The article discusses a study conducted on the effects of changing the parking situation around shopping centers on consumers’ store choice behavior. The study used before-and-after data collected from a major regional shopping center in the Netherlands.

The researchers estimated and validated a hierarchical logit model of parking lot and store choice behavior. The model performed well at the level of supermarkets, but less accurately at the level of parking lots. Significant attributes in the model included the distance between the supermarket and parking lot, the number of parking spaces, the location of the parking lot vis-à-vis the origin of the consumer, and the availability of supermarket trolley facilities at the parking lot.

The article suggests that parking measures can have an impact on shopping and travel behavior at both the macro and micro level. At the macro level, parking measures can affect shopping destination, mode of travel, parking lot choice, and route to the location. At the micro level, parking measures can affect the choice of individual stores and the choice of routes through the shopping area.

The article highlights the importance of understanding the effects of parking measures on store choice behavior, as it can impact the economic performance of shopping areas and individual stores. Managers of parking facilities may experience a decrease in revenues if there is a decrease in demand, while retailers may see a decline in sales if consumers choose to visit other centers. Additionally, residents living near retail areas may be concerned about congestion if consumers choose to park further away from the retail areas.

Previous research has shown a relationship between the parking situation surrounding shopping centers and shopping behavior. Factors such as parking convenience, parking costs, parking search time, availability of parking facilities, and the number of parking spaces have been found to influence consumers’ shopping destination and store choice behavior.

The hierarchical logit model used in the study assumes that consumers engage in a sequential decision-making process, where they first choose their preferred supermarket and then choose a parking lot. The model estimates the probabilities of supermarket and parking lot choices based on various attributes.

The results of the study indicated that the distance between a parking lot and a supermarket, the number of parking spaces, the location of the parking lot, and the availability of supermarket trolley facilities all played a significant role in consumers’ store and parking lot choice behavior. The model performed well in estimating the choice behavior using the before data, but less accurately when applied to the after data.

The article concludes that while the estimated model provides insight into the relationship between parking situation and store choice behavior, further research is needed to improve the model’s accuracy, such as including additional characteristics of parking lots and shopping centers, using different modeling approaches, and expanding the model to include choice sets and mode choice.

Words: 478