Consumer Mobility, Offline and Online Regional Trade: Evidence From High-Frequency Transaction Data

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Bounie, David; Camara, Youssouf; Galbraith, John W.
• 署名单位: Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique (CNRS); IMT - Institut Mines-Telecom; Institut Polytechnique de Paris; Telecom Paris; McGill University; Universite de Montreal; McGill University
• 刊物名称: INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC REVIEW
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0020-6598
• DOI: 10.1111/iere.70036
• 发表日期: 2026
• 关键词: gravity equation; geography; consumption; frictions; networks; ebay

摘要

The shift from offline to online purchasing is reshaping trade patterns: a weaker effect of distance has been observed in digital transactions. This study analyzes these dynamics at an unprecedented scale and granularity, using interregional gravity models estimated from billions of geolocated French card transactions. Using a matched sample of merchants active in both online and offline channels, with unambiguous regional identification, we compare purchasing behavior across channels. We estimate that distance matters 35% less online than offline on average, but for durables, 69% lower online; 43% lower online for nondurables; a negligible online-offline difference is found for services.