Consumer psychology of implicit theories and the role of mindsets in marketing

Implicit self theories are a new and complex topic in the field of consumer behavior and marketing. The purpose of this article is to systematically review and critically analyze the research conducted on implicit self theories, also known as mindsets, and to address the research question "What marketing research has been conducted for mindsets until now and what could be future avenues for research?"

A systematic review of the existing literature was performed based on two databases, Web of Science and Scopus. A total of 76 articles were included in the final analysis. The selected articles were analyzed with the help of CiteSpace software. Findings indicate that consumer’s mindset is a multidimensional concept with distinctive features.

Various authors in psychology have studied and analyzed this concept with the help of various research methods. But what is clear is the novelty of mindset in the world of consumer behavior and the need for unique theoretical contributions in this area.

This review provides transparency about the mechanisms of mindsets and their role in shaping the attitude, preferences and behavior of consumers, also provides managerial implications of consumer’s mindset and finally, mentions the future directions of this research field.