The consumer logistics system: a focal point for study of the household‐consumption process

Abstract

Consumer logistics provides a fresh perspective for the study of household consumption. As consuming households participate in the distribution of products and services, they engage in consumer logistics — the movement and handling of goods and people that is performed by consumers to facilitate consumption. This article characterizes the consumer logistics system in conceptual fashion to provide a basis for future research into the structure and process of consumer logistics at the household level. It then illustrates the system through a model of the consumer logistics process based on empirical evidence, and finally provides implications of this conceptual development for consumer studies research.