Journal profile · BUSINESS
International Journal of Consumer Studies
ISSN 1470-6423 · eISSN 1470-6431 · Wiley-Blackwell
International Journal of Consumer Studies: CAS Zone 2 · Management (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 9.89; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,400; median 275 days to acceptance (96 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 8% (journal website); 163 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Consumer Studies is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 2 of Management in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and Identification, Digital Marketing and Social Media and Environmental Sustainability in Business, together about 38.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Marketing. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Consumer Studies (IJCS) provides an international forum for high-quality academic research across the broad field of consumer studies. The journal welcomes theoretically relevant, empirically robust, and methodologically rigorous contributions that advance understanding of consumers, consumption practices, and marketplace dynamics in contemporary technological, social, and market environments. IJCS particularly values research that goes beyond self-reported perceptions, emotions, and intentions to capture actual consumer behaviour, as well as studies that apply mixed-method approaches, combine qualitative and quantitative techniques, and strengthen conclusions through the triangulation of complementary methods, data sources, and theoretical perspectives. Contributions drawing on diverse forms of evidence are especially welcome when they help generate more robust and meaningful insights, particularly when they have clear implications for scholarship, practice, and society. The scope of the IJCS includes: Consumer studies in contemporary technological, social, and market contexts Changes in consumption practices driven by digital and emerging technologies Consumer behaviour, decision-making, and consumer psychology Consumer vulnerability, inclusion, well-being, and quality of life Sustainability, responsible consumption, and circular consumption practices Ethical, societal, and public policy issues related to consumers and markets Consumer protection, empowerment, safety, standards, and economic security Retailing, service consumption, omnichannel experiences, and marketplace interactions Family and household consumption, health, food, nutrition, textiles, clothing, and shelter Interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches that enrich consumer studies Topics covered by the IJCS include, but are not limited to: Digital consumption, e-commerce, digital marketing, and platform-mediated markets Artificial intelligence, generative artificial intelligence, intelligent automation, algorithmic systems, and their implications for consumers Augmented reality, virtual reality, mixed reality, and other immersive technologies in consumption contexts Consumer culture, marketplace meanings, and business and marketing practices from the consumer perspective Consumer education, citizenship, gender-related issues, and globalisation Sustainability, ethical consumption, and the evolving consumer ecosystem Consumer well-being, vulnerability, inclusion, and protection in changing market environments Family and household studies, including quality of life, food and nutrition, textiles and clothing, shelter, and health and well-being Information technology and consumers across different industries and service contexts Theoretical and applied developments that advance contemporary consumer studies IJCS seeks internationally relevant and intellectually ambitious research that advances understanding of consumers and consumption in rapidly changing technological, social, and market environments.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): BUSINESS
Editor-in-chief Carlos FlaviánPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United States 43, United Kingdom 35, Spain 15, India 13, France 13 (220 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Consumer Behavior in Brand Consumption and IdentificationBusiness, Management and Accounting18.9%
- Digital Marketing and Social MediaSocial Sciences9.8%
- Environmental Sustainability in BusinessBusiness, Management and Accounting9.4%
- Consumer Retail Behavior StudiesBusiness, Management and Accounting7.5%
- Environmental Education and SustainabilityEnvironmental Science5.9%
- Customer Service Quality and LoyaltyBusiness, Management and Accounting5.2%
- Organic Food and AgricultureAgricultural and Biological Sciences5%
- Technology Adoption and User BehaviourDecision Sciences3.9%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Management Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Management Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Management Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Management | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Business | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
AHCIWeb of SciencePubMedINSPECPsycINFOCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, AGRICOLA
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 9.89LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 9.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 15LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 15Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 15Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.89LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.13LetPub ·
- h-index
- 148OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,552OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 9.46OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.2%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 29.49%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 145LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 145Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 951,027Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,495 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 106 | 51 | 110 |
| 2025 | 163 | 93 | 1,200 |
| 2024 | 120 | 70 | 2,370 |
| 2023 | 117 | 64 | 3,959 |
| 2022 | 128 | 39 | 4,499 |
| 2021 | 127 | 41 | 10,403 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
275 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 186 days – 391 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 14 days (96 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 289 days
- Sample
- 96 articles with submission and acceptance dates (279 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 25 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 257 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,400 / EUR 2,840 / GBP 2,270 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Reference style
- Harvard
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
Article types accepted10
- editorialArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- meta-analysisArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- opinionArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- original paperArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- original papersOriginal Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a significant contribution to knowledge 12,000 word limit One Paragraph abstra…Length not stated
- perspectiveArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- perspective article (or editorial perspective)Perspective Article (or Editorial Perspective) Personal opinion on a topic, often with a novel/imaginative approach to a provocative question, with an engaging …Length not stated
- reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
- review paperReview Paper Critical reviews of the literature, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses Flexible One Paragraph abstractLength not stated
- systematic reviewArticle Type Description Word Limit Abstract / Structure Other Requirements Original Papers Reports of new research findings or conceptual analyses that make a …Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
New submissions should be made via the Research Exchange submission portal: https://authors.wiley.com/journal/ijcsShould your manuscript proceed to the revision stage, you will be directed to make your revisions via the same submission portal. You may check the status of your submission at anytime by logging on to submission.wiley.com and clicking the “My Submissions” button. For technical help wi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1470-6423
- Electronic ISSN
- 1470-6431
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 50, Issue 5 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Consumer Studies
What CAS zone is International Journal of Consumer Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of Consumer Studies is in Zone 2 of Management, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Business. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Management. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of International Journal of Consumer Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.89; CiteScore 15, h-index 148.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Consumer Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 96 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 275 days (interquartile range 186–391 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 8% (2025). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What are the manuscript requirements of International Journal of Consumer Studies?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 7; Reference style: Harvard; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Consumer Studies based?
Of the 220 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (43), United Kingdom (35) and Spain (15). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Consumer Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Consumer Studies is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists AHCI, Web of Science, PubMed, INSPEC, PsycINFO, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is International Journal of Consumer Studies open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Consumer Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,400.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-25). Last updated: .