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Paper

Does Proximity Matter in Shopping Behavior?

 
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Publication: Elsevier Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice
Volume: 196
Publication Date: 2025
Summary:

While e-commerce continues to grow as a proportion of retail sales, consumers still largely rely on vehicle travel to shop. At the same time, the “15-minute city” concept is gaining traction, suggesting that the livability and sustainability of urban areas will improve if essential goods and services are all located in close proximity to residential areas. However, little is known about how the proximity of commercial establishments to consumers affects their shopping behaviors, namely their choice of whether to shop online or in-person, and the mode of travel if the latter is chosen.

In this study, we use data from a 2022 shopping behavior survey asking about consumers’ most recent shopping events, whether they were performed online or in-person, the travel mode. Respondents’ approximate home locations were also collected, allowing the research team to map nearby establishments. The collected data was used to estimate discrete choice models of shopping behaviors and test whether proximity to commercial establishments affects shoppers’ choices. In particular, this study tests whether proximity to commercial establishments makes consumers more likely to shop in person (vs. online) and to travel by walking (vs. driving).

Proximity to commercial establishments did not affect the likelihood of purchasing goods online, while it did affect the travel mode choice for in-person shopping travel for certain types of goods. Regression analysis indicates that each additional commercial establishment within a 0.5-mile radius increased the likelihood of walking by 23%for groceries and 17% for prepared meals. This did not apply to clothes shopping, which also had the highest rate of e-commerce at 62.4%. We observed that for in-person shopping, travel time was approximately 10 min for both walking and driving. In addition, we found that e-commerce made up 25.3% of all shopping activity and the majority (81%) of shopping travel involved driving.

Recommended Citation:
Verma, Rishi, Dalla Chiara, Giacomo, and Goodchild, Anne. (2025) ‘Does proximity matter in shopping behavior?’, Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 196, p. 104471. doi:10.1016/j.tra.2025.104471.
Paper

Analyzing the Shift in Travel Modes’ Market Shares with the Deployment of Autonomous Vehicle Technology

 
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Publication Date: 2020
Summary:

It is generally accepted that automation as an emerging technology in transportation sector could have a potential huge effect on changing the way individuals travel. In this study, the impact of automation technology on the market share of current transportation modes has been examined. A stated preference (SP) survey was launched around the U.S. to ask 1500 commuters how they would choose their commute mode if they had the option to choose between their current mode and an autonomous mode. The survey included five transportation modes: car, transit, transit plus ride-sourcing for the first/last mile, solo ride-sourcing, and pooled ride-sourcing. Each of these modes could be presented as regular or autonomous in the choice scenarios. Then, a mixed logit model was developed using the collected data. Results from the analysis of the model showed that applying the automation in ride-sourcing services to decrease the fare, has the largest effect on the market share of transit ride-sourcing. Also, it was found that measures such as deploying more frequent services by ride-sourcing operators to minimize the waiting time of the services could lead to an increase in the market share of transit plus ride-sourcing but it might not improve the market share for solo and pooled ride-sourcing. Furthermore, it was concluded that if the ride-sourcing market share does not move toward the automation, the mode that will lose the market share is the transit plus ride-sourcing mode for which the market share will be decreased as a consequence of the high decrease in the cost of riding an autonomous private car.

Authors: Dr. Andisheh Ranjbari, Moein Khaloei, Don MacKenzie
Recommended Citation:
Khaloei, M., Ranjbari, A. and MacKenzie, D. (2020) Analyzing the Shift in Travel Modes’ Market Shares with the Deployment of Autonomous Vehicle Technology. Transportation