How customer relationship management improves sustainable business strategy: a bibliometric analysis

This study evaluates the relevance, thematic distribution, theoretical grounding, and future trajectory of customer relationship management (CRM) research using a bibliometric analysis of Scopus-indexed publications from 2014-2024. Data were extracted using the keyword 'customer relationship management' and analysed on January 30, 2025. Scopus was selected due to its credibility, stringent peer-review standards, and broad publisher coverage. The results confirm that CRM remains a strategically important research domain, with a clear upward trend in publications, particularly those integrating digital technologies, artificial intelligence, and customer experience management. Dominant theoretical lenses include the resource-based view, relationship marketing theory, and social exchange theory. However, a clear gap persists in CRM studies focusing on SMEs, developing economies, and longitudinal or comparative designs. Methodologically, the reliance on a single database represents a limitation. Future research should integrate multiple databases, apply advanced bibliometric tools, and explore the nexus between CRM.