IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/mktlet/v36y2025i2d10.1007_s11002-024-09731-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The evolving field of consumer research through the lens of its top journals

Author

Listed:
  • Evan Weingarten

    (University of Southern California)

  • On Amir

    (University of California)

  • Andrea C. Morales

    (Arizona State University)

Abstract

Building on Simonson et al.’s (2001) review of consumer research, we examine the current state of the field through the methods, topics, and author network of papers from Journal of Consumer Research (JCR), Journal of Marketing Research (JMR), and Journal of Consumer Psychology (JCP). Our investigation yields four main findings. First, most papers follow recent methodological trends (e.g., Hayes’ PROCESS Macro), regardless of journal or topic. However, JCR has more CCT papers and JCP has published more reviews. Second, there has been a substantial increase in the number of studies and participants per study over time. Third, JMR and JCR have more samples outside of students and Mechanical Turk relative to JCP. Fourth, JCP has a larger share of first-time authors relative to JCR and JMR, but junior authors appear more at JCR. Finally, we review how the field has changed relative to the predictions of Simonson et al. (2001).

Suggested Citation

  • Evan Weingarten & On Amir & Andrea C. Morales, 2025. "The evolving field of consumer research through the lens of its top journals," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 36(2), pages 227-242, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:36:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11002-024-09731-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11002-024-09731-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11002-024-09731-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11002-024-09731-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Claudia Townsend & Barbara E. Kahn, 2014. "The "Visual Preference Heuristic": The Influence of Visual versus Verbal Depiction on Assortment Processing, Perceived Variety, and Choice Overload," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 40(5), pages 993-1015.
    2. Mandel, Naomi & Johnson, Eric J, 2002. "When Web Pages Influence Choice: Effects of Visual Primes on Experts and Novices," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 29(2), pages 235-245, September.
    3. Antonia Krefeld-Schwalb & Benjamin Scheibehenne, 2023. "Tighter nets for smaller fishes? Mapping the development of statistical practices in consumer research between 2008 and 2020," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 351-365, September.
    4. Joseph K. Goodman & Gabriele Paolacci, 2017. "Crowdsourcing Consumer Research," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(1), pages 196-210.
    5. Noah J. Goldstein & Robert B. Cialdini & Vladas Griskevicius, 2008. "A Room with a Viewpoint: Using Social Norms to Motivate Environmental Conservation in Hotels," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 35(3), pages 472-482, March.
    6. Carolyn Yoon & Angela H. Gutchess & Fred Feinberg & Thad A. Polk, 2006. "A Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study of Neural Dissociations between Brand and Person Judgments," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 33(1), pages 31-40, June.
    7. Belk, Russell W & Sherry, John F, Jr & Wallendorf, Melanie, 1988. "A Naturalistic Inquiry into Buyer and Seller Behavior at a Swap Meet," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 14(4), pages 449-470, March.
    8. Darren Dahl & Eileen Fischer & Gita Johar & Vicki Morwitz, 2015. "The Evolution of JCR: A View through the Eyes of Its Editors," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 42(1), pages 1-4.
    9. Dafna Goor & Nailya Ordabayeva & Anat Keinan & Sandrine Crener & Eileen Fischer & Linda L. Price & Pankaj Aggarwal, 2020. "The Impostor Syndrome from Luxury Consumption [Beyond Deserving More: Psychological Entitlement Also Predicts Negative Attitudes toward Personally Relevant Out-Groups]," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 46(6), pages 1031-1051.
    10. Sebastian Galiani & Ramiro H. Gálvez & Ian Nachman, 2025. "Specialization trends in economics research: A large‐scale study using natural language processing and citation analysis," Economic Inquiry, Western Economic Association International, vol. 63(1), pages 289-329, January.
    11. Xinshu Zhao & John G. Lynch & Qimei Chen, 2010. "Reconsidering Baron and Kenny: Myths and Truths about Mediation Analysis," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 37(2), pages 197-206, August.
    12. Deborah J. MacInnis & Valerie S. Folkes, 2010. "The Disciplinary Status of Consumer Behavior: A Sociology of Science Perspective on Key Controversies," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 36(6), pages 899-914, April.
    13. Ferber, Robert, 1977. "Research by Convenience," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 4(1), pages 57-58, June.
    14. Andrea C. Morales & On Amir & Leonard Lee, 2017. "Keeping It Real in Experimental Research—Understanding When, Where, and How to Enhance Realism and Measure Consumer Behavior," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 44(2), pages 465-476.
    15. Lan Nguyen Chaplin & Deborah Roedder John, 2005. "The Development of Self-Brand Connections in Children and Adolescents," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 32(1), pages 119-129, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Viglia, Giampaolo & Dolnicar, Sara, 2020. "A review of experiments in tourism and hospitality," Annals of Tourism Research, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    2. Remi Trudel & Jennifer J. Argo & Matthew D. Meng, 2016. "The Recycled Self: Consumers’ Disposal Decisions of Identity-Linked Products," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 43(2), pages 246-264.
    3. Lembregts, Christophe & Cadario, Romain, 2024. "Consumer-Driven Climate Mitigation: Exploring Barriers and Solutions in Studying Higher Mitigation Potential Behaviors," OSF Preprints ywus6, Center for Open Science.
    4. repec:osf:osfxxx:ywus6_v1 is not listed on IDEAS
    5. Michel Tuan Pham, 2023. "Are scientific practices improving in consumer research? A glass half-full and half-empty," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 34(3), pages 375-382, September.
    6. Kareklas, Ioannis & Muehling, Darrel D. & King, Skyler, 2019. "The effect of color and self-view priming in persuasive communications," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 98(C), pages 33-49.
    7. Arne K. Albrecht & Gianfranco Walsh & Simon Brach & Dwayne D. Gremler & Erica Herpen, 2017. "The influence of service employees and other customers on customer unfriendliness: a social norms perspective," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 45(6), pages 827-847, November.
    8. Yi He & Qimei Chen & Dana L. Alden, 2016. "Time will tell: managing post-purchase changes in brand attitude," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 44(6), pages 791-805, November.
    9. Roy, Rajat & Togawa, Taku & Park, Jaewoo & Ishii, Hiroaki & Naidoo, Vik, 2024. "The price is Heavy: How the haptic sensation of weight influences preference for partitioned versus combined pricing," Journal of Business Research, Elsevier, vol. 182(C).
    10. Niek Hensen & Debbie I. Keeling & Ko Ruyter & Martin Wetzels & Ad Jong, 2016. "Making SENS: exploring the antecedents and impact of store environmental stewardship climate," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 44(4), pages 497-515, July.
    11. Otterbring, Tobias & Folwarczny, Michał, 2024. "Social validation, reciprocation, and sustainable orientation: Cultivating “clean†codes of conduct through social influence," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 76(C).
    12. Luqiong Tong & Yuhuang Zheng & Ping Zhao, 2013. "Is money really the root of all evil? The impact of priming money on consumer choice," Marketing Letters, Springer, vol. 24(2), pages 119-129, June.
    13. Henkens, Bieke & Verleye, Katrien & Larivière, Bart, 2021. "The smarter, the better?! Customer well-being, engagement, and perceptions in smart service systems," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 38(2), pages 425-447.
    14. Lembregts, Christophe & Cadario, Romain, 2024. "Consumer-driven climate mitigation: Exploring barriers and solutions in studying higher mitigation potential behaviors," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 41(3), pages 513-528.
    15. Na Young Lee & Stephanie M. Noble & Dipayan Biswas, 2018. "Hey big spender! A golden (color) atmospheric effect on tipping behavior," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, Springer, vol. 46(2), pages 317-337, March.
    16. Mahmood, Ammara & Luffarelli, Jonathan & Mukesh, Mudra, 2019. "What's in a logo? The impact of complex visual cues in equity crowdfunding," Journal of Business Venturing, Elsevier, vol. 34(1), pages 41-62.
    17. Amy Bergenwall & E. Kelloway & Julian Barling, 2014. "Odd Jobs, Bad Habits, and Ethical Implications: Smoking-Related Outcomes of Children’s Early Employment Intensity," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 122(2), pages 269-282, June.
    18. Dianne Hofenk & Marcel Birgelen & Josée Bloemer & Janjaap Semeijn, 2019. "How and When Retailers’ Sustainability Efforts Translate into Positive Consumer Responses: The Interplay Between Personal and Social Factors," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 156(2), pages 473-492, May.
    19. Eun-Ho Kim & Dongho Yoo & Sun-Jae Doh, 2021. "Self-construal on brand fan pages: the mediating effect of para-social interaction and consumer engagement on brand loyalty," Journal of Brand Management, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 28(3), pages 254-271, May.
    20. Strizhakova, Yuliya & Coulter, Robin A., 2013. "The “green” side of materialism in emerging BRIC and developed markets: The moderating role of global cultural identity," International Journal of Research in Marketing, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 69-82.
    21. Dominick Werner & Martin Adam & Alexander Benlian, 2022. "Empowering users to control ads and its effects on website stickiness," Electronic Markets, Springer;IIM University of St. Gallen, vol. 32(3), pages 1373-1397, September.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:kap:mktlet:v:36:y:2025:i:2:d:10.1007_s11002-024-09731-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.