Final deliveries for online shopping: The deployment of pickup point networks in urban and suburban areas

In France, e-commerce has experienced steady growth over the past decade. A striking aspect is that it is now widespread among different segments of the population, including suburban and rural households. This growth has generated significant demand for dedicated delivery services to end consumers. Pickup points (PP) represent a fast-growing alternative to home delivery, accounting for about 20% of parcel deliveries to households. The article focuses on the strategy of PP network operators. The results are threefold. The authors have documented the recent development of alternative parcel delivery services to e-shoppers in Europe, and especially in France. They have described how the operators have decided to organize their PP network, identifying main variables and constraints. They have provided an analysis of the spatial distribution of PPs in France. The paper shows that at the French national level, PPs are now a well established alternative to home deliveries and their presence covers urban, suburban and rural areas. While PP density in remote areas decreases faster than population density, rural e-consumers' accessibility to PP sites has reached a viable level. Furthermore, PP delivery services generate new types of B2B freight trips that are not yet included in current urban freight models.

• Record URL:
  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rtbm.2014.03.002
• Record URL:
  http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2210539514000078
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/22105395
• Supplemental Notes:
  • Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Morganti, Eleonora
  • Dablanc, Laetitia
  • Fortin, François
• Publication Date: 2014-7

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Digital/other
• Features: Figures; Maps; References; Tables;
• Pagination: pp 23-31
• Serial:
  • Research in Transportation Business & Management
  • Volume: 11
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 2210-5395
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/22105395

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Delivery service; Electronic commerce; Networks; Rural areas; Suburbs; Urban areas
• Geographic Terms: France
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Planning and Forecasting; I72: Traffic and Transport Planning;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01538392
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Sep 25 2014 9:01AM