No abstract

Among the dark sides of contemporary multi-channel retailing are the vast amounts of product returns, especially in the online channel. High product returns not only put pressure on the retailers’ profitability, but also come at high societal and environmental costs. A central question then is whether multi-channel retailers can use their offline stores to help reduce product returns in the online channel without harming online sales. In an empirical study, we address this issue using data from a large Dutch shoe retailer. We develop a novel spatial model to estimate the influence of proximate retail stores on customers’ online shopping behavior, while controlling for spatial and customer heterogeneity. Results demonstrate that an increased offline channel presence indeed reduces online returns, depending on the product’s risk profile, without significantly lowering online sales. Offline stores can thus be an effective and appealing way for retailers to mitigate the negative impact of online shopping related to product returns.

This thesis is the result of more than four years of working at Rijksuniversiteit Groningen in the department of Marketing. By writing the thesis, I learned a lot. Most importantly about the subject matter, but also about the scientific method, methodological thinking and, not least, about myself and my approach to deadlines as well as topics and areas I am passionate to work in and areas that I try to avoid. Having finished the thesis would not in the least have been possible without the support from many people around me.First and foremost, I would like to express my deepest appreciation for my (co-) supervisors, Tammo and Maarten. I am deeply indebted to Tammo for relentlessly helping me to find ways to make the research better. Thank you for countless insightful suggestions and contributing your extensive experience and knowledge to the benefit of my thesis. Your support in choice of topic, connecting with others, and assisting managing the whole project was instrumental in moving my thesis from the start to the finish line. To Maarten, whose knowledge, practical advice, and friendly guidance was invaluable in helping me finishing my thesis, I cannot begin to express my thanks. Thank you for your profound belief in me, your support and encouragement, and just being a good person and never letting me down. I'm extremely grateful to you being my co-supervisor.Furthermore, I would like to extend my sincere thanks to the members of the assessment committee, Jaap Wieringa, Lien Lamey, and Bas Donkers. I very much appreciate the time and the work it took to assess my thesis, as well as the feedback and suggestions. I would also like to extend my gratitude to Evert de Haan, Arnd Vomberg, and Corine Noordhoff for reading a draft of my thesis and providing constructive and valuable feedback for improvement. Furthermore, I would like to thank Ewald Hoppen for his support, input, and patience.Many thanks also go to my (former) colleagues and friends at the University of Groningen and the department of Marketing. In particular, I would like to thank Nick Koning and Jos Offerein for being fantastic friends and amazing mates for healthy (Nick) and unhealthy (Jos) non-work-related activities. The PhD journey would not have been the same without you. I would also like to thank Josefine Geiger and Katharina Mattes for their friendship and many enjoyable moments together, Outi Lundahl for countless great conversations about many subjects and for introducing me to the customs of itsenäisyyspäivä, Karolina Karpe for many inspiring discussions v and for always being supportive, Ruben van Beesten for encouraging thinking about more things based on first principles, and Daan Freeman for many great brunches and chats. Special thanks also go to fellow (PhD) students Lisan Lesscher, Eva van der