Exploring the Landscape of Influencer Marketing Research: A Systematic Review and Bibliometric Analysis

Anil Kumar and Abdul Bashiru Jibril

SAGE Open, 2025, vol. 15, issue 3, 21582440251364040

Abstract: Influencer marketing has the potential to enhance a company’s exposure and expand its reach. Working with influencers is a compelling strategy for marketers to connect with niche audiences. Thus, the main focus of this analysis lies within the expansive realm of influencer marketing. The present study utilises a rigorous systematic literature review incorporating a bibliometric analysis. A total of 604 publications were retrieved from Scopus for the purpose of this analysis. Our findings suggest a notable surge in scholarly publications. Our review aims to bridge the gap between the disjointed past, present, and future of influencer marketing, intending to present a structured framework highlighting the field’s theoretical underpinnings. The majority of the publications have originated from the United States and Europe. The practitioners in the discipline have exhibited a preference for employing experimental research methods and quantitative methodologies. The research has focussed on Europe and North America from a geographical standpoint, aligning with the observed contribution patterns. In this analysis, we extensively explore the prevailing trends within influencer marketing. There are six primary themes in the field’s current research identified. The focal point of our discussion revolves around the study’s implications, which highlight the role of influencer marketing in facilitating a better-informed decision-making process for customers in the contemporary data-driven landscape.

Keywords: influencer marketing; social media influencers; bibliometric analysis; bibliographic coupling; VOSviewer (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/21582440251364040 (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:sagope:v:15:y:2025:i:3:p:21582440251364040

DOI: 10.1177/21582440251364040

Access Statistics for this article

More articles in SAGE Open
Bibliographic data for series maintained by SAGE Publications ().