Consumer Mobility, Offline and Online Regional Trade: Evidence From High‐Frequency Transaction Data
利用数十亿笔法国银行卡交易数据，比较线上与线下交易中距离对贸易的影响，发现线上交易的距离效应平均比线下弱35%，耐用品和非耐用品分别弱69%和43%，服务则差异不显著。
ABSTRACT 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.