Paper ID
2936
Description
Many e-commerce platforms have established extensive networks of last-mile stations as their logistics infrastructure. In this study, we investigate how this last-mile infrastructure may serve as an offline platform for commercial activities (e.g., free sample distribution) to connect customers and merchants. In collaboration with Alibaba, we design two large-scale experimental studies and provide the first evidence on how platforms can leverage the walk-in traffic (organic interaction) and prompt nearby customers through online intervention (induced interactions) to improve customers' online engagement with the merchants and offline utilization of logistics infrastructure.
Recommended Citation
han, Brian Rongqing; Wu, Lixia; Sun, Tianshu; Chu, Leon Yang; and Xu, Yinghui, "Connecting Customers and Merchants Offline: Experimental Evidence from the Commercialization of Last-Mile Pickup Stations at Alibaba" (2019). ICIS 2019 Proceedings. 19.
https://aisel.aisnet.org/icis2019/economics_is/economics_is/19
Connecting Customers and Merchants Offline: Experimental Evidence from the Commercialization of Last-Mile Pickup Stations at Alibaba
Many e-commerce platforms have established extensive networks of last-mile stations as their logistics infrastructure. In this study, we investigate how this last-mile infrastructure may serve as an offline platform for commercial activities (e.g., free sample distribution) to connect customers and merchants. In collaboration with Alibaba, we design two large-scale experimental studies and provide the first evidence on how platforms can leverage the walk-in traffic (organic interaction) and prompt nearby customers through online intervention (induced interactions) to improve customers' online engagement with the merchants and offline utilization of logistics infrastructure.