Does e-shopping for intangible services attenuate the effect of spatial attributes on travel distance and duration?

Kunbo Shi, Jonas De Vos, Yongchun Yang, Enlong Li and Frank Witlox

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2020, vol. 141, issue C, 86-97

Abstract: E-shopping for intangible services (e.g., eating out services, hairdressing, and visits to movie theatres) refers to searching and paying for services online, but it requires e-shoppers to travel to use these services. In theory, e-shoppers’ search space via the internet is less constrained by spatial attributes. As a result, spatial attributes may barely affect the distance and duration of trips resulting from e-shopping for intangible services. The present study used data from 714 valid face-to-face interviews in Beijing, China, to verify this hypothesis. The results showed that e-shoppers were likely to travel farther after purchasing intangible services online. The effect of spatial attributes on the distance of a single trip was largely attenuated due to online purchases of these services, and the effect on the duration was correspondingly weaker to a limited extent. Therefore, spatial interventions aiming to moderate travel distances and durations may not be as effective in the age of online shopping.

Keywords: Spatial attributes; Online shopping; Intangible services; Travel distance; Travel duration; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (6)

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DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2020.09.004

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