Management Research in Iran

Bibliometric Analysis of Artificial Intelligence Applications in Digital Marketing in the Context of Small and Medium Enterprises: Past, Now, Future

Document Type : Review Article

Authors

mina farjami 1
Davood Feiz 2
Mehdi khademi 3
Vahid Sharafi 4

1 phd student in commercial management. Economics management and administrative Science. Semnan university. Semnan. Iran

2 Department Chair, Department of Management, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Semnan University, Semnan, Iran

3 Associate Professor, Department of Management, Higher Education and Research Institute of Management and Planning, Tehran, Iran

4 Assistant Professor, Department of Management, Faculty of Humanities, Hazrat Masoumeh (AS) University, Qom, Iran

10.48311/mri.2025.23860
Abstract
Recently, with the penetration of artificial intelligence, the marketing environment of small and medium enterprises has experienced significant developments. The aim of this research is to identify the most influential contributors, current trends, and future research directions in the field of artificial intelligence in digital marketing in small and medium enterprises. For this purpose, bibliometric data of 100 documents between 2000 and 2025 in the field of artificial intelligence in marketing research were extracted from the Scopus database. VOSviewer version 1.6.20.0 software was used for the analysis. The results and publication trends indicate the annual growth in artificial intelligence in marketing research. In addition, keyword co-occurrence analysis uncovered four main thematic clusters: Cluster 1 - Digitalization of SMEs, Cluster 2 - Marketing Opportunities of AI in Industry, Cluster 3 - Data Analytics and Advanced Decision Making, and Cluster 4 - Marketing Strategies and Social Media. By identifying current thematic clusters, this study identifies future research areas. It also has practical implications for marketers in SMEs and shows how AI can be used to improve business operations.

Keywords

Artificial Intelligence
Digital Marketing
SMEs
Bibliometric Analysis
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Management Research in Iran
Volume 29, Issue 3
Autumn 2025
Pages 132-158

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