IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/jotrge/v88y2020ics0966692320306074.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

The distribution network of Amazon and the footprint of freight digitalization

Author

Listed:
  • Rodrigue, Jean-Paul

Abstract

The emergence of e-commerce as a dominant retail paradigm is associated with a rapid shift in the commercial footprint towards distributional-based consumption. Through the analysis of the geographical expansion, market coverage, and functional specialization of Amazon's distribution network, the research underlines that digitalization has a pronounced physicality. E-commerce is favoring a transition from the conventional retail freight landscape towards a new physicality of freight distributions involving purpose-designed facilities, modes, and channels. The case of Amazon underlines a consistent locational behavior to achieve a distributional hierarchy of facilities granting logistical access to consumer markets. The distributional hierarchy is organized in three stages, which are procurement and fulfillment, distribution, and last-mile.

Suggested Citation

  • Rodrigue, Jean-Paul, 2020. "The distribution network of Amazon and the footprint of freight digitalization," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:88:y:2020:i:c:s0966692320306074
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102825
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0966692320306074
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2020.102825?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Jean-François Houde & Peter Newberry & Katja Seim, 2017. "Nexus Tax Laws and Economies of Density in E-Commerce: A Study of Amazon’s Fulfillment Center Network," NBER Working Papers 23361, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    2. Ali Hortaçsu & Chad Syverson, 2015. "The Ongoing Evolution of US Retail: A Format Tug-of-War," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 29(4), pages 89-112, Fall.
    3. Cidell, Julie, 2010. "Concentration and decentralization: The new geography of freight distribution in US metropolitan areas," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 18(3), pages 363-371.
    4. Laetitia Dablanc & Scott Ogilvie & Anne Goodchild, 2014. "Logistics Sprawl: Differential Warehousing Development Patterns in Los Angeles and Seattle," Post-Print hal-00944130, HAL.
    5. Thomas J. Holmes, 2011. "The Diffusion of Wal‐Mart and Economies of Density," Econometrica, Econometric Society, vol. 79(1), pages 253-302, January.
    6. Jean Paul Rodrigue & Laetitia Dablanc & Genevieve Giuliano, 2017. "The Freight Landscape: Convergence and Divergence in Urban Freight Distribution," Post-Print hal-01519779, HAL.
    7. Bowen, John T., 2008. "Moving places: the geography of warehousing in the US," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 16(6), pages 379-387.
    8. Shi, Kunbo & De Vos, Jonas & Yang, Yongchun & Witlox, Frank, 2019. "Does e-shopping replace shopping trips? Empirical evidence from Chengdu, China," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 122(C), pages 21-33.
    9. Lawrence Joseph & Michael Kuby, 2016. "The Location Types of US Retailers," International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR), IGI Global, vol. 7(4), pages 1-22, October.
    10. Verhoef, Peter C. & Kannan, P.K. & Inman, J. Jeffrey, 2015. "From Multi-Channel Retailing to Omni-Channel Retailing," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 91(2), pages 174-181.
    11. Bowen, John T., 2012. "A spatial analysis of FedEx and UPS: hubs, spokes, and network structure," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 419-431.
    12. Lawrence Joseph & Michael Kuby, 2015. "Modeling Retail Chain Expansion and Maturity through Wave Analysis: Theory and Application to Walmart and Target," International Journal of Applied Geospatial Research (IJAGR), IGI Global, vol. 6(4), pages 1-26, October.
    13. Harri Ramcharran, 2013. "E-Commerce Growth and the Changing Structure of the Retail Sales Industry," International Journal of E-Business Research (IJEBR), IGI Global, vol. 9(2), pages 46-60, April.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Schaefer, Jaclyn S. & Figliozzi, Miguel A., 2021. "Spatial accessibility and equity analysis of Amazon parcel lockers facilities," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 97(C).
    2. Gaige Hunter Kerr & Michelle Meyer & Daniel L. Goldberg & Joshua Miller & Susan C. Anenberg, 2024. "Air pollution impacts from warehousing in the United States uncovered with satellite data," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.
    3. Limon Barua & Bo Zou & Yan Zhou & Yulin Liu, 2023. "Modeling household online shopping demand in the U.S.: a machine learning approach and comparative investigation between 2009 and 2017," Transportation, Springer, vol. 50(2), pages 437-476, April.
    4. Paulina Golinska-Dawson & Karolina Werner-Lewandowska & Karolina Kolinska & Adam Kolinski, 2023. "Impact of Market Drivers on the Digital Maturity of Logistics Processes in a Supply Chain," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(4), pages 1-19, February.
    5. David Guerrero & Jean Paul Hubert & Martin Koning & Nicolas Roelandt, 2022. "On the Spatial Scope of Warehouse Activity: An Exploratory Study in France," Post-Print hal-03551270, HAL.
    6. Fuchs Martina & Dannenberg Peter & López Tatiana & Wiedemann Cathrin & Riedler Tim, 2023. "Location-specific labour control strategies in online retail," ZFW – Advances in Economic Geography, De Gruyter, vol. 67(4), pages 189-201, December.
    7. C. Sillig & G. Marletto, 2022. "Global influence and national diversity in socio-technical transitions: a sectoral taxonomy," Working Paper CRENoS 202203, Centre for North South Economic Research, University of Cagliari and Sassari, Sardinia.
    8. Christopher Findlay & Hein Roelfsema & Niall Van De Wouw, 2021. "Feeling the Pulse of Global Value Chains: Air Cargo and COVID-19," Working Papers DP-2021-23, Economic Research Institute for ASEAN and East Asia (ERIA).
    9. Cidell, Julie, 2024. "Canals, containers, and corridors: Bringing river geomorphology to North America's largest inland port," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 115(C).
    10. Marisol Valencia Cárdenas & Mayerlin Roldán Sepúlveda & Diego Alejandro López Cadavid & Jorge Anibal Restrepo Morales & Juan Gabriel Vanegas López, 2022. "Omnicanalidad como estrategia competitiva: una revisión conceptual y dimensional," Estudios Gerenciales, Universidad Icesi, vol. 38(164), pages 370-384, September.
    11. Fried, Travis & Goodchild, Anne, 2023. "E-commerce and logistics sprawl: A spatial exploration of last-mile logistics platforms," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    12. Kang, Sanggyun, 2022. "Exploring the contextual factors behind various phases in logistics sprawl: The case of Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    13. Barbour, Elisa & Alvarez-Coria, Rosanely & Anderson, Hayden & Hosseinzade, Rey & Turner, Katherine & Handy, Susan, 2023. "Barriers to Reducing the Carbon Footprint of Transportation Part 3: The Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Travel Patterns," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt5q0076tq, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    14. Zhao, Liyuan & Zhou, Cong & Liu, Kaili & Huang, Liyang & Li, Zhi-chun, 2024. "Comparison of the driving mechanism between logistics land use and facilities: A case study from Wuhan metropolitan area," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 114(C).
    15. Guerrero, D. & Hubert, J.-P. & Koning, M. & Roelandt, N., 2022. "On the spatial scope of warehouse activity: An exploratory study in France," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    16. Lázaro Florido-Benítez, 2023. "The Role of the Top 50 US Cargo Airports and 25 Air Cargo Airlines in the Logistics of E-Commerce Companies," Logistics, MDPI, vol. 7(1), pages 1-27, February.
    17. Buldeo Rai, Heleen & Kang, Sanggyun & Sakai, Takanori & Tejada, Carla & Yuan, Quan (Jack) & Conway, Alison & Dablanc, Laetitia, 2022. "‘Proximity logistics’: Characterizing the development of logistics facilities in dense, mixed-use urban areas around the world," Transportation Research Part A: Policy and Practice, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 41-61.
    18. Sina Hardaker, 2022. "More Than Infrastructure Providers – Digital Platforms' Role and Power in Retail Digitalisation in Germany," Tijdschrift voor Economische en Sociale Geografie, Royal Dutch Geographical Society KNAG, vol. 113(3), pages 310-328, July.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Gardrat, Mathieu, 2021. "Urban growth and freight transport: From sprawl to distension," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 91(C).
    2. Fried, Travis & Goodchild, Anne, 2023. "E-commerce and logistics sprawl: A spatial exploration of last-mile logistics platforms," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    3. Trent, Nadia M. & Joubert, Johan W., 2022. "Logistics sprawl and the change in freight transport activity: A comparison of three measurement methodologies," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 101(C).
    4. Kang, Sanggyun, 2020. "Warehouse location choice: A case study in Los Angeles, CA," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    5. Kang, Sanggyun, 2022. "Exploring the contextual factors behind various phases in logistics sprawl: The case of Seoul Metropolitan Area, South Korea," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 105(C).
    6. David Guerrero & Jean Paul Hubert & Martin Koning & Nicolas Roelandt, 2022. "On the Spatial Scope of Warehouse Activity: An Exploratory Study in France," Post-Print hal-03551270, HAL.
    7. Jaller, Miguel & Pineda, Leticia, 2017. "Warehousing and Distribution Center Facilities in Southern California: The Use of the Commodity Flow Survey Data to Identify Logistics Sprawl and Freight Generation Patterns," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt5dz0j1gg, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    8. Giuliano, Genevieve & Kang, Sanggyun & Yuan, Quan, 2016. "Spatial Dynamics of the Logistics Industry and Implications for Freight Flows," Institute of Transportation Studies, Working Paper Series qt94h6t7s9, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Davis.
    9. Kang, Sanggyun, 2020. "Relative logistics sprawl: Measuring changes in the relative distribution from warehouses to logistics businesses and the general population," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    10. Kang, Sanggyun, 2020. "Why do warehouses decentralize more in certain metropolitan areas?," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    11. Mathieu Gardrat, 2021. "Urban growth and freight transport: From sprawl to distension," Post-Print halshs-03193075, HAL.
    12. Yuan, Quan & Zhu, Jiren, 2019. "Logistics sprawl in Chinese metropolises: Evidence from Wuhan," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 74(C), pages 242-252.
    13. Li, Guoqi & Sun, Wenjie & Yuan, Quan & Liu, Sijing, 2020. "Planning versus the market: Logistics establishments and logistics parks in Chongqing, China," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    14. Sakai, Takanori & Kawamura, Kazuya & Hyodo, Tetsuro, 2015. "Locational dynamics of logistics facilities: Evidence from Tokyo," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 10-19.
    15. Dubie, Melaku & Kuo, Kai C. & Giron-Valderrama, Gabriela & Goodchild, Anne, 2020. "An evaluation of logistics sprawl in Chicago and Phoenix," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    16. Aljohani, Khalid & Thompson, Russell G., 2016. "Impacts of logistics sprawl on the urban environment and logistics: Taxonomy and review of literature," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 57(C), pages 255-263.
    17. Holl, Adelheid & Mariotti, Ilaria, 2018. "Highways and firm performance in the logistics industry," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 72(C), pages 139-150.
    18. Klauenberg, Jens & Elsner, Lucas-Andrés & Knischewski, Christian, 2020. "Dynamics of the spatial distribution of hubs in groupage networks – The case of Berlin," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    19. Sijing Liu & Jiuping Xu & Xiaoyuan Shi & Guoqi Li & Dinglong Liu, 2018. "Sustainable Distribution Organization Based on the Supply–Demand Coordination in Large Chinese Cities," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(9), pages 1-25, August.
    20. Woudsma, Clarence & Jakubicek, Paul, 2020. "Logistics land use patterns in metropolitan Canada," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:jotrge:v:88:y:2020:i:c:s0966692320306074. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/journal-of-transport-geography .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.