The adoption of alternative delivery locations in New York City: Who and how far?

Abstract

Online shopping has shown a remarkable growth trend for the past three decades. The increasing demand for deliveries resulting from online shopping generates lots of negative externalities contributing to traffic congestion, parking violations, and air pollution. To mitigate these negative externalities, the importance of an alternative delivery location (ADL) is growing in transportation area as delivery and transportation systems are intertwined. The ADL includes a delivery locker (e.g., Amazon Hub Locker), a brick-and-mortar store who partners with parcel delivery companies (e.g., UPS Access Points), and a postal store. Despite the growing size and importance of the ADL, little is known about receivers’ behavior on the ADL from the transportation perspective. To better understand the ADL, this research developed joint models of parcel demand and the ADL to investigate factors affecting (a) the adoption of the ADL and (b) the distance people are willing to travel using the NYC DOT Citywide Mobility Survey in 2018. The results show that delivery frequency received by respondents negatively affects the adoption but does not affect the tolerable distance. The impacts of socio-demographic attributes on the behavior are also discussed. A prediction to the entire population in Manhattan was made and a corresponding strategy to determine the optimal ADL location is discussed. This research is the first attempt comprehensively investigating behaviors on the ADL from the transportation planning perspective. This research will contribute to the literature in urban freight systems by improving understanding of the ADL in dense urban areas.