes from positive to negative, and it generates a sell signal when the coefficient “a” changes from negative to positive. The transition of the agent’s decision is performed using the hysteresis level, defined by the coefficient value \(\delta \) .

4.2 Agents based on macro-economic and fundamental analysis

A-Trader also consists of agents based on fundamental analysis and behavioral data. The fundamental analysis in FOREX is related to the economic, social, and political forces driving demand and supply on the currency market. The level of the supply and demand balance is affected by two main factors:

Interest rates can strengthen or weaken a particular currency where a high level of interest rates (as compared to those in other currencies) can increase the level of foreign investment in a currency, which in turn, leads to a strengthening of the currency.

The international trade balance deficit (higher value of imports than the value of exports) can usually adversely affect a currency. In this case, the currency is transferred out of a country to buy foreign products, which can lead to a devaluation of the currency.

Other factors, such as central bank interventions (e.g., by increasing / reducing foreign exchange reserves) strengthen / reduce demand for a specific currency. Fundamental analysis is based on an examination of asset markets, macroeconomic indicators, and political considerations of the country to evaluate the development of the exchange rate of a particular currency. Asset markets include stock exchanges, bond markets, and real estate. Macroeconomic indicators are measured by Gross Domestic Product, Money Supply (M1, M5, D1, W1, etc.), unemployment, inflation, foreign exchange reserves, interest rates, and productivity. Political considerations can influence the level of certainty of stability and the level of confidence in a nation’s government. The fundamental analysis agents also consider indicators such as the Consumer Price Index (CPI), Durable Goods Orders, Producer Price Index (PPI), Purchasing Managers Index (PMI) and retail sales.

However, often online fundamental analysis only sometimes provides market entry and exit points in FOREX as a lot of information emerges at regular intervals. Still, only a part of this information is relevant. Therefore, there are only a few agents based on macro-economic and fundamental analysis are implemented, notably:

Interest rates - if interest rates are higher in one country than in its neighbors, the currency prices in this country will often strengthen because a higher interest rate attracts more foreign investors.

Gross Domestic Product (GDP) is the sum of all goods and services produced/provided by domestic or foreign companies in a given country. Based on GDP, the level of growth (or contraction) of a country’s economy can be measured. This indicator has the broadest scope for the change in economic output and production in a given country. The Gross National Product (GNP), in turn, is related to the nationality of capital.

Purchasing Manager’s Index (PMI) includes data related to new orders, supplier delivery times, production, backlogs, prices, inventories, employment, import and export orders. It is characterized by high correlation with Monetary Policy Decisions and is a valuable tool to track the health of a country’s manufacturing sector.

S&P 500 is treated as a leading indicator of US equities and is meant to reflect the return/risk characteristics of the large cap universe, this index includes 500 stocks chosen on the basis of market size, liquidity industry grouping, and other factors.

FTSE 100 is a London Stock Exchange indicator and includes 100 companies characterized by the highest market capitalization on this Exchange.

WIG–is a Warsaw Stock Exchange index that includes securities listed on the main market.

To illustrate one of the agents based on macro-economic analysis, there is an agent called FuzzyNeuralNetIndices . The agent computes by applying Multilayer Perceptron to the trading decisions on the S&P500 and WIG indices.

The FuzzyNeuralNetIndices agent specification.

This agent is based on the interpretation of the money flow. If WIG20 is rising and the S&P 500 is falling, it can be predicted that investors can exchange their S&P shares for USD, then they can exchange USD for PLN to finally buy WIG shares. Therefore, if they buy PLN for USD, the value of PLN about USD should grow. Other fundamental analysis agents consider information about:

Gold prices ratio: when the price of gold goes down, then the USD often goes up (and vice versa); that means that prices of gold tend to have an inverse relationship to the price of USD and currency traders can take advantage of this relationship.

Oil price ratio: economies of oil-dependent countries grow (investors buy their currencies as a consequence) as oil prices drop.

4.3 Behavior-based agents

Many experts point out that the currency market is strongly correlated with the expectations of traders and their assessment of these expectations. There is a commonly observed relationship between stock prices and the behavior of traders, notably their perception of risk and benefit. Various prognoses, bulletins, and blogs strongly influence these expectations. An understanding of investor psychology can generate profit opportunities and thus can be extremely valuable for designing trading strategies. Many studies of behavioral models are used in FOREX trading, most based on psychology theories and applying data mining methods [ 38 ]. However, to validate these models on real financial markets, detailed information about traders, their experience and knowledge, and their psychological biases is needed.

The specification of the agent working on SENTIMENT index values.

Considering the limited sources of information on these subjects, in A-Trader only a behavioral time series has been provided and a few behavioral agents have been implemented [ 20 , 39 ]. The datasets are a broad range of day-by-day indicators (sentiments) provided by Polands MarketPsych Data or INI indicator. The indicators have been computed from millions of articles and posts in the news and on social media. In the experiments, behavioral indicators such as SENTIMENT, OPTIMISM, FEAR, as they relate to specific countries and their currencies (e.g. USD/PLN) are updated every day for countries and currencies and are input directly into A-Trader agents. For example, the SENTIMENT index indicates the 24-hour rolling average score of references in news and social networks to overall positive references, net of negative references. The OPTIMISM index is a bipolar emotional indicator in the range of -1 to 1. For interpretation purposes, gradual improvement of the SENTIMENT drives the continuation of the trend.

As mentioned above, agents can generate decisions that may be mutually consistent or completely contradictory. In A-Trader, the conflicts between agents are resolved by the Supervisor. This agent receives signals from decision-making agents and evaluates their performance. Through this evaluation, the Supervisor determines the agents for building investment strategies. In this way, the Supervisor can apply various strategies to generate open/close long/short position signals. The following section describes examples of these strategies.

5 Trading strategy construction

The strategies of A-Trader are built on the basis of the following assumptions:

Buy/sell decisions generated by a Cloud of Computing Agents form a base for strategy building. Every agent running in this Cloud sends its decision to the NA based on a unique decision method for each agent.

The Supervisor Agent builds investment strategies based on buy/sell decisions generated by Cloud Computing Agents (read from NA). These strategies generate the open/close long/short position signals.

Users–traders or bots (automatic traders), who invest in FOREX.

The strategies of A-Trader are based on more complex algorithms than algorithms based on technical analysis indicators [ 40 ] and, to illustrate the applied concept, four strategies are detailed: MyStrategy , Consensus , Evolution-based , Deep learning . These strategies have been chosen, because they were developed on the basis of the deep literature study and based on many experiments (these strategies are in the advanced phase of development in A-Trader, and the remaining strategies are in the preliminary phase of development).

5.1 MyStrategy

The strategy called MyStrategy is built of the basis of the following technical analysis, fundamental analysis, and behavior-based agents’ signals:

FuzzyRSI based on the Relative Strength Index indicator,

FuzzyROC based on the Rate of Change indicator,

FuzzyCCI based on the Commodity Channel Index indicator,

FuzzyMACD based on the Moving Average Convergence Divergence indicator,

FuzzyBollinger based on the Bollinger Bands indicator,

FuzzyWilliams based on the Williams %R indicator,

FuzzyNeuralNetIndices,

BehavioralAgent.

This strategy is run so that the open / close short / long position signal is generated when the average of fuzzy agent signals is higher / lower than a predefined threshold.

The strategy can be defined as follows:

The specification of MyStrategy.

5.2 Consensus strategy

The strategy Consensus , built on developing a consensus that determines the issues for financial decisions, is described in detail in [ 41 , 42 ]. The consensus agent, presented in detail in [ 36 ], develops a trading strategy based on a set of decisions generated by fuzzy logic agents.

The strategy can be specified as follows:

The specification of Consensus.

5.3 Evolution-based strategy

The strategy Evolution-based is developed based on work [ 52 ]. This strategy determines the best thresholds for open/close long/short positions based on decisions generated by technical analysis agents, fundamental analysis agents, and behavior-based agents. The Evolution-based strategy determines which agents should be considered when generating long/closed open/short position signals. It also determines the importance of decisions generated by a specific agent. The evolutionary algorithm indicates the space of agent decisions and weights their importance. The genotype in Fig.  3 consists of the weightings and thresholds for the opening / closing of the short / long position for each agent separately.

Genotype used in the Evolution-based strategy

In addition to weighting and thresholds, every advisory agent is characterized by ’compulsory’ parameters. These parameters mean that the agent’s signal value must be open, close, or ’don’t care’. The genotype also consists of values such as Profit Taking, Trailing Stop and Stop Loss for long and short positions. The result of this algorithm is a phenotype - a set of decision rules. For example, the open short position rules for the agent at time \(T_0\) can be specified as follows:

where: \(A_n T_0\) – value of Agent n signal in time \(T_0\) ,

\(w_so_n\) – weighting for Agent n short position opening,

\(Th_so\) – threshold for Agent n short position opening,

\(C_so_n\) – compulsory parameter for Agent n short position opening.

The conditions for the open/close short/long position are divided into two parts. The algorithm checks if a threshold is reached in the first part. The threshold is checked by multiplying the signals of each agent by the corresponding weightings, then all the results are to be summed up. The first part of the condition is met if the sum is higher than the opening short position threshold. The algorithm checks if all the mandatory rules are met in the second part of the condition. If a compulsory parameter of Agent 1 (OSO1) is equal to zero, the algorithm ’does not care’ what the value of Agent 1 is. If the parameter is equal to 1, the condition will be fulfilled only when the signal value of Agent 1 is positive. Similarly, in the case where the compulsory parameter is equal to -1, the algorithm expects a negative value of Agent 1. The compulsory parameters are checked for every advising agent. The strategy can be specified as follows.

The specification of Evolution-based.

5.4 Deep learning strategy

The  Deep learning strategy has been implemented on an open-source \(H_2O\) platform [ 24 ]. It is a distributed, scalable, and interactive in-memory data analysis and modeling solution. This platform consists of several data analysis models, including the Deep Learning Model, for Big Data exploration. In our approach, \(H_2O\) has been integrated with A-Trader.

Schema of Deep Learning strategy

The DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent is controlled by Supervisor and runs in two modes, cf. Figure  4 :

Learning mode (continuous) divided into the following steps:

Import time series from A-Trader to \(H_2O\) platform ( \(H_2O\) is external module of A-Trader, therefore data are imported indirectly from A-Trader database, Notification Agent signals are not used),

Deep Learning (DL) model specification,

DL model Parametrization – (parameters such as;- number of training epochs, number of hidden layers, stopping rounds, stopping metrics, etc),

Building of DL model – on the basis of imported data structure and determined parameters,

Learning and Testing – where the training and the validation datasets are used. Long Short Term Memory architecture of the deep neural network was used. The architecture and hyperparameters of the model are as follows: three hidden LSTM layers (16, 8 and 4 units), dropout layer (rate 0.3), RELU activation function for hidden layers and linear activation function for output layer, loss function: mean squared error, optimizer: adam, metrics: mse, mae, mape, msle, number of epochs:100, batch size:32.

Forecast mode (continuous) – time series of quotations are continuously imported from the A-Trader database, and the trained model is used for predicting rates of return.

The DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent is supported also by the following agents [ 43 ]:

Basic Agents - perform time series pre-processing and compute the basic indicators; agents can learn and change their parameters and internal states based on their knowledge.

Intelligent Agents – running on the basis of artificial intelligence (genetic algorithms, rule-based systems, neural networks including MLP, etc.), text messages analysis-based agents, market behavior-based agents.

Decisions of Basic Agents and Intelligent Agents are sent to the Supervisor Agent.

Formally, the model used by DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent is defined as follows:

where: \(x^i\) is an input vector of the main quote rate of return, \(x^p,\dots ,x^q\) are inputs vectors consist of the rates of return of the quotations correlated with main quotation (e.g., main quotation is EUR/USD and correlated quotations are gold quotations and oil quotations).

This model uses log-return rates, calculated as follows:

where S \(^{i}_{t}\) denotes a price of quotation i at time t .

\(H_2O\) normalizes log-return rates and projects them in the range from -1 to 1. Input vector related to main quotation is defined as follows:

where k denotes the number of past quotations used as input.

Example of strategy visualization

\(Y_{t+1}\) values are in the range [-1, 1] (generated as fuzzy logic signals) and predict logarithmic return rates at time \(t+1\) (normalized value).

The training set consists of input vectors \(x^i\) and inputs \(x^p,\dots ,x^q\) at time t , \(t-1\) , etc., and output at time \(t+1\) . The learning process is performed on the basis of historical time series; hence the log-return rate at time \(t+1\) is known.

The Supervisor Agent uses different strategies to generate opening/closing positions, on the basis of the output of DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent using for instance, consensus strategy or a genetic algorithm, whereas a genetic algorithm determines threshold levels for open/closed short/long positions. The Supervisor also determines the mode of DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent operation. If the performance of DeepLearning H \(_2O\) Agent is low (performance measuring issues are presented in the next section), then a learning mode is initiated. If performance is high, a forecasting mode is run using a previously generated model.

The strategies provided by A-Trader can be reused and extended. The user (trader) can add a new agent or source of information by filling out a generic pattern of the agent structure. This is a process of inserting selected agents into your trading strategy.

6 Experiments

The main aim of the experiments is to evaluate the performance of selected trading strategies. The specific aims are as follows:

running the investment strategies, developed in A-Trader, using real data form FOREX market,

the assessment of long/short positions results using return-based and risk-based measures,

comparing the performance of strategies to Buy and Hold benchmark,

confirming the results using statistical tests.

Back-testing is used to verify that the A-Trader strategies were based on the following.

GBP/PLN quotations were selected from randomly selected periods, namely

16-04-2018, 0:00 am to 19-04-2018, 23:59 pm,

23-04-2018, 0:00 am to 26-04-2018, 23:59 pm,

14-05-2018, 0:00 am to 17-05-2018, 23:59 pm.

The strategies MyStrategy , Consensus , Evolution-based were used to generate trading signals (open long/close short position equals 1, close long/open short position equals -1). Figure  5 presents an example (with description) of generated signals (the green line denotes the "long position", the red one denotes the "short position").

The Buy and Hold (B&H) strategy was used as a benchmark (the B&H strategy relies on opening a position at the beginning of the investment period and closing it at the end of this period).

Performance analysis ratios (absolute ratios) were measured in ’pips’ (a change in FOREX price of a ’point’ is called a pip).

The cost of transactions is directly proportional to the number of transactions.

It was assumed that in each transaction the investor engages 100% of the capital held where the trader can individually determine the capital management strategy.

The following measures (ratios) were used in the performance analysis [ 44 , 45 , 46 , 47 , 48 ]:

Rate of return (ratio \(x_1\) ),

Number of transactions,

Gross profit (ratio \(x_2\) ),

Gross loss (ratio \(x_3\) ),

Number of profitable transactions (ratio \(x_4\) ),

Number of profitable consecutive transactions (ratio \(x_5\) ),

Number of unprofitable consecutive transactions (ratio \(x_6\) ),

Sharpe ratio (ratio \(x_7\) ),

Average coefficient of variation (ratio \(x_8\) ),

Average rate of return per transaction (ratio \(x_9\) ), counted as the quotient of the rate of return and the number of transactions.

For comparison of the agent performance, the evaluation function was elaborated, defined as follows:

where \(x_i\) denotes the normalized values of ratios from \(x_1\) to \(x_9\) (mentioned in item 6). For this experiment, coefficients were set as follows: \(x_1\) to \(x_9=1/9\) . However, it is possible to adopt other values for these coefficients. They can be modified using, for example, an evolution-based method, or they can be determined by the trader according to his/her preferences. The functions can be easily modified, and they aggregate many assessment indicators so that users can choose which assessment criteria are most important to them. For example, a trader may be interested in achieving a high rate of return with a high level of risk or a low risk with a low rate of return. Coefficients are needed because the user can arbitrarily classify individual components. The function y returns values from the range \([0\dots 1]\) , and the agent’s performance is assigned proportionally to the function value. This is just one of the evaluation functions, as A-Trader allows a user to build other functions.

Table  1 presents the results of the performance analysis. A wide number of changes in particular ratio values significantly hinder the analysis by the trader and. Consequently, making decisions in time close to real time is very difficult. The results of the experiment allow us to come to the conclusion that the strategy ranking differs in particular periods.

In the first and second periods, Deep learning was the best evaluated strategy. In the third period, the best was the Evolution-based strategy. MyStrategy was evaluated worse than Deep learning and Consensus and B&H was ranked the lowest in all periods.

Considering all periods, it can be stated that the highest rate of return characterized the Deep learning strategy, it was ranked highest in two of the three periods. There was a lower value of the evaluation function in the third period than in Consensus case, which may result from lower values of ratios such as the average rate of return per transaction and risk measures. The Consensus strategy achieved the lowest values for risk measures. It can also be concluded that the low evaluation of MyStrategy in all periods is due not only to the level of the rate of return but also to a high risk level and a large number of unprofitable consecutive transactions. The MyStrategy is simple strategy based on decisions generated by particular agents. The results achieved by MyStrategy allow us to draw conclusions that more sophisticated multi-agent-based methods, such as consensus or deep learning, can perform better than simple strategies. The comparison of multi-agent-based methods and stand-alone methods is presented in our earlier research, for example [ 13 , 36 , 37 ].

The evaluation analysis in other trading systems (e.g., Trade Chimp, XTRADE, MetaTrader) is performed "manually" by the investor in most cases, and this is a very time-consuming process during which there is limited working of the system in real time. These systems offer basic performance measures: rate of return, highest profit, highest loss, number of transactions, total profit, number of profitable transactions, number of profitable consecutive transactions, number of unprofitable consecutive transactions. A-Trader calculates additional ratios, such as risk measurements (average coefficient of variation, Sharpe ratio), or the average rate of return for a specific transaction.

The A-Trader evaluation function enables the measurement and evaluation of investment strategies. These operations are performed automatically by the Supervisor Agent (in time close to real time), which may then advise the investor to trade on the basis of the decisions generated by the strategy characterized by the highest performance level. In addition, users can change the parameters \(a_i\) and \(x_i\) of this function to consider the preferences of the user related to particular performance measures. To confirm the results, statistical tests were performed separately for particular periods using the rate of returns generated by particular transactions in selecting a given strategy as input data. PQStat software  Footnote 2 was used for this and the following hypothesis was assumed:

\(H_0\) – the given strategy was not the best in the given period (the rates of return achieved are not statistically significant).

\(H_1\) – the given strategy is the best in the given period (the rates of return achieved are statistically significant).

First, normality tests were performed. Data are characterized by a nonnormal distribution at the 5% significance level; therefore, a Friedman ANOVA test was performed that included POST-HOC (Dunn Bonferroni). The results are presented in Tables  2 ,  3 , and  4 .

The calculated p-values between the returns rates generated by particular strategies are less than 0.05 in all periods. The lower probability of the p-value indicates stronger evidence against the null hypothesis. Therefore, the null hypothesis can be rejected and the return rates generated by all strategies are statistically significant, suggesting that there is a significant difference between strategies. By ranking the strategies according to the performance scores on three series of quotes, the Deep Learning strategy can be rated the highest.

7 Conclusions

The paper delves into several crucial aspects of designing decision support systems for stock traders through the lens of a multi-agent platform. Within the presented A-Trader system, agents autonomously generate buy-sell decisions using various methods and algorithms, which serve as the foundation for crafting investment strategies. Given the diversity of these decisions and strategies, the evaluation process is overseen by a specialized program known as the Supervisor Agent. This agent enables autonomous selection of the most suitable strategy in near-real time, determining when to open or close long and short positions based on the best strategy identified for a given period. The results of the experiments described in this paper and previous experiments (see [ 36 , 49 ]) highlight that the performance of specific decisions or strategies fluctuates in response to the prevailing conditions in the FOREX market. Through many experiments, it has been clearly demonstrated that no single agent or strategy consistently outperforms others across all periods. The introduction of an evaluation function further enhances this process. A-Trader distinguishes itself with its remarkable flexibility in configuring variables and evaluation functions, providing a dynamic, data-driven platform for user engagement. Investors can assess various strategies regarding returns and risks, allowing for tailored adjustments aligned with their unique requirements. In addition, A-Trader encompasses a broad spectrum of performance measures, including risk-focused metrics, underscoring the critical role of risk management. This emphasis is rooted in the inherent uncertainty and risk associated with financial investments in the FOREX market, influenced by economic cycles, interest rates, government policies, and exchange rates [ 53 ]. In contrast to existing platforms, A-Trader harnesses the consensual advice generated by multiple software agents that are proficient in fundamental, technical, and behavioral analyses [ 18 ]. Crucially, A-Trader refrains from imposing uniform evaluation strategies or functions on every user. The construction of the investment strategy assessment function remains an open endeavor, acknowledging that a one-size-fits-all solution may not exist. The paper effectively illustrates that the suitability of a linear function is expected. However, adopting a non-linear function can be intricate and must be more readily understandable to investors, often shrouded in secrecy among financial experts. A-Trader stands as an open system, giving users the tools to fashion their strategies and seamlessly integrate strategies created in other software environments.

This research offers several noteworthy contributions both to the scientific understanding of financial decision support systems and the practical application of these systems in real-world trading scenarios, notably in the areas of:

Integration of Diverse Decision Sources: A-Trader integrates a wide range of decision sources by enabling multiple agents to generate independent buy-sell decisions. This diversity of sources provides a comprehensive view of market dynamics and contributes to a more holistic decision-making process.

Agent supervision: The introduction of the Supervisor Agent serves as a pivotal contribution. This agent takes on the task of evaluating the heterogeneity of decisions and strategies. It intelligently selects the best strategy in response to the current market conditions, offering traders a pragmatic solution.

Dynamic Strategy Selection: The research highlights that no single agent or strategy consistently outperforms others in all market conditions. This observation underscores the need for an adaptive and dynamic approach to strategy selection. Using an evaluation function empowers the Supervisor Agent to automatically identify the best strategy in near-real time, enhancing investment effectiveness and responsiveness to market changes.

Flexibility in Evaluation Functions: A-Trader allows users to configure variables and evaluation functions, promoting a data-driven approach to user engagement. This flexibility ensures that investors can tailor their strategies based on their unique risk tolerance and performance criteria preferences.

Risk Management Integration: A-Trader acknowledges the inherent risk and uncertainty associated with financial investments in the FOREX market. By considering a wide range of performance measures, including risk-based metrics, the platform emphasizes the importance of risk management. This is a crucial scientific contribution, as it addresses a key challenge in real-world trading.

Open System and Interoperability: A-Trader’s open system architecture is a scientific breakthrough. It allows users to seamlessly build their strategies and integrate strategies from other software environments. This interoperability enhances the practical utility of the platform, making it adaptable to the diverse needs of traders and investors.

In a pragmatic sense, A-Trader offers traders, investors, and market participants a sophisticated tool that leverages multiple agents for decision support. Provides a more adaptable and responsive approach to trading in the dynamic FOREX market. In addition, it is a pioneering platform that bridges the gap between scientific research and practical trading strategies. The limitation of this approach is the high computational complexity it entails. For example, when A-Trader runs for a month, it processes a substantial amount of data, approximately 1TB. In addition, there is a lack of direct communication between agents, and the Notification Agent acts as an intermediary to transmit signals. Consequently, this agent is a critical component of system performance. The limitation of this research is that we used only one pair of quotations in the experiments. These challenges will be the focus of further research. The ongoing research will include developing a directional change algorithm , an evolutionary approach to determine learning parameters, and implementing cognitive agents based on fundamental analysis and expert opinions. Further research on the application of spiking neural networks in a-Trader should also be performed. Overall, the contributions of this work extend beyond the theoretical realm, demonstrating a commitment to addressing the practical challenges traders and investors face in real-time decision making within financial markets. This multidimensional approach to financial decision support promises to enhance investment effectiveness and contribute to the broader field of algorithmic trading.

Data Availability

Data will be made available on request.

W3C SOAP , https://www.w3.org/TR/soap/

PQStat software ,  https://pqstat.pl/

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Conceptualization: Jerzy Korczak, Marcin Hernes; Methodology: Jerzy Korczak, Marcin Hernes; Formal analysis and investigation: Jörg Becker, Dariusz Król; Writing - original draft preparation: Marcin Hernes, Maciej Pondel, Dariusz Król; Writing - review and editing: Jerzy Korczak, Jörg Becker; Funding acquisition: Marcin Hernes; Resources: Marcin Hernes, Maciej Pondel; Supervision: Jerzy Korczak, Marcin Hernes.

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Knowledge mapping and evolution of research on older adults’ technology acceptance: a bibliometric study from 2013 to 2023

• Xianru Shang   ORCID: orcid.org/0009-0000-8906-3216 1 ,
• Zijian Liu 1 ,
• Chen Gong 1 ,
• Zhigang Hu 1 ,
• Yuexuan Wu 1 &
• Chengliang Wang   ORCID: orcid.org/0000-0003-2208-3508 2  

Humanities and Social Sciences Communications volume  11 , Article number:  1115 ( 2024 ) Cite this article

Metrics details

• Science, technology and society

The rapid expansion of information technology and the intensification of population aging are two prominent features of contemporary societal development. Investigating older adults’ acceptance and use of technology is key to facilitating their integration into an information-driven society. Given this context, the technology acceptance of older adults has emerged as a prioritized research topic, attracting widespread attention in the academic community. However, existing research remains fragmented and lacks a systematic framework. To address this gap, we employed bibliometric methods, utilizing the Web of Science Core Collection to conduct a comprehensive review of literature on older adults’ technology acceptance from 2013 to 2023. Utilizing VOSviewer and CiteSpace for data assessment and visualization, we created knowledge mappings of research on older adults’ technology acceptance. Our study employed multidimensional methods such as co-occurrence analysis, clustering, and burst analysis to: (1) reveal research dynamics, key journals, and domains in this field; (2) identify leading countries, their collaborative networks, and core research institutions and authors; (3) recognize the foundational knowledge system centered on theoretical model deepening, emerging technology applications, and research methods and evaluation, uncovering seminal literature and observing a shift from early theoretical and influential factor analyses to empirical studies focusing on individual factors and emerging technologies; (4) moreover, current research hotspots are primarily in the areas of factors influencing technology adoption, human-robot interaction experiences, mobile health management, and aging-in-place technology, highlighting the evolutionary context and quality distribution of research themes. Finally, we recommend that future research should deeply explore improvements in theoretical models, long-term usage, and user experience evaluation. Overall, this study presents a clear framework of existing research in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance, providing an important reference for future theoretical exploration and innovative applications.

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Introduction.

In contemporary society, the rapid development of information technology has been intricately intertwined with the intensifying trend of population aging. According to the latest United Nations forecast, by 2050, the global population aged 65 and above is expected to reach 1.6 billion, representing about 16% of the total global population (UN 2023 ). Given the significant challenges of global aging, there is increasing evidence that emerging technologies have significant potential to maintain health and independence for older adults in their home and healthcare environments (Barnard et al. 2013 ; Soar 2010 ; Vancea and Solé-Casals 2016 ). This includes, but is not limited to, enhancing residential safety with smart home technologies (Touqeer et al. 2021 ; Wang et al. 2022 ), improving living independence through wearable technologies (Perez et al. 2023 ), and increasing medical accessibility via telehealth services (Kruse et al. 2020 ). Technological innovations are redefining the lifestyles of older adults, encouraging a shift from passive to active participation (González et al. 2012 ; Mostaghel 2016 ). Nevertheless, the effective application and dissemination of technology still depends on user acceptance and usage intentions (Naseri et al. 2023 ; Wang et al. 2023a ; Xia et al. 2024 ; Yu et al. 2023 ). Particularly, older adults face numerous challenges in accepting and using new technologies. These challenges include not only physical and cognitive limitations but also a lack of technological experience, along with the influences of social and economic factors (Valk et al. 2018 ; Wilson et al. 2021 ).

User acceptance of technology is a significant focus within information systems (IS) research (Dai et al. 2024 ), with several models developed to explain and predict user behavior towards technology usage, including the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) (Davis 1989 ), TAM2, TAM3, and the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) (Venkatesh et al. 2003 ). Older adults, as a group with unique needs, exhibit different behavioral patterns during technology acceptance than other user groups, and these uniquenesses include changes in cognitive abilities, as well as motivations, attitudes, and perceptions of the use of new technologies (Chen and Chan 2011 ). The continual expansion of technology introduces considerable challenges for older adults, rendering the understanding of their technology acceptance a research priority. Thus, conducting in-depth research into older adults’ acceptance of technology is critically important for enhancing their integration into the information society and improving their quality of life through technological advancements.

Reviewing relevant literature to identify research gaps helps further solidify the theoretical foundation of the research topic. However, many existing literature reviews primarily focus on the factors influencing older adults’ acceptance or intentions to use technology. For instance, Ma et al. ( 2021 ) conducted a comprehensive analysis of the determinants of older adults’ behavioral intentions to use technology; Liu et al. ( 2022 ) categorized key variables in studies of older adults’ technology acceptance, noting a shift in focus towards social and emotional factors; Yap et al. ( 2022 ) identified seven categories of antecedents affecting older adults’ use of technology from an analysis of 26 articles, including technological, psychological, social, personal, cost, behavioral, and environmental factors; Schroeder et al. ( 2023 ) extracted 119 influencing factors from 59 articles and further categorized these into six themes covering demographics, health status, and emotional awareness. Additionally, some studies focus on the application of specific technologies, such as Ferguson et al. ( 2021 ), who explored barriers and facilitators to older adults using wearable devices for heart monitoring, and He et al. ( 2022 ) and Baer et al. ( 2022 ), who each conducted in-depth investigations into the acceptance of social assistive robots and mobile nutrition and fitness apps, respectively. In summary, current literature reviews on older adults’ technology acceptance exhibit certain limitations. Due to the interdisciplinary nature and complex knowledge structure of this field, traditional literature reviews often rely on qualitative analysis, based on literature analysis and periodic summaries, which lack sufficient objectivity and comprehensiveness. Additionally, systematic research is relatively limited, lacking a macroscopic description of the research trajectory from a holistic perspective. Over the past decade, research on older adults’ technology acceptance has experienced rapid growth, with a significant increase in literature, necessitating the adoption of new methods to review and examine the developmental trends in this field (Chen 2006 ; Van Eck and Waltman 2010 ). Bibliometric analysis, as an effective quantitative research method, analyzes published literature through visualization, offering a viable approach to extracting patterns and insights from a large volume of papers, and has been widely applied in numerous scientific research fields (Achuthan et al. 2023 ; Liu and Duffy 2023 ). Therefore, this study will employ bibliometric methods to systematically analyze research articles related to older adults’ technology acceptance published in the Web of Science Core Collection from 2013 to 2023, aiming to understand the core issues and evolutionary trends in the field, and to provide valuable references for future related research. Specifically, this study aims to explore and answer the following questions:

RQ1: What are the research dynamics in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance over the past decade? What are the main academic journals and fields that publish studies related to older adults’ technology acceptance?

RQ2: How is the productivity in older adults’ technology acceptance research distributed among countries, institutions, and authors?

RQ3: What are the knowledge base and seminal literature in older adults’ technology acceptance research? How has the research theme progressed?

RQ4: What are the current hot topics and their evolutionary trajectories in older adults’ technology acceptance research? How is the quality of research distributed?

Methodology and materials

Research method.

In recent years, bibliometrics has become one of the crucial methods for analyzing literature reviews and is widely used in disciplinary and industrial intelligence analysis (Jing et al. 2023 ; Lin and Yu 2024a ; Wang et al. 2024a ; Xu et al. 2021 ). Bibliometric software facilitates the visualization analysis of extensive literature data, intuitively displaying the network relationships and evolutionary processes between knowledge units, and revealing the underlying knowledge structure and potential information (Chen et al. 2024 ; López-Robles et al. 2018 ; Wang et al. 2024c ). This method provides new insights into the current status and trends of specific research areas, along with quantitative evidence, thereby enhancing the objectivity and scientific validity of the research conclusions (Chen et al. 2023 ; Geng et al. 2024 ). VOSviewer and CiteSpace are two widely used bibliometric software tools in academia (Pan et al. 2018 ), recognized for their robust functionalities based on the JAVA platform. Although each has its unique features, combining these two software tools effectively constructs mapping relationships between literature knowledge units and clearly displays the macrostructure of the knowledge domains. Particularly, VOSviewer, with its excellent graphical representation capabilities, serves as an ideal tool for handling large datasets and precisely identifying the focal points and hotspots of research topics. Therefore, this study utilizes VOSviewer (version 1.6.19) and CiteSpace (version 6.1.R6), combined with in-depth literature analysis, to comprehensively examine and interpret the research theme of older adults’ technology acceptance through an integrated application of quantitative and qualitative methods.

Data source

Web of Science is a comprehensively recognized database in academia, featuring literature that has undergone rigorous peer review and editorial scrutiny (Lin and Yu 2024b ; Mongeon and Paul-Hus 2016 ; Pranckutė 2021 ). This study utilizes the Web of Science Core Collection as its data source, specifically including three major citation indices: Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), and Arts & Humanities Citation Index (A&HCI). These indices encompass high-quality research literature in the fields of science, social sciences, and arts and humanities, ensuring the comprehensiveness and reliability of the data. We combined “older adults” with “technology acceptance” through thematic search, with the specific search strategy being: TS = (elder OR elderly OR aging OR ageing OR senile OR senior OR old people OR “older adult*”) AND TS = (“technology acceptance” OR “user acceptance” OR “consumer acceptance”). The time span of literature search is from 2013 to 2023, with the types limited to “Article” and “Review” and the language to “English”. Additionally, the search was completed by October 27, 2023, to avoid data discrepancies caused by database updates. The initial search yielded 764 journal articles. Given that searches often retrieve articles that are superficially relevant but actually non-compliant, manual screening post-search was essential to ensure the relevance of the literature (Chen et al. 2024 ). Through manual screening, articles significantly deviating from the research theme were eliminated and rigorously reviewed. Ultimately, this study obtained 500 valid sample articles from the Web of Science Core Collection. The complete PRISMA screening process is illustrated in Fig. 1 .

Presentation of the data culling process in detail.

Data standardization

Raw data exported from databases often contain multiple expressions of the same terminology (Nguyen and Hallinger 2020 ). To ensure the accuracy and consistency of data, it is necessary to standardize the raw data (Strotmann and Zhao 2012 ). This study follows the data standardization process proposed by Taskin and Al ( 2019 ), mainly executing the following operations:

(1) Standardization of author and institution names is conducted to address different name expressions for the same author. For instance, “Chan, Alan Hoi Shou” and “Chan, Alan H. S.” are considered the same author, and distinct authors with the same name are differentiated by adding identifiers. Diverse forms of institutional names are unified to address variations caused by name changes or abbreviations, such as standardizing “FRANKFURT UNIV APPL SCI” and “Frankfurt University of Applied Sciences,” as well as “Chinese University of Hong Kong” and “University of Hong Kong” to consistent names.

(2) Different expressions of journal names are unified. For example, “International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction” and “Int J Hum Comput Interact” are standardized to a single name. This ensures consistency in journal names and prevents misclassification of literature due to differing journal names. Additionally, it involves checking if the journals have undergone name changes in the past decade to prevent any impact on the analysis due to such changes.

(3) Keywords data are cleansed by removing words that do not directly pertain to specific research content (e.g., people, review), merging synonyms (e.g., “UX” and “User Experience,” “aging-in-place” and “aging in place”), and standardizing plural forms of keywords (e.g., “assistive technologies” and “assistive technology,” “social robots” and “social robot”). This reduces redundant information in knowledge mapping.

Bibliometric results and analysis

Distribution power (rq1), literature descriptive statistical analysis.

Table 1 presents a detailed descriptive statistical overview of the literature in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance. After deduplication using the CiteSpace software, this study confirmed a valid sample size of 500 articles. Authored by 1839 researchers, the documents encompass 792 research institutions across 54 countries and are published in 217 different academic journals. As of the search cutoff date, these articles have accumulated 13,829 citations, with an annual average of 1156 citations, and an average of 27.66 citations per article. The h-index, a composite metric of quantity and quality of scientific output (Kamrani et al. 2021 ), reached 60 in this study.

Trends in publications and disciplinary distribution

The number of publications and citations are significant indicators of the research field’s development, reflecting its continuity, attention, and impact (Ale Ebrahim et al. 2014 ). The ranking of annual publications and citations in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance studies is presented chronologically in Fig. 2A . The figure shows a clear upward trend in the amount of literature in this field. Between 2013 and 2017, the number of publications increased slowly and decreased in 2018. However, in 2019, the number of publications increased rapidly to 52 and reached a peak of 108 in 2022, which is 6.75 times higher than in 2013. In 2022, the frequency of document citations reached its highest point with 3466 citations, reflecting the widespread recognition and citation of research in this field. Moreover, the curve of the annual number of publications fits a quadratic function, with a goodness-of-fit R 2 of 0.9661, indicating that the number of future publications is expected to increase even more rapidly.

A Trends in trends in annual publications and citations (2013–2023). B Overlay analysis of the distribution of discipline fields.

Figure 2B shows that research on older adults’ technology acceptance involves the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge. According to Web of Science Categories, these 500 articles are distributed across 85 different disciplines. We have tabulated the top ten disciplines by publication volume (Table 2 ), which include Medical Informatics (75 articles, 15.00%), Health Care Sciences & Services (71 articles, 14.20%), Gerontology (61 articles, 12.20%), Public Environmental & Occupational Health (57 articles, 11.40%), and Geriatrics & Gerontology (52 articles, 10.40%), among others. The high output in these disciplines reflects the concentrated global academic interest in this comprehensive research topic. Additionally, interdisciplinary research approaches provide diverse perspectives and a solid theoretical foundation for studies on older adults’ technology acceptance, also paving the way for new research directions.

Knowledge flow analysis

A dual-map overlay is a CiteSpace map superimposed on top of a base map, which shows the interrelationships between journals in different domains, representing the publication and citation activities in each domain (Chen and Leydesdorff 2014 ). The overlay map reveals the link between the citing domain (on the left side) and the cited domain (on the right side), reflecting the knowledge flow of the discipline at the journal level (Leydesdorff and Rafols 2012 ). We utilize the in-built Z-score algorithm of the software to cluster the graph, as shown in Fig. 3 .

The left side shows the citing journal, and the right side shows the cited journal.

Figure 3 shows the distribution of citing journals clusters for older adults’ technology acceptance on the left side, while the right side refers to the main cited journals clusters. Two knowledge flow citation trajectories were obtained; they are presented by the color of the cited regions, and the thickness of these trajectories is proportional to the Z-score scaled frequency of citations (Chen et al. 2014 ). Within the cited regions, the most popular fields with the most records covered are “HEALTH, NURSING, MEDICINE” and “PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION, SOCIAL”, and the elliptical aspect ratio of these two fields stands out. Fields have prominent elliptical aspect ratios, highlighting their significant influence on older adults’ technology acceptance research. Additionally, the major citation trajectories originate in these two areas and progress to the frontier research area of “PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION, HEALTH”. It is worth noting that the citation trajectory from “PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION, SOCIAL” has a significant Z-value (z = 6.81), emphasizing the significance and impact of this development path. In the future, “MATHEMATICS, SYSTEMS, MATHEMATICAL”, “MOLECULAR, BIOLOGY, IMMUNOLOGY”, and “NEUROLOGY, SPORTS, OPHTHALMOLOGY” may become emerging fields. The fields of “MEDICINE, MEDICAL, CLINICAL” may be emerging areas of cutting-edge research.

Main research journals analysis

Table 3 provides statistics for the top ten journals by publication volume in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance. Together, these journals have published 137 articles, accounting for 27.40% of the total publications, indicating that there is no highly concentrated core group of journals in this field, with publications being relatively dispersed. Notably, Computers in Human Behavior , Journal of Medical Internet Research , and International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction each lead with 15 publications. In terms of citation metrics, International Journal of Medical Informatics and Computers in Human Behavior stand out significantly, with the former accumulating a total of 1,904 citations, averaging 211.56 citations per article, and the latter totaling 1,449 citations, with an average of 96.60 citations per article. These figures emphasize the academic authority and widespread impact of these journals within the research field.

Research power (RQ2)

Countries and collaborations analysis.

The analysis revealed the global research pattern for country distribution and collaboration (Chen et al. 2019 ). Figure 4A shows the network of national collaborations on older adults’ technology acceptance research. The size of the bubbles represents the amount of publications in each country, while the thickness of the connecting lines expresses the closeness of the collaboration among countries. Generally, this research subject has received extensive international attention, with China and the USA publishing far more than any other countries. China has established notable research collaborations with the USA, UK and Malaysia in this field, while other countries have collaborations, but the closeness is relatively low and scattered. Figure 4B shows the annual publication volume dynamics of the top ten countries in terms of total publications. Since 2017, China has consistently increased its annual publications, while the USA has remained relatively stable. In 2019, the volume of publications in each country increased significantly, this was largely due to the global outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, which has led to increased reliance on information technology among the elderly for medical consultations, online socialization, and health management (Sinha et al. 2021 ). This phenomenon has led to research advances in technology acceptance among older adults in various countries. Table 4 shows that the top ten countries account for 93.20% of the total cumulative number of publications, with each country having published more than 20 papers. Among these ten countries, all of them except China are developed countries, indicating that the research field of older adults’ technology acceptance has received general attention from developed countries. Currently, China and the USA were the leading countries in terms of publications with 111 and 104 respectively, accounting for 22.20% and 20.80%. The UK, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands also made significant contributions. The USA and China ranked first and second in terms of the number of citations, while the Netherlands had the highest average citations, indicating the high impact and quality of its research. The UK has shown outstanding performance in international cooperation, while the USA highlights its significant academic influence in this field with the highest h-index value.

A National collaboration network. B Annual volume of publications in the top 10 countries.

Institutions and authors analysis

Analyzing the number of publications and citations can reveal an institution’s or author’s research strength and influence in a particular research area (Kwiek 2021 ). Tables 5 and 6 show the statistics of the institutions and authors whose publication counts are in the top ten, respectively. As shown in Table 5 , higher education institutions hold the main position in this research field. Among the top ten institutions, City University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong from China lead with 14 and 9 publications, respectively. City University of Hong Kong has the highest h-index, highlighting its significant influence in the field. It is worth noting that Tilburg University in the Netherlands is not among the top five in terms of publications, but the high average citation count (130.14) of its literature demonstrates the high quality of its research.

After analyzing the authors’ output using Price’s Law (Redner 1998 ), the highest number of publications among the authors counted ( n  = 10) defines a publication threshold of 3 for core authors in this research area. As a result of quantitative screening, a total of 63 core authors were identified. Table 6 shows that Chen from Zhejiang University, China, Ziefle from RWTH Aachen University, Germany, and Rogers from Macquarie University, Australia, were the top three authors in terms of the number of publications, with 10, 9, and 8 articles, respectively. In terms of average citation rate, Peek and Wouters, both scholars from the Netherlands, have significantly higher rates than other scholars, with 183.2 and 152.67 respectively. This suggests that their research is of high quality and widely recognized. Additionally, Chen and Rogers have high h-indices in this field.

Knowledge base and theme progress (RQ3)

Research knowledge base.

Co-citation relationships occur when two documents are cited together (Zhang and Zhu 2022 ). Co-citation mapping uses references as nodes to represent the knowledge base of a subject area (Min et al. 2021). Figure 5A illustrates co-occurrence mapping in older adults’ technology acceptance research, where larger nodes signify higher co-citation frequencies. Co-citation cluster analysis can be used to explore knowledge structure and research boundaries (Hota et al. 2020 ; Shiau et al. 2023 ). The co-citation clustering mapping of older adults’ technology acceptance research literature (Fig. 5B ) shows that the Q value of the clustering result is 0.8129 (>0.3), and the average value of the weight S is 0.9391 (>0.7), indicating that the clusters are uniformly distributed with a significant and credible structure. This further proves that the boundaries of the research field are clear and there is significant differentiation in the field. The figure features 18 cluster labels, each associated with thematic color blocks corresponding to different time slices. Highlighted emerging research themes include #2 Smart Home Technology, #7 Social Live, and #10 Customer Service. Furthermore, the clustering labels extracted are primarily classified into three categories: theoretical model deepening, emerging technology applications, research methods and evaluation, as detailed in Table 7 .

A Co-citation analysis of references. B Clustering network analysis of references.

Seminal literature analysis

The top ten nodes in terms of co-citation frequency were selected for further analysis. Table 8 displays the corresponding node information. Studies were categorized into four main groups based on content analysis. (1) Research focusing on specific technology usage by older adults includes studies by Peek et al. ( 2014 ), Ma et al. ( 2016 ), Hoque and Sorwar ( 2017 ), and Li et al. ( 2019 ), who investigated the factors influencing the use of e-technology, smartphones, mHealth, and smart wearables, respectively. (2) Concerning the development of theoretical models of technology acceptance, Chen and Chan ( 2014 ) introduced the Senior Technology Acceptance Model (STAM), and Macedo ( 2017 ) analyzed the predictive power of UTAUT2 in explaining older adults’ intentional behaviors and information technology usage. (3) In exploring older adults’ information technology adoption and behavior, Lee and Coughlin ( 2015 ) emphasized that the adoption of technology by older adults is a multifactorial process that includes performance, price, value, usability, affordability, accessibility, technical support, social support, emotion, independence, experience, and confidence. Yusif et al. ( 2016 ) conducted a literature review examining the key barriers affecting older adults’ adoption of assistive technology, including factors such as privacy, trust, functionality/added value, cost, and stigma. (4) From the perspective of research into older adults’ technology acceptance, Mitzner et al. ( 2019 ) assessed the long-term usage of computer systems designed for the elderly, whereas Guner and Acarturk ( 2020 ) compared information technology usage and acceptance between older and younger adults. The breadth and prevalence of this literature make it a vital reference for researchers in the field, also providing new perspectives and inspiration for future research directions.

Research thematic progress

Burst citation is a node of literature that guides the sudden change in dosage, which usually represents a prominent development or major change in a particular field, with innovative and forward-looking qualities. By analyzing the emergent literature, it is often easy to understand the dynamics of the subject area, mapping the emerging thematic change (Chen et al. 2022 ). Figure 6 shows the burst citation mapping in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance research, with burst citations represented by red nodes (Fig. 6A ). For the ten papers with the highest burst intensity (Fig. 6B ), this study will conduct further analysis in conjunction with literature review.

A Burst detection of co-citation. B The top 10 references with the strongest citation bursts.

As shown in Fig. 6 , Mitzner et al. ( 2010 ) broke the stereotype that older adults are fearful of technology, found that they actually have positive attitudes toward technology, and emphasized the centrality of ease of use and usefulness in the process of technology acceptance. This finding provides an important foundation for subsequent research. During the same period, Wagner et al. ( 2010 ) conducted theory-deepening and applied research on technology acceptance among older adults. The research focused on older adults’ interactions with computers from the perspective of Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). This expanded the understanding of technology acceptance, particularly regarding the relationship between behavior, environment, and other SCT elements. In addition, Pan and Jordan-Marsh ( 2010 ) extended the TAM to examine the interactions among predictors of perceived usefulness, perceived ease of use, subjective norm, and convenience conditions when older adults use the Internet, taking into account the moderating roles of gender and age. Heerink et al. ( 2010 ) adapted and extended the UTAUT, constructed a technology acceptance model specifically designed for older users’ acceptance of assistive social agents, and validated it using controlled experiments and longitudinal data, explaining intention to use by combining functional assessment and social interaction variables.

Then the research theme shifted to an in-depth analysis of the factors influencing technology acceptance among older adults. Two papers with high burst strengths emerged during this period: Peek et al. ( 2014 ) (Strength = 12.04), Chen and Chan ( 2014 ) (Strength = 9.81). Through a systematic literature review and empirical study, Peek STM and Chen K, among others, identified multidimensional factors that influence older adults’ technology acceptance. Peek et al. ( 2014 ) analyzed literature on the acceptance of in-home care technology among older adults and identified six factors that influence their acceptance: concerns about technology, expected benefits, technology needs, technology alternatives, social influences, and older adult characteristics, with a focus on differences between pre- and post-implementation factors. Chen and Chan ( 2014 ) constructed the STAM by administering a questionnaire to 1012 older adults and adding eight important factors, including technology anxiety, self-efficacy, cognitive ability, and physical function, based on the TAM. This enriches the theoretical foundation of the field. In addition, Braun ( 2013 ) highlighted the role of perceived usefulness, trust in social networks, and frequency of Internet use in older adults’ use of social networks, while ease of use and social pressure were not significant influences. These findings contribute to the study of older adults’ technology acceptance within specific technology application domains.

Recent research has focused on empirical studies of personal factors and emerging technologies. Ma et al. ( 2016 ) identified key personal factors affecting smartphone acceptance among older adults through structured questionnaires and face-to-face interviews with 120 participants. The study found that cost, self-satisfaction, and convenience were important factors influencing perceived usefulness and ease of use. This study offers empirical evidence to comprehend the main factors that drive smartphone acceptance among Chinese older adults. Additionally, Yusif et al. ( 2016 ) presented an overview of the obstacles that hinder older adults’ acceptance of assistive technologies, focusing on privacy, trust, and functionality.

In summary, research on older adults’ technology acceptance has shifted from early theoretical deepening and analysis of influencing factors to empirical studies in the areas of personal factors and emerging technologies, which have greatly enriched the theoretical basis of older adults’ technology acceptance and provided practical guidance for the design of emerging technology products.

Research hotspots, evolutionary trends, and quality distribution (RQ4)

Core keywords analysis.

Keywords concise the main idea and core of the literature, and are a refined summary of the research content (Huang et al. 2021 ). In CiteSpace, nodes with a centrality value greater than 0.1 are considered to be critical nodes. Analyzing keywords with high frequency and centrality helps to visualize the hot topics in the research field (Park et al. 2018 ). The merged keywords were imported into CiteSpace, and the top 10 keywords were counted and sorted by frequency and centrality respectively, as shown in Table 9 . The results show that the keyword “TAM” has the highest frequency (92), followed by “UTAUT” (24), which reflects that the in-depth study of the existing technology acceptance model and its theoretical expansion occupy a central position in research related to older adults’ technology acceptance. Furthermore, the terms ‘assistive technology’ and ‘virtual reality’ are both high-frequency and high-centrality terms (frequency = 17, centrality = 0.10), indicating that the research on assistive technology and virtual reality for older adults is the focus of current academic attention.

Research hotspots analysis

Using VOSviewer for keyword co-occurrence analysis organizes keywords into groups or clusters based on their intrinsic connections and frequencies, clearly highlighting the research field’s hot topics. The connectivity among keywords reveals correlations between different topics. To ensure accuracy, the analysis only considered the authors’ keywords. Subsequently, the keywords were filtered by setting the keyword frequency to 5 to obtain the keyword clustering map of the research on older adults’ technology acceptance research keyword clustering mapping (Fig. 7 ), combined with the keyword co-occurrence clustering network (Fig. 7A ) and the corresponding density situation (Fig. 7B ) to make a detailed analysis of the following four groups of clustered themes.

A Co-occurrence clustering network. B Keyword density.

Cluster #1—Research on the factors influencing technology adoption among older adults is a prominent topic, covering age, gender, self-efficacy, attitude, and and intention to use (Berkowsky et al. 2017 ; Wang et al. 2017 ). It also examined older adults’ attitudes towards and acceptance of digital health technologies (Ahmad and Mozelius, 2022 ). Moreover, the COVID-19 pandemic, significantly impacting older adults’ technology attitudes and usage, has underscored the study’s importance and urgency. Therefore, it is crucial to conduct in-depth studies on how older adults accept, adopt, and effectively use new technologies, to address their needs and help them overcome the digital divide within digital inclusion. This will improve their quality of life and healthcare experiences.

Cluster #2—Research focuses on how older adults interact with assistive technologies, especially assistive robots and health monitoring devices, emphasizing trust, usability, and user experience as crucial factors (Halim et al. 2022 ). Moreover, health monitoring technologies effectively track and manage health issues common in older adults, like dementia and mild cognitive impairment (Lussier et al. 2018 ; Piau et al. 2019 ). Interactive exercise games and virtual reality have been deployed to encourage more physical and cognitive engagement among older adults (Campo-Prieto et al. 2021 ). Personalized and innovative technology significantly enhances older adults’ participation, improving their health and well-being.

Cluster #3—Optimizing health management for older adults using mobile technology. With the development of mobile health (mHealth) and health information technology, mobile applications, smartphones, and smart wearable devices have become effective tools to help older users better manage chronic conditions, conduct real-time health monitoring, and even receive telehealth services (Dupuis and Tsotsos 2018 ; Olmedo-Aguirre et al. 2022 ; Kim et al. 2014 ). Additionally, these technologies can mitigate the problem of healthcare resource inequality, especially in developing countries. Older adults’ acceptance and use of these technologies are significantly influenced by their behavioral intentions, motivational factors, and self-management skills. These internal motivational factors, along with external factors, jointly affect older adults’ performance in health management and quality of life.

Cluster #4—Research on technology-assisted home care for older adults is gaining popularity. Environmentally assisted living enhances older adults’ independence and comfort at home, offering essential support and security. This has a crucial impact on promoting healthy aging (Friesen et al. 2016 ; Wahlroos et al. 2023 ). The smart home is a core application in this field, providing a range of solutions that facilitate independent living for the elderly in a highly integrated and user-friendly manner. This fulfills different dimensions of living and health needs (Majumder et al. 2017 ). Moreover, eHealth offers accurate and personalized health management and healthcare services for older adults (Delmastro et al. 2018 ), ensuring their needs are met at home. Research in this field often employs qualitative methods and structural equation modeling to fully understand older adults’ needs and experiences at home and analyze factors influencing technology adoption.

Evolutionary trends analysis

To gain a deeper understanding of the evolutionary trends in research hotspots within the field of older adults’ technology acceptance, we conducted a statistical analysis of the average appearance times of keywords, using CiteSpace to generate the time-zone evolution mapping (Fig. 8 ) and burst keywords. The time-zone mapping visually displays the evolution of keywords over time, intuitively reflecting the frequency and initial appearance of keywords in research, commonly used to identify trends in research topics (Jing et al. 2024a ; Kumar et al. 2021 ). Table 10 lists the top 15 keywords by burst strength, with the red sections indicating high-frequency citations and their burst strength in specific years. These burst keywords reveal the focus and trends of research themes over different periods (Kleinberg 2002 ). Combining insights from the time-zone mapping and burst keywords provides more objective and accurate research insights (Wang et al. 2023b ).

Reflecting the frequency and time of first appearance of keywords in the study.

An integrated analysis of Fig. 8 and Table 10 shows that early research on older adults’ technology acceptance primarily focused on factors such as perceived usefulness, ease of use, and attitudes towards information technology, including their use of computers and the internet (Pan and Jordan-Marsh 2010 ), as well as differences in technology use between older adults and other age groups (Guner and Acarturk 2020 ). Subsequently, the research focus expanded to improving the quality of life for older adults, exploring how technology can optimize health management and enhance the possibility of independent living, emphasizing the significant role of technology in improving the quality of life for the elderly. With ongoing technological advancements, recent research has shifted towards areas such as “virtual reality,” “telehealth,” and “human-robot interaction,” with a focus on the user experience of older adults (Halim et al. 2022 ). The appearance of keywords such as “physical activity” and “exercise” highlights the value of technology in promoting physical activity and health among older adults. This phase of research tends to make cutting-edge technology genuinely serve the practical needs of older adults, achieving its widespread application in daily life. Additionally, research has focused on expanding and quantifying theoretical models of older adults’ technology acceptance, involving keywords such as “perceived risk”, “validation” and “UTAUT”.

In summary, from 2013 to 2023, the field of older adults’ technology acceptance has evolved from initial explorations of influencing factors, to comprehensive enhancements in quality of life and health management, and further to the application and deepening of theoretical models and cutting-edge technologies. This research not only reflects the diversity and complexity of the field but also demonstrates a comprehensive and in-depth understanding of older adults’ interactions with technology across various life scenarios and needs.

Research quality distribution

To reveal the distribution of research quality in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance, a strategic diagram analysis is employed to calculate and illustrate the internal development and interrelationships among various research themes (Xie et al. 2020 ). The strategic diagram uses Centrality as the X-axis and Density as the Y-axis to divide into four quadrants, where the X-axis represents the strength of the connection between thematic clusters and other themes, with higher values indicating a central position in the research field; the Y-axis indicates the level of development within the thematic clusters, with higher values denoting a more mature and widely recognized field (Li and Zhou 2020 ).

Through cluster analysis and manual verification, this study categorized 61 core keywords (Frequency ≥5) into 11 thematic clusters. Subsequently, based on the keywords covered by each thematic cluster, the research themes and their directions for each cluster were summarized (Table 11 ), and the centrality and density coordinates for each cluster were precisely calculated (Table 12 ). Finally, a strategic diagram of the older adults’ technology acceptance research field was constructed (Fig. 9 ). Based on the distribution of thematic clusters across the quadrants in the strategic diagram, the structure and developmental trends of the field were interpreted.

Classification and visualization of theme clusters based on density and centrality.

As illustrated in Fig. 9 , (1) the theme clusters of #3 Usage Experience and #4 Assisted Living Technology are in the first quadrant, characterized by high centrality and density. Their internal cohesion and close links with other themes indicate their mature development, systematic research content or directions have been formed, and they have a significant influence on other themes. These themes play a central role in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance and have promising prospects. (2) The theme clusters of #6 Smart Devices, #9 Theoretical Models, and #10 Mobile Health Applications are in the second quadrant, with higher density but lower centrality. These themes have strong internal connections but weaker external links, indicating that these three themes have received widespread attention from researchers and have been the subject of related research, but more as self-contained systems and exhibit independence. Therefore, future research should further explore in-depth cooperation and cross-application with other themes. (3) The theme clusters of #7 Human-Robot Interaction, #8 Characteristics of the Elderly, and #11 Research Methods are in the third quadrant, with lower centrality and density. These themes are loosely connected internally and have weak links with others, indicating their developmental immaturity. Compared to other topics, they belong to the lower attention edge and niche themes, and there is a need for further investigation. (4) The theme clusters of #1 Digital Healthcare Technology, #2 Psychological Factors, and #5 Socio-Cultural Factors are located in the fourth quadrant, with high centrality but low density. Although closely associated with other research themes, the internal cohesion within these clusters is relatively weak. This suggests that while these themes are closely linked to other research areas, their own development remains underdeveloped, indicating a core immaturity. Nevertheless, these themes are crucial within the research domain of elderly technology acceptance and possess significant potential for future exploration.

Discussion on distribution power (RQ1)

Over the past decade, academic interest and influence in the area of older adults’ technology acceptance have significantly increased. This trend is evidenced by a quantitative analysis of publication and citation volumes, particularly noticeable in 2019 and 2022, where there was a substantial rise in both metrics. The rise is closely linked to the widespread adoption of emerging technologies such as smart homes, wearable devices, and telemedicine among older adults. While these technologies have enhanced their quality of life, they also pose numerous challenges, sparking extensive research into their acceptance, usage behaviors, and influencing factors among the older adults (Pirzada et al. 2022 ; Garcia Reyes et al. 2023 ). Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic led to a surge in technology demand among older adults, especially in areas like medical consultation, online socialization, and health management, further highlighting the importance and challenges of technology. Health risks and social isolation have compelled older adults to rely on technology for daily activities, accelerating its adoption and application within this demographic. This phenomenon has made technology acceptance a critical issue, driving societal and academic focus on the study of technology acceptance among older adults.

The flow of knowledge at the level of high-output disciplines and journals, along with the primary publishing outlets, indicates the highly interdisciplinary nature of research into older adults’ technology acceptance. This reflects the complexity and breadth of issues related to older adults’ technology acceptance, necessitating the integration of multidisciplinary knowledge and approaches. Currently, research is primarily focused on medical health and human-computer interaction, demonstrating academic interest in improving health and quality of life for older adults and addressing the urgent needs related to their interactions with technology. In the field of medical health, research aims to provide advanced and innovative healthcare technologies and services to meet the challenges of an aging population while improving the quality of life for older adults (Abdi et al. 2020 ; Wilson et al. 2021 ). In the field of human-computer interaction, research is focused on developing smarter and more user-friendly interaction models to meet the needs of older adults in the digital age, enabling them to actively participate in social activities and enjoy a higher quality of life (Sayago, 2019 ). These studies are crucial for addressing the challenges faced by aging societies, providing increased support and opportunities for the health, welfare, and social participation of older adults.

Discussion on research power (RQ2)

This study analyzes leading countries and collaboration networks, core institutions and authors, revealing the global research landscape and distribution of research strength in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance, and presents quantitative data on global research trends. From the analysis of country distribution and collaborations, China and the USA hold dominant positions in this field, with developed countries like the UK, Germany, Italy, and the Netherlands also excelling in international cooperation and research influence. The significant investment in technological research and the focus on the technological needs of older adults by many developed countries reflect their rapidly aging societies, policy support, and resource allocation.

China is the only developing country that has become a major contributor in this field, indicating its growing research capabilities and high priority given to aging societies and technological innovation. Additionally, China has close collaborations with countries such as USA, the UK, and Malaysia, driven not only by technological research needs but also by shared challenges and complementarities in aging issues among these nations. For instance, the UK has extensive experience in social welfare and aging research, providing valuable theoretical guidance and practical experience. International collaborations, aimed at addressing the challenges of aging, integrate the strengths of various countries, advancing in-depth and widespread development in the research of technology acceptance among older adults.

At the institutional and author level, City University of Hong Kong leads in publication volume, with research teams led by Chan and Chen demonstrating significant academic activity and contributions. Their research primarily focuses on older adults’ acceptance and usage behaviors of various technologies, including smartphones, smart wearables, and social robots (Chen et al. 2015 ; Li et al. 2019 ; Ma et al. 2016 ). These studies, targeting specific needs and product characteristics of older adults, have developed new models of technology acceptance based on existing frameworks, enhancing the integration of these technologies into their daily lives and laying a foundation for further advancements in the field. Although Tilburg University has a smaller publication output, it holds significant influence in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance. Particularly, the high citation rate of Peek’s studies highlights their excellence in research. Peek extensively explored older adults’ acceptance and usage of home care technologies, revealing the complexity and dynamics of their technology use behaviors. His research spans from identifying systemic influencing factors (Peek et al. 2014 ; Peek et al. 2016 ), emphasizing familial impacts (Luijkx et al. 2015 ), to constructing comprehensive models (Peek et al. 2017 ), and examining the dynamics of long-term usage (Peek et al. 2019 ), fully reflecting the evolving technology landscape and the changing needs of older adults. Additionally, the ongoing contributions of researchers like Ziefle, Rogers, and Wouters in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance demonstrate their research influence and leadership. These researchers have significantly enriched the knowledge base in this area with their diverse perspectives. For instance, Ziefle has uncovered the complex attitudes of older adults towards technology usage, especially the trade-offs between privacy and security, and how different types of activities affect their privacy needs (Maidhof et al. 2023 ; Mujirishvili et al. 2023 ; Schomakers and Ziefle 2023 ; Wilkowska et al. 2022 ), reflecting a deep exploration and ongoing innovation in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance.

Discussion on knowledge base and thematic progress (RQ3)

Through co-citation analysis and systematic review of seminal literature, this study reveals the knowledge foundation and thematic progress in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance. Co-citation networks and cluster analyses illustrate the structural themes of the research, delineating the differentiation and boundaries within this field. Additionally, burst detection analysis offers a valuable perspective for understanding the thematic evolution in the field of technology acceptance among older adults. The development and innovation of theoretical models are foundational to this research. Researchers enhance the explanatory power of constructed models by deepening and expanding existing technology acceptance theories to address theoretical limitations. For instance, Heerink et al. ( 2010 ) modified and expanded the UTAUT model by integrating functional assessment and social interaction variables to create the almere model. This model significantly enhances the ability to explain the intentions of older users in utilizing assistive social agents and improves the explanation of actual usage behaviors. Additionally, Chen and Chan ( 2014 ) extended the TAM to include age-related health and capability features of older adults, creating the STAM, which substantially improves predictions of older adults’ technology usage behaviors. Personal attributes, health and capability features, and facilitating conditions have a direct impact on technology acceptance. These factors more effectively predict older adults’ technology usage behaviors than traditional attitudinal factors.

With the advancement of technology and the application of emerging technologies, new research topics have emerged, increasingly focusing on older adults’ acceptance and use of these technologies. Prior to this, the study by Mitzner et al. ( 2010 ) challenged the stereotype of older adults’ conservative attitudes towards technology, highlighting the central roles of usability and usefulness in the technology acceptance process. This discovery laid an important foundation for subsequent research. Research fields such as “smart home technology,” “social life,” and “customer service” are emerging, indicating a shift in focus towards the practical and social applications of technology in older adults’ lives. Research not only focuses on the technology itself but also on how these technologies integrate into older adults’ daily lives and how they can improve the quality of life through technology. For instance, studies such as those by Ma et al. ( 2016 ), Hoque and Sorwar ( 2017 ), and Li et al. ( 2019 ) have explored factors influencing older adults’ use of smartphones, mHealth, and smart wearable devices.

Furthermore, the diversification of research methodologies and innovation in evaluation techniques, such as the use of mixed methods, structural equation modeling (SEM), and neural network (NN) approaches, have enhanced the rigor and reliability of the findings, enabling more precise identification of the factors and mechanisms influencing technology acceptance. Talukder et al. ( 2020 ) employed an effective multimethodological strategy by integrating SEM and NN to leverage the complementary strengths of both approaches, thus overcoming their individual limitations and more accurately analyzing and predicting older adults’ acceptance of wearable health technologies (WHT). SEM is utilized to assess the determinants’ impact on the adoption of WHT, while neural network models validate SEM outcomes and predict the significance of key determinants. This combined approach not only boosts the models’ reliability and explanatory power but also provides a nuanced understanding of the motivations and barriers behind older adults’ acceptance of WHT, offering deep research insights.

Overall, co-citation analysis of the literature in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance has uncovered deeper theoretical modeling and empirical studies on emerging technologies, while emphasizing the importance of research methodological and evaluation innovations in understanding complex social science issues. These findings are crucial for guiding the design and marketing strategies of future technology products, especially in the rapidly growing market of older adults.

Discussion on research hotspots and evolutionary trends (RQ4)

By analyzing core keywords, we can gain deep insights into the hot topics, evolutionary trends, and quality distribution of research in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance. The frequent occurrence of the keywords “TAM” and “UTAUT” indicates that the applicability and theoretical extension of existing technology acceptance models among older adults remain a focal point in academia. This phenomenon underscores the enduring influence of the studies by Davis ( 1989 ) and Venkatesh et al. ( 2003 ), whose models provide a robust theoretical framework for explaining and predicting older adults’ acceptance and usage of emerging technologies. With the widespread application of artificial intelligence (AI) and big data technologies, these theoretical models have incorporated new variables such as perceived risk, trust, and privacy issues (Amin et al. 2024 ; Chen et al. 2024 ; Jing et al. 2024b ; Seibert et al. 2021 ; Wang et al. 2024b ), advancing the theoretical depth and empirical research in this field.

Keyword co-occurrence cluster analysis has revealed multiple research hotspots in the field, including factors influencing technology adoption, interactive experiences between older adults and assistive technologies, the application of mobile health technology in health management, and technology-assisted home care. These studies primarily focus on enhancing the quality of life and health management of older adults through emerging technologies, particularly in the areas of ambient assisted living, smart health monitoring, and intelligent medical care. In these domains, the role of AI technology is increasingly significant (Qian et al. 2021 ; Ho 2020 ). With the evolution of next-generation information technologies, AI is increasingly integrated into elder care systems, offering intelligent, efficient, and personalized service solutions by analyzing the lifestyles and health conditions of older adults. This integration aims to enhance older adults’ quality of life in aspects such as health monitoring and alerts, rehabilitation assistance, daily health management, and emotional support (Lee et al. 2023 ). A survey indicates that 83% of older adults prefer AI-driven solutions when selecting smart products, demonstrating the increasing acceptance of AI in elder care (Zhao and Li 2024 ). Integrating AI into elder care presents both opportunities and challenges, particularly in terms of user acceptance, trust, and long-term usage effects, which warrant further exploration (Mhlanga 2023 ). These studies will help better understand the profound impact of AI technology on the lifestyles of older adults and provide critical references for optimizing AI-driven elder care services.

The Time-zone evolution mapping and burst keyword analysis further reveal the evolutionary trends of research hotspots. Early studies focused on basic technology acceptance models and user perceptions, later expanding to include quality of life and health management. In recent years, research has increasingly focused on cutting-edge technologies such as virtual reality, telehealth, and human-robot interaction, with a concurrent emphasis on the user experience of older adults. This evolutionary process demonstrates a deepening shift from theoretical models to practical applications, underscoring the significant role of technology in enhancing the quality of life for older adults. Furthermore, the strategic coordinate mapping analysis clearly demonstrates the development and mutual influence of different research themes. High centrality and density in the themes of Usage Experience and Assisted Living Technology indicate their mature research status and significant impact on other themes. The themes of Smart Devices, Theoretical Models, and Mobile Health Applications demonstrate self-contained research trends. The themes of Human-Robot Interaction, Characteristics of the Elderly, and Research Methods are not yet mature, but they hold potential for development. Themes of Digital Healthcare Technology, Psychological Factors, and Socio-Cultural Factors are closely related to other themes, displaying core immaturity but significant potential.

In summary, the research hotspots in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance are diverse and dynamic, demonstrating the academic community’s profound understanding of how older adults interact with technology across various life contexts and needs. Under the influence of AI and big data, research should continue to focus on the application of emerging technologies among older adults, exploring in depth how they adapt to and effectively use these technologies. This not only enhances the quality of life and healthcare experiences for older adults but also drives ongoing innovation and development in this field.

Research agenda

Based on the above research findings, to further understand and promote technology acceptance and usage among older adults, we recommend future studies focus on refining theoretical models, exploring long-term usage, and assessing user experience in the following detailed aspects:

Refinement and validation of specific technology acceptance models for older adults: Future research should focus on developing and validating technology acceptance models based on individual characteristics, particularly considering variations in technology acceptance among older adults across different educational levels and cultural backgrounds. This includes factors such as age, gender, educational background, and cultural differences. Additionally, research should examine how well specific technologies, such as wearable devices and mobile health applications, meet the needs of older adults. Building on existing theoretical models, this research should integrate insights from multiple disciplines such as psychology, sociology, design, and engineering through interdisciplinary collaboration to create more accurate and comprehensive models, which should then be validated in relevant contexts.

Deepening the exploration of the relationship between long-term technology use and quality of life among older adults: The acceptance and use of technology by users is a complex and dynamic process (Seuwou et al. 2016 ). Existing research predominantly focuses on older adults’ initial acceptance or short-term use of new technologies; however, the impact of long-term use on their quality of life and health is more significant. Future research should focus on the evolution of older adults’ experiences and needs during long-term technology usage, and the enduring effects of technology on their social interactions, mental health, and life satisfaction. Through longitudinal studies and qualitative analysis, this research reveals the specific needs and challenges of older adults in long-term technology use, providing a basis for developing technologies and strategies that better meet their requirements. This understanding aids in comprehensively assessing the impact of technology on older adults’ quality of life and guiding the optimization and improvement of technological products.

Evaluating the Importance of User Experience in Research on Older Adults’ Technology Acceptance: Understanding the mechanisms of information technology acceptance and use is central to human-computer interaction research. Although technology acceptance models and user experience models differ in objectives, they share many potential intersections. Technology acceptance research focuses on structured prediction and assessment, while user experience research concentrates on interpreting design impacts and new frameworks. Integrating user experience to assess older adults’ acceptance of technology products and systems is crucial (Codfrey et al. 2022 ; Wang et al. 2019 ), particularly for older users, where specific product designs should emphasize practicality and usability (Fisk et al. 2020 ). Researchers need to explore innovative age-appropriate design methods to enhance older adults’ usage experience. This includes studying older users’ actual usage preferences and behaviors, optimizing user interfaces, and interaction designs. Integrating feedback from older adults to tailor products to their needs can further promote their acceptance and continued use of technology products.

Conclusions

This study conducted a systematic review of the literature on older adults’ technology acceptance over the past decade through bibliometric analysis, focusing on the distribution power, research power, knowledge base and theme progress, research hotspots, evolutionary trends, and quality distribution. Using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, this study has reached the following conclusions:

Technology acceptance among older adults has become a hot topic in the international academic community, involving the integration of knowledge across multiple disciplines, including Medical Informatics, Health Care Sciences Services, and Ergonomics. In terms of journals, “PSYCHOLOGY, EDUCATION, HEALTH” represents a leading field, with key publications including Computers in Human Behavior , Journal of Medical Internet Research , and International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction . These journals possess significant academic authority and extensive influence in the field.

Research on technology acceptance among older adults is particularly active in developed countries, with China and USA publishing significantly more than other nations. The Netherlands leads in high average citation rates, indicating the depth and impact of its research. Meanwhile, the UK stands out in terms of international collaboration. At the institutional level, City University of Hong Kong and The University of Hong Kong in China are in leading positions. Tilburg University in the Netherlands demonstrates exceptional research quality through its high average citation count. At the author level, Chen from China has the highest number of publications, while Peek from the Netherlands has the highest average citation count.

Co-citation analysis of references indicates that the knowledge base in this field is divided into three main categories: theoretical model deepening, emerging technology applications, and research methods and evaluation. Seminal literature focuses on four areas: specific technology use by older adults, expansion of theoretical models of technology acceptance, information technology adoption behavior, and research perspectives. Research themes have evolved from initial theoretical deepening and analysis of influencing factors to empirical studies on individual factors and emerging technologies.

Keyword analysis indicates that TAM and UTAUT are the most frequently occurring terms, while “assistive technology” and “virtual reality” are focal points with high frequency and centrality. Keyword clustering analysis reveals that research hotspots are concentrated on the influencing factors of technology adoption, human-robot interaction experiences, mobile health management, and technology for aging in place. Time-zone evolution mapping and burst keyword analysis have revealed the research evolution from preliminary exploration of influencing factors, to enhancements in quality of life and health management, and onto advanced technology applications and deepening of theoretical models. Furthermore, analysis of research quality distribution indicates that Usage Experience and Assisted Living Technology have become core topics, while Smart Devices, Theoretical Models, and Mobile Health Applications point towards future research directions.

Through this study, we have systematically reviewed the dynamics, core issues, and evolutionary trends in the field of older adults’ technology acceptance, constructing a comprehensive Knowledge Mapping of the domain and presenting a clear framework of existing research. This not only lays the foundation for subsequent theoretical discussions and innovative applications in the field but also provides an important reference for relevant scholars.

Limitations

To our knowledge, this is the first bibliometric analysis concerning technology acceptance among older adults, and we adhered strictly to bibliometric standards throughout our research. However, this study relies on the Web of Science Core Collection, and while its authority and breadth are widely recognized, this choice may have missed relevant literature published in other significant databases such as PubMed, Scopus, and Google Scholar, potentially overlooking some critical academic contributions. Moreover, given that our analysis was confined to literature in English, it may not reflect studies published in other languages, somewhat limiting the global representativeness of our data sample.

It is noteworthy that with the rapid development of AI technology, its increasingly widespread application in elderly care services is significantly transforming traditional care models. AI is profoundly altering the lifestyles of the elderly, from health monitoring and smart diagnostics to intelligent home systems and personalized care, significantly enhancing their quality of life and health care standards. The potential for AI technology within the elderly population is immense, and research in this area is rapidly expanding. However, due to the restrictive nature of the search terms used in this study, it did not fully cover research in this critical area, particularly in addressing key issues such as trust, privacy, and ethics.

Consequently, future research should not only expand data sources, incorporating multilingual and multidatabase literature, but also particularly focus on exploring older adults’ acceptance of AI technology and its applications, in order to construct a more comprehensive academic landscape of older adults’ technology acceptance, thereby enriching and extending the knowledge system and academic trends in this field.

Data availability

The datasets analyzed during the current study are available in the Dataverse repository: https://doi.org/10.7910/DVN/6K0GJH .

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This research was supported by the Social Science Foundation of Shaanxi Province in China (Grant No. 2023J014).

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Shang, X., Liu, Z., Gong, C. et al. Knowledge mapping and evolution of research on older adults’ technology acceptance: a bibliometric study from 2013 to 2023. Humanit Soc Sci Commun 11 , 1115 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-024-03658-2

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