Personalization in personalized marketing: Trends and ways forward

Abstract

In marketing, personalization is the action of designing and producing in ways that resonate with customer preferences. Content and products that are personalized according to customer preferences can reduce customer fatigue and time in making choices, thereby decreasing their cognitive load. Despite its importance, the literature on personalized marketing remains fragmented due to the absence of a comprehensive review that consolidates the intellectual structure of the field. This study bridges this knowledge gap through a bibliometric review using performance analysis and science mapping. Through a comprehensive review of 383 publications, this study reveals the publication and citation trends, the most prolific authors, journals, and publications, and six major themes (i.e., personalized recommendation, personalized relationship, personalization–privacy paradox, personalized advertising, personalization concept and discourse in marketing, and customer insights in personalized marketing) that characterize the body of knowledge of personalized marketing. The study concludes with future research directions as ways forward for personalized marketing, wherein a focus on new-age technologies involving artificial intelligence, big data, blockchain, internet of things, and wearables is encouraged to explore new ways to curate personalized experiences across online and offline channels.