A Bibliometric Analysis of Mixed Reality in the Marketing Context

Abstract

Research Question: The paper presents the results of a conducted bibliometric analysis, addressing a gap in a relatively under-explored research area, the use of mixed reality in a marketing context. Motivation: The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a greater use of various technologies to enhance company-customer interactions. Mixed reality (MR) is one of these technologies that bridges the gap between digital and physical touchpoints, offering companies innovative ways to engage consumers. MR integrates augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR), creating a seamless blend of virtual and physical environments. Although AR and VR have been widely researched in the marketing context so far, there is a lack of papers covering MR, especially when considering papers related to bibliometric analysis. Idea: To fill this gap, desk research was conducted using data from the Web of Science core collection platform. Data: Standard bibliometric indicators were applied to present research productivity, publication types and sources, language of publications, distribution of publications by country, authorship, keywords, and citation analysis. Tools: In addition to the filters in the WoS platform, the data were analyzed using the VOSviewer software. Findings indicate that research on MR in a marketing context began in 2018, with a significant increase in scientific literature in 2020, coinciding with the pandemic. The study identifies 20 publications directly related to mixed reality in marketing, all indexed on the Web of Science core collection platform. All papers are published in English, and most are journal articles authored by 76 researchers from 22 different countries and 65 affiliations. Contribution: To the best of the author’s knowledge, this research is among the first attempts to systematically explore mixed reality in a marketing context, highlighting its potential as an emerging trend and outlining future directions for exploiting mixed reality in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.