Comparing the Energy Consumption of Logistics Chains in Traditional Retailing and E-commerce for Popular Products in the Context of China

Abstract

E-commerce has transformed the way in which people shop; and the introduction of modified logistics chains has profoundly influenced the retail industry. Changes in the logistic chains of e-commerce created uncertainty regarding the energy efficiency of this new business model. This paper compares the energy efficiency of logistics chains in China between traditional retailing and e-commerce models across a range of products that are mostly bought online. The results show that the percentage of airfreight used for transportation and the distribution distance in the e-commerce model has a strong influence on the overall energy efficiency of e-commerce logistics chains.