Home-Based Teleshoppers and Shopping Travel: Do Teleshoppers Travel Less?

Abstract

Some have assumed that teleshopping will become a functional substitute for traditional retail shopping and thereby reduce physical shopping trips and vehicle miles traveled. More recent studies have painted a far more complex picture, in which a combination of lifestyle, shopping opportunities, and the costs of travel all play a role in a person's choice of shopping modes. In this study, data from an activity-diary survey collected by the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, California, were analyzed to gain insights into the degree to which teleshopping substitutes for traditional out-of-home shopping trips, person miles traveled for shopping, and shopping-trip chains. A two-step linear regression model was used to estimate the effects of home-based teleshopping. Results indicate that teleshopping households engage in more shopping trips and chain more of their shopping trips. It is hypothesized that teleshopping has a complementary effect on out-of-home shopping and leads to more shopping trip making and that the time for these additional trips and home teleshopping activities is enabled through efficiencies gained from increased trip chaining. Time saved through increased trip chaining and teleshopping may provide the additional time needed to shop more—both from within the home and outside the home.