Spatial differentiation and influencing factors of attended collection and delivery points in Nanjing city, China

Abstract

E-commerce and online shopping have become more convenient due to the rapid growth of the internet logistic industry in many developed countries and is particularly popular and suitable in China. The method is primarily based on logistic points like attended collection and delivery points (ACDPs), an emerging industry for economic development. This article includes text analysis, descriptive statistics, and spatial analysis to analyze the operation types, service objects, location distribution, and influencing factors of ACDPs in Nanjing City using point of interest data (POI) of Cainiao stations and China Post stations. The results are as follows: 1) ACDPs have a mainly independent mode of operation, but some are reliant on supermarkets, department stores and individual shops. 2) The main service targets of ACDPs are communities, schools and townships followed by businesses, enterprises, and office buildings. 3) The spatial distribution of ACDPs in Nanjing is asymmetrical, displaying a trend to the northwest direction and a difference in the trend between the N-S and E-W axes. Their layout creates four main core areas and the number of sites decreases with distance from the core. 4) Most of the ACDPs are in urban areas and on residential and industrial land. This study provides insightful ideas for decision makers and planners to help formulate policies that can lead to more sustainable logistic enterprises development and for the companies that want to establish successful CDP networks in big cities.