MARKETING DRIVERS OF SHOPPING MALL PERFORMANCE: A BIBLIOMETRIC REVIEW OF RESEARCH ACROSS DECADES

Abstract

The performance of shopping malls has become an increasingly important concern in the evolving retail environment, where competition from e-commerce and changing consumer expectations require more effective marketing strategies. Although previous studies have examined retailing and consumer behaviour, understanding of the marketing drivers influencing shopping mall performance remains fragmented, creating the need for a systematic review. This study applies a bibliometric approach to examine the intellectual structure, research trends, and emerging directions of research on the marketing drivers of shopping mall performance. Data were retrieved from the Scopus database using an advanced search strategy based on the keywords “marketing” and “shopping mall performance.” A total of 494 publications were identified and processed using OpenRefine for data cleaning and standardisation, while bibliometric performance analysis and network visualisation were conducted using VOSviewer and the Scopus analyser. The findings reveal a substantial increase in publications, particularly after 2015, indicating growing scholarly interest in this field. Citation analysis identifies influential studies focusing on consumer behaviour and digital commerce, whereas keyword co-occurrence analysis highlights dominant themes including consumer behaviour, customer satisfaction, and retailing, together with emerging topics such as the Internet of Things (IoT), machine learning, and sustainability. Country-level analysis further shows that China, the United States, and Australia remain the leading contributors with strong collaborative networks, while emerging economies demonstrate increasing participation. Overall, this study provides a comprehensive overview of the field and identifies future research opportunities for developing integrated, technology-driven, and context-specific marketing strategies to improve shopping mall performance.