Creative Destruction? Impact of E-Commerce on the Retail Sector

Sudheer Chava, Alexander Oettl (), Manpreet Singh () and Linghang Zeng ()
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Alexander Oettl: Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30308; National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02138
Manpreet Singh: Scheller College of Business, Georgia Institute of Technology, Atlanta, Georgia 30308
Linghang Zeng: Babson College, Babson Park, Massachusetts 02457

Management Science, 2024, vol. 70, issue 4, 2168-2187

Abstract: Using an administrative payroll data set for 2.6 million retail workers, we find that the staggered rollout of a major e-commerce firm’s fulfillment centers reduces traditional retail workers’ income in geographically proximate counties by 2.4%. Wages of hourly workers, especially part-time hourly workers, decrease significantly driven by a drop in the number of hours worked. We observe a U-shaped pattern in which both young and old workers experience a sharper decrease in wage income. Consequently, some workers experience an increase in credit card delinquency. Using data for 3.2 million stores, we find that sales (employment) at proximate stores decrease by 4% (2.1%). Exits, especially of young and small stores, increase, and entry decreases. Our results highlight how creative destruction led by e-commerce impacts local labor markets.

Keywords: creative destruction; e-commerce; labor; retail; product market competition (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.4795 (application/pdf)

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Working Paper: Creative Destruction? Impact of E-Commerce on the Retail Sector (2022)
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