Trends in shopping-related travel behaviour: a comparative study of four Western European countries

This study examines trends in shopping-related travel behaviour across France, Germany, Norway, and Switzerland, using harmonised national travel survey data from the early 2000s to the 2020s. By stratifying the analysis by urbanisation level, gender, age, household type, and income, we investigate how shopping travel behaviour has changed. By analysing trends in four countries, we aim to reduce the noise of local issues such as data quality, and try to interpret changes with social and policy events and trends. Across all investigated countries, except Switzerland, shopping trip frequencies have declined, with similar patterns observed across gender and urbanisation levels. While women historically undertook more shopping trips than men, a convergence between genders has emerged over time. Older adults devote a larger share of their travel to shopping and increasingly rely on cars. While higher incomes were generally associated with more driving, this pattern is changing. Higher income groups tend to have increased their walking and cycling share more, although this depends on the level of urbanisation and varies by country. Within countries, shopping frequencies differ between urban and rural areas to differing extents. In Switzerland, for example, urban residents have much higher shopping rates compared to those living in rural areas, while the gap is smallest in Norway. Differences in trip frequency, distance, and mode over time reflect varying national contexts and are discussed in relation to e-commerce growth, retail decentralisation, and rising car ownership. These findings highlight the complex nature of shopping-related travel and the circumstances in which travel behaviour aligns or differs across Europe.