Subscription Retailing Research Evolution Analysis Using Bibliometric Indicators and Content Analysis

The aim of this investigation is to analyze subscription retailing research’s main topics and evolution over time. A bibliometric study and a content analysis were carried out on the documents published in Web of Science database about subscription retailing. The findings show that research after the COVID-19 pandemic was reinforced. The main researched industries are e-commerce, physical retail, and e-marketplaces, and the main topics are business model definition, typologies of subscription services, namely surprise boxes, the likelihood to use subscription services, and promotions, coupons, and relationship marketing. This study contributes to the area by providing scholars with the subscription retailing research state of the art and trends, helping to guide future researches. From a managerial view, it gives insights on how to use subscription retailing.