Customer Orientation: A Literature Review Based on Bibliometric Analysis

Abstract

Rooted in the concept of market orientation, the literature has long affirmed the importance of customer orientation to business success. While a number of literature reviews on customer orientation exist, there is still a need for a thorough investigation into the current status of customer orientation research. Using the bibliometric method and CiteSpace visual analysis tool, this study analyzes and summarizes the customer orientation literature from 2001 to 2020. By using the co-occurrence analysis, co-citation analysis, burst detection, and time zone visualization, this paper provides an all-around intellectual structure of the customer orientation literature, for example, an overview of relevant publications, the distribution of journals, the authors’ and institutions’ contribution, the heated issues, core research theories, and future avenues of customer orientation research.