Crafting collaboration: mapping the landscape of value co-creation through a bibliometric analysis

Purpose Historically, from a firm-led perspective, value creation has evolved to a more inclusive and collaborative value co-creation (VCC) process. This study systematically reviews the existing literature on VCC, providing a comprehensive understanding of past developments, current knowledge structure and potential for future progress. Design/methodology/approach About 558 research articles, spanning the last two decades, published in high-quality marketing journals, were analyzed using keyword co-occurrence analysis, an imperative bibliometric technique. The data were retrieved from Scopus©. Additionally, recent articles were reviewed to identify promising research trajectories. Findings This paper maps the knowledge structure of VCC literature. Nine major themes emerge as prominent within the literature. The discussion highlights the conceptual richness of VCC literature. Future research directions encompassing four distinct domains and some research queries are presented to guide future theoretical and practical explorations. Practical implications The present study highlights crucial insights contributing to the VCC literature. From the perspective of the service provider, this study reaffirms the significance of adopting customer-centric approaches and collaborating with customers to navigate the potential challenges of the dynamic business landscape. Originality/value The study outlines important themes that emerge from previous literature, offering pathways for future research.