Threads of insight: Exploring the narrative of online reviews (2002–22) in the apparel industry through bibliometrics

Online reviews have become crucial in research and consumer decision-making, providing insights into customer perspectives on products and services. In today’s digital age, they are an essential tool for retailers to engage with their customers. This is particularly true in the apparel industry, where understanding consumer satisfaction and preferences is key to crafting effective marketing strategies. Despite the abundance of literature on the impact of online reviews on consumer evaluations of ready-made garments, there has been limited scientific analysis of this extensive body of work. This bibliometric study utilizes performance analysis and science mapping to rigorously examine the body of literature on online reviews. Performance analysis assesses the quality and quantity of various scientific contributions using a suite of bibliometric indicators, such as publication trends, leading authors and journals, and the most influential publications. To complement this, science mapping is employed to elucidate the broader intellectual, social and conceptual frameworks of the field, providing a holistic view of its fundamental dynamics that performance analysis alone cannot offer. We analysed 161 articles published between 2002 and 2022, selected via targeted keywords from the Scopus database. The data was processed using VOSviewer (1.6.20) and Biblioshiny, a web-based platform powered by the R-package Bibliometrix 4.1. This study not only delves into the historical and current states of the literature but also identifies and discusses future research agendas in online reviews within the apparel industry.