The same study also analysed the energy consumption of books in the case of Japan. Four factors are considered in the calculation of total energy per book purchase.
- Fuel consumed in the transportation of book (shipping + courier services)
- Fuel consumed when individuals travel to and from the bookstore
- Energy to produce packaging
- Energy used at the point-of-sale (at the bookstore/ by the consumer making a purchase online at home)
Below are some of the assumptions made:
| Place | Population density | Store-to-store distance | Mode of transport to the bookstore |
| Tokyo |
5600 inhabitants/km2 Densely populated urban area |
1km | Walking/ bicycle |
| Tochigi |
310 inhabitants/km2 Suburban area |
5.2km | Personal automobiles |
| Hokkaido |
68 inhabitants/km2 Rural area |
13.4km | Personal automobiles |
It is also observed here that the traditional shopping method uses more energy for personal transport, while online shopping uses a lot of energy for packaging.
However, when population density is considered, conventional shopping method seems to triumph over e-commerce in densely populated areas. As stores are very near to each other and houses are in the vicinity, consumers could make use of greener mode of transport like walking or cycling to get to the shops (eg. Tokyo). However, the packaging of online shopping of books is far more energy intensive than conventional purchase. Hence, in densely populated areas like Tokyo, traditional shopping methods seem to be greener than e-commerce (red box).
When the area is relatively sparse in population, shops are further away from each other (eg. Hokkaido). Hence, if the customer wishes to visit the brick-and-mortar shop, he has to use his personal automobile. This is much more energy intensive as compared to the packaging used in e-commerce. Hence, when personal automobiles are used, online shopping seems to be more environmentally friendly (blue box).