Does e-shopping increase walking time willingness to reach in-store locations? Exploring the spatial effects

Abstract

The studies analyzing the relationships between e-shopping and transport mostly ignore the effects in active mobility. This paper complements current research by studying how e-shopping affects individual walking time willingness to reach daily and non-daily retail opportunities, taking the city of Zaragoza, Spain as a case study. First, a questionnaire is administered, followed by a generalised ordered logit regression model analysis. Then, a gravity-based model is used to compare present walking accessibility levels to retail with an exploratory 2030 scenario based on the regression results. The results indicate a positive association between the frequency of e-shopping and the individual time willingness to reach daily and non-daily retail on foot. They also show that high-educated people tend to have lower time-willingness to reach both types of retail. For non-daily retail, women shopping online are more likely to spend more time on walking, while having children under 12 years old and having a car are negatively associated with walking time-willingness. The exploratory 2030 scenario shows a relevant increase of walking accessibility to daily and non-daily retail. The paper closes with a discussion on how the obtained findings can provide guidelines to improve policies that promote walking and active lifestyles.