Green word of mouth: what are the research performance, main schools of thought and research agendas in the digital era?

Purpose Despite the growing importance of green word of mouth (GWOM) for businesses in today’s globally connected world, dedicated literature review efforts in this field appear to remain limited. This study aims to provide a comprehensive literature review on GWOM by integrating bibliometric and content analysis. Design/methodology/approach Based on 270 Scopus-indexed articles from 2009 to 2025, the study employs bibliometric techniques such as keyword cooccurrence and bibliographic coupling, complemented by qualitative content analysis. Findings The findings reveal a surge in GWOM research since 2020. Key themes include (1) greenwashing and brand equity dimensions; (2) social influence and individual green identity; (3) GWOM and green behavioral intentions; (4) green skepticism and moral emotions and (5) digital technology, electronic word of mouth and green advocacy. The field remains largely shaped by quantitative approaches and primary data, while qualitative studies, mixed-method designs, conceptual frameworks, literature reviews and the use of secondary or combined datasets are still considerably underutilized. Importantly, the content analysis revealed critical research gaps, which served as the basis for proposing a future research agenda encompassing five key areas: foundational theories, methodological diversification, data innovation, thematic broadening and contextual analysis. Originality/value The novelty of this study lies in its integration of bibliometric and content analysis to provide a dual analytical perspective on GWOM research. This may also be regarded as one of the early reviews in this area, offering a specific and actionable research agenda in the digital era, thereby aiming to contribute to the ongoing development of the field.