Work

Are we moving online? Assessing the interactions between telework and grocery purchases, eating out and meal deliveries

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: The study explores the relationship between increased teleworking and changes in shopping behaviours, focusing on how shifts towards telework influence online and in-store shopping activities. Moreover, our research considers explicitly the relationships between shopping on workdays and weekends and how different work regimes, namely telework vs office, can mediate these relationships. The results show that frequent teleworkers tend to substitute in-store grocery shopping with online shopping during workdays and decrease in-store grocery shopping over weekends. Frequent teleworkers are also more inclined to order meals online than to eat out on weekends. Since non-teleworkers with a preference for online shopping engage in meal deliveries during workdays and online grocery shopping on weekends, the expected delivery uptake can potentially impact residential areas with (e.g.) increased noise, pedestrian-vehicle conflicts and kerbside occupation. On the other hand, older, less educated, and less affluent individuals who shop for groceries in-store on weekends will eventually be the ones less likely to telework and more likely to hold to previous habits built around a commute. However, the age-related digital divide is not strict since affluent older individuals might still opt for meal deliveries if living close to shopping opportunities, emphasizing the importance of proximity to customers on meal delivery services. These shifts in workplace preference and preferred shopping channels and their online-physical interactions can influence travel demand, the location of economic activities, and how cities are structured and should be considered in the development of policies that maximize its benefits while mitigating potential adverse effects.

Source: Transportation Research Part A Policy and Practice

DOI: 10.1016/j.tra.2025.104461

Authors: Rui Colaço, João de Abreu e Silva

Institutions: University of Lisbon, Instituto Superior Técnico

Language: English

Topic: Urban and Freight Transport Logistics

Subfield: Building and Construction

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,270