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E-commerce as a stockpiling technology: Implications for consumer savings

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  • Pozzi, Andrea
Abstract
Shopping on the Internet spares customers the discomfort of carrying around heavy and bulky baskets of goods, since the service usually includes home delivery. This makes e-commerce a technology well suited to helping consumers to buy in bulk or to stockpile items on discount. I use grocery scanner data provided by a supermarket chain selling both online and through traditional stores to show that the introduction of e-commerce leads to an increase in bulk purchase and stockpiling behavior by customers. Since bulk and discounted items are sold at a lower price per unit, my findings highlight a new dimension in which online shopping can be beneficial to consumers. According to my calculations, the reduction in the cost of stockpiling triggered by the introduction of electronic commerce generates significant savings.

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  • Pozzi, Andrea, 2013. "E-commerce as a stockpiling technology: Implications for consumer savings," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 31(6), pages 677-689.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:indorg:v:31:y:2013:i:6:p:677-689
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ijindorg.2013.05.005
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    1. Campo, Katia & Lamey, Lien & Breugelmans, Els & Melis, Kristina, 2021. "Going Online for Groceries: Drivers of Category-Level Share of Wallet Expansion," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 97(2), pages 154-172.
    2. Xiaoli Wu & Yaoyao Qin & Qizhuo Xie & Yunyi Zhang, 2022. "The Mediating and Moderating Effects of the Digital Economy on PM 2.5 : Evidence from China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(23), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Bonnet, Céline & Etcheverry, Clara, 2021. "The Impact of Online Grocery Shopping on Retail Competition and Profit Sharing: an Empirical Evidence of the French Soft Drink Market," TSE Working Papers 21-1225, Toulouse School of Economics (TSE), revised Jan 2022.
    4. Harris-Lagoudakis, Katherine, 2023. "The effect of online shopping channels on brand choice, product exploration and price elasticities," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 87(C).
    5. Francesca Carta & Domenico Depalo, 2025. "Country demographic and socio-economic structure and household consumption," Questioni di Economia e Finanza (Occasional Papers) 920, Bank of Italy, Economic Research and International Relations Area.
    6. Amelie A. Hecht & Crystal L. Perez & Michele Polascek & Anne N. Thorndike & Rebecca L. Franckle & Alyssa J. Moran, 2020. "Influence of Food and Beverage Companies on Retailer Marketing Strategies and Consumer Behavior," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(20), pages 1-34, October.

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    Keywords

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    JEL classification:

    • D22 - Microeconomics - - Production and Organizations - - - Firm Behavior: Empirical Analysis
    • L21 - Industrial Organization - - Firm Objectives, Organization, and Behavior - - - Business Objectives of the Firm
    • L81 - Industrial Organization - - Industry Studies: Services - - - Retail and Wholesale Trade; e-Commerce

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