Research Evolution, Current Status, Trends, and Sustainable Development of Smart Product-Service Systems

Abstract

The objective of this study is to conduct a comprehensive bibliometric analysis within the domain of Smart Product-Service Systems (Smart PSS). Leveraging the extant scholarly work, this paper delineates the prevailing research landscape and trajectories, while scrutinizing the focal points and prospective trends in this discipline. A total of 925 relevant articles were retrieved and collected from the Web of Science core database. VOSviewer and CiteSpace knowledge mapping tools were utilized to analyze the annual publication volume, institutional collaboration, topic burst, keyword co-occurrence, author collaboration, author co-citation, document co-citation, and references in the field of Smart Product-Service Systems. It is evident from this research that there is a lack of coordination between theoretical and practical development in the current study of Smart PSS sustainability, and the research field has certain limitations. Additionally, the research focus in this field has shifted from product-centered to user-centered, resulting in a sustainable development trend aimed at value co-creation. In the future, it is necessary to achieve sustainable development of Smart PSS through three aspects: theoretical innovation, methodological innovation, and development path. This systematic review will deepen the understanding of Smart PSS research and provide directional guidance for future studies. It also emphasizes the necessity of exploring the Smart PSS field more deeply to achieve sustainable development in this area.