Consumer mobility in the Scottish isles: The impact of internet adoption upon retail travel patterns

Eric Calderwood and Paul Freathy

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, 2014, vol. 59, issue C, 192-203

Abstract: While there have been numerous studies of on-line shopping behaviour, the impact of internet adoption upon island communities remains largely unexplored. This is despite the identified difficulties that are encountered when attempting to access goods and services in these peripheral economies. Limitations in the transport infrastructure, inconsistent supply and restricted availability have all been acknowledged as issues affecting local retail provision. Island residents have also traditionally been required to travel to the main town or mainland in order to shop for key items. This research study examines the extent to which on-line provision has reconfigured the mobility patterns of residents in the Scottish isles and whether e-commerce has reduced the propensity of individuals to undertake shopping related travel. The findings suggest that e-commerce has had only a modest impact upon consumer travel patterns and that other situational factors moderate the identified benefits that accrue from purchasing on-line.

Keywords: Island retailing; Internet; Consumer behaviour; Rural communities; Shopping patterns; On-line shopping (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2014
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (19)

Downloads: (external link)
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965856413002383
Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:transa:v:59:y:2014:i:c:p:192-203

Ordering information: This journal article can be ordered from
http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/supportfaq.cws_home/regional
https://shop.elsevie ... _01_ooc_1&version=01

DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2013.11.012

Access Statistics for this article

Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice is currently edited by John (J.M.) Rose

More articles in Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice from Elsevier
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Catherine Liu ().