Mapping the intellectual structure of platform economy operations: A bibliometric review using network clustering

Strategic decision-making and the optimization of operations management are particularly challenging in the platform economy due to its complexity and dynamic nature. Despite a great deal of recent research, there is a notable scarcity of both quantitative and qualitative reviews of this area of study. This paper integrates text-mining methods with network visualization, analyzing 5206 documents retrieved from the Web of Science core collection database. The study outlines the developmental trajectory of the platform economy, progressing from the theory of two-sided markets to business model innovation grounded in complex networks. Through statistical analysis, co-occurrence analysis, and co-citation analysis, we identify influential authors, journals, countries and regions, as well as research institutions in this field. The paper reveals that the latest research hotspots in the platform economy focus on word-of-mouth marketing, market competition, and empirical analysis. It proposes two future research trends: innovative platform design and data-driven business model innovation. The objective of this research is to stimulate in-depth exploration and foster extensive discussion within the field of platform economy and supply chain management.