Consumer behaviour theories in Islamic finance research: a bibliometric analysis

Purpose The purpose of this study is to offer bibliometric overview for consumer behaviour theories applied in Islamic finance studies. The review was conducted to previous studies, which used Innovation diffusion theory (IDT), theory of reasoned action (TRA), theory of planned behaviour (TPB), decomposed theory of planned behaviour, theory of acceptance model (TAM), Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT), Theory of Islamic consumer behaviour, theory of interpersonal behaviour (TIB) and attitude and social influence and self-efficacy model. Design/methodology/approach A bibliometric analysis was conducted covering publications from 2007 to 2025. A total of 249 articles were extracted published in 86 journals from Scopus database. The bibliometric tools that include Microsoft Excel, Harzing Publish or Perish and VOSviewer were used. The data gathered were examined in terms of publication trends, prolific authors, influential journals, keyword co-occurrence and thematic clusters related to consumer behaviour theories in Islamic finance research. Findings Five thematic clusters were identified in Islamic finance research, focusing on areas such as technology adoption, Islamic banking performance, consumer awareness, Islamic marketing and product-specific preferences. From the compilation of nine consumer behaviour theories, TPB was the most frequently applied framework, followed by the TRA and other consumer behaviour theories such as TAM, UTAUT and IDT. Research limitations/implications The scope and duration covered were the limitations of this study, which provide future research direction in this area. Practical implications The results offered in this study provide fresh knowledge concerning the theories used in studies, where Islamic finance behaviour and questionnaire survey are brought into play. Originality/value This work was viewed among the first bibliometric analysis dedicated in mapping consumer behaviour theories with Islamic finance research discipline for improved future research direction.