Bibliometric Analysis of Panic Buying Literature (2020–2024)
Abstract views: 19
/ 
PDF downloads: 7
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.16730333Keywords:
Panic Buying, Bibliometric Analysis, Consumer BehaviorAbstract
This study comprehensively examines the rapidly growing literature on panic buying behavior in the post-COVID-19 pandemic period using bibliometric analysis. A total of 374 English-language articles published in the Scopus database between 2020 and 2024 were analyzed, revealing that panic buying is a multidimensional phenomenon interacting with individual psychology, consumer behavior, and social structures during crises. The number of publications peaked in 2021 and plateaued in subsequent years, indicating increased academic interest during the height of the pandemic followed by saturation over time. However, the high citation counts per article confirm the continued scientific importance of the topic. The studies exhibit an interdisciplinary structure encompassing psychology, public health, consumer behavior, and sustainability. Countries such as China, the USA, and Australia made significant contributions, while Singapore and Canada stood out in terms of the impact of their publications. Keyword analyses show that panic buying, initially approached from a health-focused perspective, has gradually expanded to include psychological, social, and structural dimensions. The influence of media, social environment, and government policies on consumer behavior remains a prominent research area. In conclusion, panic buying is not merely an individual consumer reaction but a complex phenomenon reflecting the multidimensional economic, psychological, and social effects of crises. This study clarifies the current state of the literature and provides a foundation for strategic research and practical recommendations for the future of the field.
Downloads
References
Ali, M., Gomes, L. M., Azab, N., de Moraes Souza, J. G., Sorour, M. K., & Kimura, H. (2023). Panic buying and fake news in urban vs. rural England: A case study of Twitter during COVID-19. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 193, 122598. https://doi.org/10.1016 /j.techfore.2023.122598
Aria, M., & Cuccurullo, C. (2017). bibliometrix: An R-tool for comprehensive science mapping analysis. Journal of Informetrics, 11(4), 959-975. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.joi.2017.08.007
Ben Hassen, T., & El Bilali, H. (2022). Impacts of the Russia-Ukraine war on global food security: Towards more sustainable and resilient food systems? Foods, 11(15), 2301. https://doi.org/10.3390/ foods11152301
Clarivate. (2024). Journal Citation Reports 2024. https://jcr.clarivate.com
Cruz-Cárdenas, J., Zabelina, E., Guadalupe-Lanas, J., Palacio-Fierro, A., & Ramos-Galarza, C. (2021). COVID-19, consumer behavior, technology, and society: A literature review and bibliometric analysis. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 173, 121179. https://doi.org/ 10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121179
Elsevier. (2024). CiteScore metrics 2024. https://www.scopus.com/sources
Hall, C. M., Fieger, P., Prayag, G., & Dyason, D. (2021). Panic buying and consumption displacement during COVID-19: Evidence from New Zealand. Economies, 9(2), 46. https://doi.org/10.3390/economies9020046
Hobbs, J. E. (2020). Food supply chains during the COVID-19 pandemic. Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics, 68(2), 171–176. https://doi.org/10.1111/cjag.12237
Islam, T., Pitafi, A. H., Arya, V., Wang, Y., Akhtar, N., Mubarik, S., & Xiaobei, L. (2021). Panic buying in the COVID-19 pandemic: A multi-country examination. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 59, 102357. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102357
Kogan, K., & Herbon, A. (2022). Retailing under panic buying and consumer stockpiling: Can governmental intervention make a difference? International Journal of Production Economics, 254, 108631. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpe.2022.108631
Kuipers, S., van der Wilt, A., & Wolbers, J. (2022). Pandemic publishing: A bibliometric review of COVID-19 research in the crisis and disaster literature. Risk, Hazards & Crisis in Public Policy, 13(4), 302–321. https://doi.org/10.1002/rhc3.12262
Laato, S., Islam, A. K. M. N., Farooq, A., & Dhir, A. (2020). Unusual purchasing behavior during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic: The stimulus-organism-response approach. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 57, 102224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102224
Laela, E., & Firmansyah, M. F. (2024). The phenomenon of panic buying and scarcity during the COVID-19 pandemic: A bibliometric study. Journal DiE, 15(1). https://doi.org/10.30996/die.v15i1.10063
Mongeon, P. & Paul-Hus, A. (2016). The journal coverage of Web of Science and Scopus: a comparative analysis. Scientometrics 106, 213–228. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11192-015-1765-5
Mukhtar, S. (2020). Psychological health during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic outbreak. The International Journal of Social Psychiatry, 66(5), 512–516. https://doi.org/10.1177/ 0020764020925835
Naeem, M. (2021). Do social media platforms develop consumer panic buying during the fear of COVID-19 pandemic? Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 58, 102226. https://doi.org/10.1016/ j.jretconser.2020.102226
Nicola, M., Alsafi, Z., Sohrabi, C., Kerwan, A., Al-Jabir, A., Iosifidis, C., Agha, M., & Agha, R. (2020). The socio-economic implications of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19): A review. International Journal of Surgery, 78, 185–193. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.04.018
Omar, N. A., Nazri, M. A., Ali, M. H., & Alam, S. S. (2021). The panic buying behavior of consumers during the COVID-19 pandemic: Examining the influences of uncertainty, perceptions of severity, perceptions of scarcity, and anxiety. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 62, 102600. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102600
Öztürk, R. (2020). The trends of marketing literature during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review with bibliometric analysis. OPUS International Journal of Society Researches, 16(29 Ekim Özel Sayısı), 3251–3273. https://doi.org/10.26466/opus.788120
Pranckutė, R. (2021). Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus: The titans of bibliographic information in today’s academic world. Publications, 9(1), 12. https://doi.org/10.3390/publications9010012
Prentice, C., Chen, J., & Stantic, B. (2020). Timed intervention in COVID-19 and panic buying. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 57, 102203. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102203
Saral, İ. (2024). Panic buying: A theoretical and conceptual review. Journal of Current Marketing Approaches & Research, 5(2), 199-222. https://doi.org/10.54439/gupayad.1564427
Silva, L. E. N., Gomes Neto, M. B., Grangeiro, R. da R., & Nadae, J. de. (2021). COVID-19 pandemic: Why does it matter for consumer research? Brazilian Journal of Marketing, 20(2), 253–278. https://doi.org/10.5585/remark.v20i2.18677
Sönmez Karapınar, E. (2022, Temmuz 23–25). COVID-19 pandemisi sürecinde tüketici davranışı üzerine yapılan araştırmaların bibliyometrik analizi. 10th International İstanbul Scientific Research Congress, İstanbul, Türkiye.
Taylor, S. (2021). Understanding and managing pandemic-related panic buying. Journal of Anxiety Disorders, 78, 102364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.janxdis.2021.102364
Taylor, S., Landry, C. A., Paluszek, M. M., Fergus, T. A., McKay, D., & Asmundson, G. J. G. (2020). COVID stress syndrome: Concept, structure, and correlates. Depression and Anxiety, 37(8), 706–714. https://doi.org/10.1002/da.23071
Tekin, M., Öztürk, D., & Bahar, İ. (2021). Tersine lojistiğin bibliyometrik analizi. Aksaray Üniversitesi İktisadi ve İdari Bilimler Fakültesi Dergisi, 13(3), 87-100. https://doi.org/10.52791/ aksarayiibd.899935
Wang, C., Pan, R., Wan, X., Tan, Y., Xu, L., McIntyre, R. S., Choo, F. N., Tran, B., Ho, R., Sharma, V. K., & Ho, C. (2020). A longitudinal study on the mental health of general population during the COVID-19 epidemic in China. Brain, behavior, and immunity, 87, 40–48. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbi.2020.04.028
Yuen, K. F., Wang, X., Ma, F., & Li, K. X. (2020). The psychological causes of panic buying following a health crisis. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(10), 3513. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17103513
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Premium e-Journal of Social Science (PEJOSS)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
