Is phygital the new normal? A literature review of the evolution of services marketing

Abstract

Purpose This study aims to explore how recent research has reflected the evolving role of phygital strategies in services marketing and defined avenues for future research. Design/methodology/approach The review covered 105 papers from the Scopus database, published in English between January 2017 and August 2025. Narrative and supplemental semantic analyses were conducted of their abstracts to find key themes and concepts. Findings The results reveal that phygital experiences are at the core of this literature. Research on this topic is closely connected with customer journeys and marketing and retailing strategies and facilitated by technological innovations and methodologies. The findings stress sectoral applications (e.g. luxury branding, tourism and culture), societal outcomes (e.g. well-being) and emerging areas including phygital metaverse retail and avatars. The results further highlight that phygital studies are fundamentally consumer-centred and technology-enabled and that they are progressively expanding into new sectors and well-being domains. Originality/value This review systematised dispersed insights and developed a structured roadmap for expanding theoretical, managerial and societal perspectives on phygital transformations.

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