Three Decades of Consumer Protection Literature: Systematic Review and Future Research Agenda

Consumer protection (CP) is essential for ensuring fair trade practices, safeguarding consumer rights, and fostering trust in marketplaces. With the rise of digital transactions, financial services and e-commerce, effective CP mechanisms are crucial to addressing fraud, data privacy concerns and regulatory challenges. Despite the significant contribution of research in the CP field, only some studies have reviewed the extant literature. This study aims to fill this gap through a systematic literature review, which helps to identify key themes and sub-themes as well as dominant theories, contexts, and methodologies used in past studies. The researchers analyse 137 manuscripts published in top-ranked academic journals ranked A and above in the Australian Business Deans' Council (ABDC) list reviewed between 1991 and 2021. The study discerns key themes including Advertising, E-commerce and Financial Services. Conceptual analyses, regression techniques, and qualitative methods emerge as the predominant approaches in CP research. The past researchers also highlight dominant theories and contexts in CP research. Researchers further recommend comprehensive legislation, consumer education, and corporate initiatives to boost consumer confidence and societal well-being.