Ulrika Holmberg

Travel modes in grocery shopping

Purpose Although the movement of goods by consumers represents a large proportion of the economic and environmental impact of the distribution chain, this topic has been insufficiently explored in the retailing literature. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to the understanding of shopping travel-mode choice in the context of grocery shopping. Design/methodology/approach The paper presents findings from a Swedish national survey of 1,694 respondents that included questions regarding travel-mode choices and consumer characteristics, mobility conditions, shopping behaviours and environmental interests and engagements. Findings This paper shows how travel modes interrelate and how various consumer characteristics, shopping behaviours, mobility conditions and environmental interests and engagements relate to and affect travel-mode choice in grocery shopping. General travel patterns and distance to store are shown to be the most important factors in explaining the mode of transport for grocery shopping. Originality/value This paper presents data from a national representative survey and provides novel analyses of travel-mode choices in grocery shopping and the interrelationships among those choices, in addition to the interrelationship between travel-mode choice and the use of home delivery. This paper contributes to a further understanding of consumer mobility in the context of grocery shopping.

Bicycles, cyclists and loads: a comparative analysis of cycling practices in Gothenburg and Toulouse

Abstract This article reports on a video-based analysis of bicycling practices in Gothenburg and Toulouse. It is based on actor-network theory, an approach that studies human and non-human entities and their contributions to social action equally. The paper examines bicycles and their interactions with cyclists and loads in the transport of people and goods. Accordingly, this paper presents methodological, theoretical and empirical contributions to the study of bicycle transportation as a possible method for developing sustainable urban environments. This paper also presents an innovative way to study ordinary social practices and describes how these practices shape associated societal issues.