New Geographies of Electronic Commerce: An Appraisal of Omni-channel Strategies in the United States Grocery Industry

This body of doctoral research investigates the unique geography of e-commerce [electronic commerce] offerings among major grocery chains in the contiguous United States. Prior research has made efforts to understand the demographic and spatial dynamics that may influence consumers’ decision to shop online or in-store. Far less emphasis, however, has been placed on how firms have made key strategic decisions across space regarding e-commerce. This work leverages spatial econometric modeling and machine learning to understand how the characteristics of trade areas inform grocery chains’ decisions about whether to offer pickup, delivery, both, or no offering at a given store location. This research effectively pulls back the curtain on how large grocery chains are designing e-commerce strategies across their networks and carries practical implications for both location planning and competitive defense.