Abstract
With the advancement of information technology and the COVID-19 trend, online shopping is becoming more widespread, and while it frees people from various restrictions, it may also affect the formation of cities as physical stores are reduced in size spatially. This study conducted an analysis of the percentage of expenditure, goods, and reasons for use in physical stores and online shops, using the results of a questionnaire survey of Internet users among residents in the city of Okayama, Japan. Based on the analysis, a study of the importance of online shopping in local cities found the following. (1) The expenditure ratio of online shops for electronics and books is higher in central areas and areas closer to the nearest station. Furthermore, because of the small impact of supermarket location on the expenditure ratio, online shopping may not compensate for physical stores. (2) This study also found differences in the percentage of expenditure on shopping goods because of varying reasons for use. (3) Even among Internet users, nearly half of those who use the Internet basically shop at physical stores. And this study found that people with a high percentage of online shopping expenditure on all goods tend to shop online because they do not have to visit physical stores, rather than because of other factors such as time flexibility, product prices, selection of goods, and functions.
