Variations in the Spatial Distribution of Smart Parcel Lockers in the Central Metropolitan Region of Tianjin, China: A Comparative Analysis before and after COVID-19

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a significant increase in e-commerce, which has prompted residents to shift their purchasing habits from offline to online. As a result, Smart Parcel Lockers (SPLs) have emerged as an accessible end-to-end delivery service that fits into the pandemic strategy of maintaining social distance and no-contact protocols. Although numerous studies have examined SPLs from various perspectives, few have analyzed their spatial distribution from an urban planning perspective, which could enhance the development of other disciplines in this field. To address this gap, we investigate the distribution of SPLs in Tianjin’s central urban area before and after the pandemic (i.e., 2019 and 2022) using kernel density estimation, average nearest neighbor analysis, standard deviation elliptic, and geographical detector. Our results show that, in three years, the number of SPLs has increased from 51 to 479, and a majority were installed in residential communities (i.e., 92.2% in 2019, and 97.7% in 2022). We find that SPLs were distributed randomly before the pandemic, but after the pandemic, SPLs agglomerated and followed Tianjin’s development pattern. We identify eight influential factors on the spatial distribution of SPLs and discuss their individual and compound effects. Our discussion highlights potential spatial distribution analysis, such as dynamic layout planning, to improve the allocation of SPLs in city planning and city logistics.

Supply–Demand Matching of Smart Parcel Lockers in a Residential Area: Insights from Tianjin

“…In Tianjin, China, residential communities are the most preferred location for SPLs. In 2019, 92.2% of SPLs were installed in residential communities, and this percentage increased to 97.7% in 2022 [8]. Many researchers believe that SPL networks can help solve the last-mile problem, and they emphasize the importance of determining the locations of SPLs [18,22,37].…”

“…They are created to enable contactless deliveries in response to e-commerce orders [4,6,7]. SPLs are typically designed as collection-and-delivery machines that can be easily placed in a wide variety of living and commercial environments, such as transportation hubs, office buildings, shopping malls, and residential communities [8]. Unlike traditional home delivery services and collection-and-delivery service points, SPLs provide consumers with the ease of 24 h access.…”

“…As both supply and demand are increasing, SPLs are applied worldwide. Prominent examples include ByBox in the UK, PackStation in Germany, InPost in Poland, SingPost and Ninjia Van in Singapore, and Hive Box in China [8,10,[12][13][14]. While most studies have focused on techniques to refine the model or increase the accuracy of the algorithm to optimize logistical performance and better understand consumer demands, some researchers have recognized the significance of SPL location selection.…”

“…Tianjin is one of China's four municipalities, and it is also a notable e-commerce powerhouse. The express delivery sector in Tianjin has witnessed tremendous growth, and it consistently outpaced the national average growth [8]. In 2016, there were only five SPLs in Tianjin.…”

“…In 2016, there were only five SPLs in Tianjin. From 2019 to 2022, the number of SPLs climbed from 51 to 479, reflecting an average annual growth rate of roughly 279.74% during the pandemic period [8]. The increase in supply has led to an increase in complaints from residents.…”