Word-of-mouth in agent-based simulation model of reverse logistics

Agent-based modeling and simulation is a method well suited for studying individual behavior and interactions among members of a population connected by social networks. Although the development of such simulation models can be relatively complex, it is even more challenging to develop models that are empirically valid. In the case of reverse logistics, the sophisticated and difficult-to-predict behavior of consumers must be modeled. In this paper, an agent-based simulation model of consumer behavior and interactions was configured to conduct a case study of the voluntary deposit collection program for wine bottles in the Val-Saint-François region of Quebec. As this collection program was officially launched in 2019, two empirical samples were obtained to test the validity of the model and study how social interactions such as word of mouth contributes to the success of the collection program. The first sample represents the amount of glass collected during the last 26 weeks of 2019, while the second sample covers the first 13 weeks of 2020. Having observed an increase in collection rates between 2019 and 2020, word of mouth was introduced into the model to explain this phenomenon. Statistical tests show that the model is indeed valid with the inclusion of diffusion of awareness, as the simulation results are significantly consistent with the empirical data. The validation of the model demonstrates the viability of using multiple heterogeneous data-sources to configure a simulation model based on the Theory of Planned Behavior without using Structural Equation Modeling.