A systematic literature review on Importance Performance Analysis (IPA): Use of technology in assessing customer satisfaction level

Abstract

Success of any business (manufacturing or services) depends on higher level of customer satisfaction, which determines the very existence of the business entity in the present globalized business world. There are many ways of assessing the level of customer satisfaction, but the most frequently used technique is the Importance Performance Analysis (IPA). The study employed the Systematic Literature Review (SLR) method and used the PRISMA approach to identify and select research papers published during the period 1987 to 2022. Using the Web of Science (WOS), 587 research papers were identified and a comprehensive and detailed review resulted in 397 relevant research papers for the study. Result reveals that advent of technology revolution during the last few decades paved the way for applying IPA in different field of studies in different forms and styles, but the original IPA remains the most sought-after technique among the scholars. The main areas where IPA is applied are Tourism and Hospitality, Business & Economics, Healthcare, Sustainability, Education and also Transport. Most of the studies used nonrandom sample compared to few studies on random sampling method. The prominent region where such studies conducted is Asia Pacific (majority from Taiwan), followed by Europe (majority from Spain), North America (majority from USA), Middle East (majority from Turkey) and Latin America (majority from Mexico). Result also provided interesting facts about how many studies resulted in higher level of customer satisfaction, the most sought-after journal, the most cited research paper and also the top authors applied IPA in their research works. This study seeks to provide deeper insights to researchers with accumulated knowledge and contribute towards development in this research field. Further research may try to combine research papers from Scopus data base to have more clarity about applicability and significance of IPA in assessing level of customer satisfaction in future.