Contributing to the Sharing Economy: A Bibliometric Mapping of Fashion Rental Services
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Abstract
Along with other constituents of the sharing economy, fashion sharing services have the potential to make valuable contributions towards sustainable consumption and production. However, there is a dearth of studies on the linkages amongst the prominent research units of analysis and development of scholarship on fashion rental services. This study aims to map the evolution and structure of the discourse on fashion rental services through bibliometric analysis and to identify the major challenges impeding the growth of fashion rental services. A total of 133 papers have been analyzed through Biblioshiny and VOS viewer software to identify the prominent contributors including authors, journals, institutions, and countries. Co-citation analysis, author collaboration network, and keyword co-occurrence analysis have been undertaken. Thematic mapping indicates collaborative fashion consumption and fashion as motor themes and sharing economy and clothing as basic themes. Sustainable consumption and sustainable fashion are emerging themes and luxury fashion and fashion leadership are niche themes. A content analyis of the top highly cited papers in the domain indicate a lack of awareness and trust amongst consumers, perceived risks, and inadequate infrastructure as challenges impeding the growth of fashion rental services. The study lays down a roadmap for future research on fashion rental services and outlines a set of recommendations for stakeholders.
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