Sustainable last mile delivery alternatives: Influencing factors and willingness to use

E-commerce deliveries have grown significantly in the last decade, generating increased environmental impacts. While e-commerce grows, there is a need to integrate sustainability into its operations, especially concerning last-mile deliveries. The authors' goal is to understand the factors influencing consumer decision-making when selecting delivery alternatives. The authors examine consumers’ preferences using stated preference data collected in the United States. Respondents evaluated delivery alternatives, including operational and behavioral attributes. Interestingly, disclosing the environmental impact of each option does not influence consumer decisions. However, disclosing the delivery vehicle type does matter. The analyses reveal that consumers’ willingness to use sustainable options depends on their receiving additional benefits, varying across socio-economic profiles. Furthermore, elasticities and substitution rates confirm that consumers are willing to pay for convenient deliveries and are reluctant to make behavioral changes. These insights should be used to incentivize the use of sustainable alternatives for last-mile deliveries. The authors close the paper with recommendations to key stakeholders in urban areas.

• Record URL:
  • https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2024.104574
• Record URL:
  • http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1361920924005315
• Availability:
  • Find a library where document is available. Order URL: http://worldcat.org/issn/13619209
• Supplemental Notes:
  • © 2024 Elsevier Ltd. All rights are reserved, including those for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies. Abstract reprinted with permission of Elsevier.
• Authors:
  • Amaya, Johanna
  • 0000-0002-0698-4069
  • Encarnación, Trilce
  • Cantillo, Victor
• Publication Date: 2025-2

Language

• English

Media Info

• Media Type: Web
• Features: References;
• Pagination: 104574
• Serial:
  • Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment
  • Volume: 139
  • Issue Number: 0
  • Publisher: Elsevier
  • ISSN: 1361-9209
  • Serial URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/13619209

Subject/Index Terms

• TRT Terms: Consumer behavior; Consumer preferences; Delivery service; Electronic commerce; First mile and last mile; Sustainable transportation
• Subject Areas: Freight Transportation; Highways;

Filing Info

• Accession Number: 01943441
• Record Type: Publication
• Files: TRIS
• Created Date: Jan 27 2025 8:55AM