The Corona pandemic has greatly accelerated the transformation of the retail sector. Online retail was able to tap into new groups of shoppers and recorded significant sales growth in 2020. Overall, the structural change is brought forward by several years due to the pandemic. As a result, owner-managed retail is coming under even more pressure than before, and shop closures and vacancies are the consequences.
Both local retailers and municipalities are looking for ways to counter this development. Even before the Corona pandemic, initiatives were emerging with the aim of linking retail with local delivery services to both support retailers and promote vibrant city centres.
This study presents in detail five examples of local online marketplaces. These are characterised by the fact that they enable the ordering of goods via a digital channel - often a platform - from local traders, and orders are delivered by a local delivery agent. Both privately organised and municipal online marketplaces are presented. The examples show great differences: in which region are they active (urban, rural), which actors are present in the local online marketplace (retailers, service providers), what quality of delivery do they offer, what role do sustainability aspects play? The short study analyses the case studies in terms of conception, implementation and logistics as well as the chosen pricing model and their economic viability. Which models will be successful in the long term and which influencing factors contribute to sustainable economic success will be investigated in another study within the framework of this research programme.
