Exploring the intellectual and conceptual structure of small retail research through a bibliometric analysis

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to consolidate the existing literature on small retail and develop a conceptual framework using thematic analysis.

Design/methodology/approach

The relevant set of 224 articles has been obtained from the Scopus database by applying the PRISMA framework. Bibliometric analysis has been performed using Biblioshiny in Bibliometrix and VOSviewer.

Findings

Four major themes have been identified within the conceptual structure of the small retail domain, and a conceptual framework has been developed using the interlinkages within the themes. The intellectual structure of the domain has been explored using citation analysis, co-citation analysis and bibliographic coupling. Future research directions are also identified and documented based on the thematic analysis and overall consolidation of the literature.

Originality/value

This is perhaps one of the first attempts to consolidate the published literature on small retail using bibliometric analysis.

Citation

Samanta, T. and Aithal, R.K. (2024), "Exploring the intellectual and conceptual structure of small retail research through a bibliometric analysis", International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management, Vol. 52 No. 2, pp. 220-239. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJRDM-03-2023-0135