A systematic review of consumer empowerment research trends: Evidence from esteemed consumer studies journals

• Published date: 01 July 2023
• Author: Jaehye Suk,Xu Li,Hyesun Hwang
• Date: 01 July 2023
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.1111/joca.12552

RESEARCH ARTICLE

A systematic review of consumer

empowerment research trends: Evidence from

esteemed consumer studies journals

Jaehye Suk

1

|XuLi

2

|Hyesun Hwang

3

1

Convergence Program for Social

Innovation, Sungkyunkwan University,

Seoul, South Korea

2

Department of Consumer Science,

Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul,

South Korea

3

Department of Consumer Science,

Convergence Program for Social

Innovation, Sungkyunkwan University,

Seoul, South Korea

Correspondence

Xu Li, Department of Consumer Science,

College of Social Sciences,

Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South

Korea.

E-mail: lsnowx16@skku.edu

Hyesun Hwang, Department of

Consumer Science, Convergence Program

for Social Innovation, College of Social

Sciences, Sungkyunkwan University,

Seoul, South Korea.

Email: h.hwang@skku.edu

Abstract

Research on consumer empowerment has evolved to

reflect its requirements over time. This study aimed to

trace consumer empowerment research trends through

a systematic review of 245 abstracts from two esteemed

journals in the field of consumer studies, namely, Inter-

national Journal of Consumer Studies and Journal of

Consumer Affairs. Reference network analysis revealed

that research on consumer empowerment has been

mainly focused on finance and education. Topic model-

ing revealed the following six topics: financial literacy

education, school education, information competency,

dietary behavior/nutrition, financial management com-

petency, and empowerment in the market. Hot topics

included financial literacy education and dietary behav-

ior/nutrition, whereas school education was a cold topic.

This study provides insights into consumer empower-

ment research trendsand directions for future research.

KEYWORDS

consumer education, consumer empowerment, reference

network analysis, topic modeling

1|INTRODUCTION

Consumer empowerment is an important goal; however, finding an optimal way to achieve it is

one of the most complex topics in consumer studies. The key to consumer empowerment is

Received: 16 September 2022Revised: 15 May 2023Accepted: 5 July 2023

DOI: 10.1111/joca.12552

© 2023 American Council on Consumer Interests.

J Consum Aff. 2023;57:1423–1452. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/joca 1423

consumers having sufficient control over issues that concern them, and exert their power

within the scope of their arena (Pires et al., 2006). To this end, the consumer must adapt to the

current ever-changing environment as an individual who pursues well-being in their consump-

tion life, leads our economic health, and contributes to a sustainable society.

Rapid changes in the market and society not only shift the abilities required of consumers

but also steadily expand the range of prerequisites for consumers to build better lives. In partic-

ular, the technological revolutions so far have increased the need for consumers to adapt to a

new way of life while enjoying an improved standard of living. Fueled by evolving technologies,

an expanding market full of new products and services is responding to consumer needs while

simultaneously demanding more efficient and effective decision making on the part of con-

sumers (Howells, 2020; Strebel et al., 2004). Moreover, complex alternatives and the overflow of

information have increased the need for consumer empowerment through education and inter-

ventions to foster well-informed and critical consumers (Hibbard et al., 2007).

Therefore, consumer empowerment should be achieved by maintaining the pace of external

changes and referring to conceptual transformation and practical expansion in a more sustain-

able form. In today's society, consumer empowerment is not just about being a powerful pur-

chaser, but also about transforming consumers' roles by recognizing their citizenship

(McShane & Sabadoz, 2015). As a dynamic concept, consumer empowerment must evolve and

be accompanied by practical approaches. It is an initial and practical step toward enhancing

consumer empowerment, as it enables consumers to keep up with external changes

(Delgadillo, 2013; McGregor, 2005). It is a planned intervention aimed at improving consumers'

skill levels, increasing their knowledge, making purchasing decisions, conducting transactions,

managing relationships, and finding solutions by modifying consumer attitudes and behaviors

(Brennan & Coppack, 2008). In addition, consumer education helps consumers discover their

inner strengths and social potential to confront issues and learn about sustainable forms of

empowerment (McGregor, 2005). Therefore, enhancing consumers' practical empowerment

through consumer education is crucial for preventing and resolving the issues consumers may

face, ultimately leading to an improved quality of life.

This study aimed to trace the trend of consumer empowerment research intertwined with

consumer education through a systematic review of published articles in consumer studies.

Systematic reviews are widely used to obtain reliable findings from multiple studies (Gough

et al., 2017; Gough & Elbourne, 2002). To identify what has been discussed thus far and what

needs to be addressed in future consumer empowerment research, this study analyzed how the

papers published to date can be classified and how the potential topics are structured using

computational text analysis methods. Text analysis methods are beneficial for analyzing

research trends while minimizing researchers' subjectivity, which might cause the inability to

obtain replicable research results (Humphreys & Wang, 2018). These methodological attempts

have increased noticeably recently, especially for modeling analyses in various disciplines, and

they have been used to better understand state-of-the-art research horizons (Antons et al., 2019;

Clark, 2013; Loureiro et al., 2020; Salloum et al., 2018).

This study contributes to identifying research gaps in consumer empowerment. Consumer

empowerment has both theoretical and practical aspects. Therefore, this study provides a com-

prehensive review of the literature focusing on conceptual discussions of consumer empower-

ment along with interventions such as education and counseling that enhance consumer

empowerment. Our findings show how the practical approach to consumer empowerment and

research interest have transformed following social changes. In addition, by exploring the com-

position of the academic networks that lead research trends, we attempt to identify the core

1424 SUK ET AL.