Consumers more likely to shop somewhere with sustainable delivery

Over two-fifths (43%) of consumers say they are more likely to shop with a retailer if they offer sustainable delivery options, according to click & collect firm Doddle.

Their research asked shoppers a range of questions related to green shopping habits, with only two-fifths believing that retailers currently do a good enough job of offering sustainable options, and a quarter annoyed that home delivery is often positioned as the default option, generating unnecessary emissions.

However, younger consumers (18-24-year-olds) are adopting more environmental habits, according to the survey, with over half of them (53%) planning to use direct home delivery less in future, almost double the number of 45-year-olds (29%).

The poll also found that 54% are trying harder to include multiple tasks in a single journey to be more sustainable and reduce unnecessary emissions.

Doddle says if 17.1 million people shop online every week across the UK, approximately 170,000 vehicles would be needed to deliver to every house. If these deliveries were only done to pick up drop off points, approximately only 4,600 vans would be needed, they argue.

Tim Robinson, CEO of Doddle: ‘As shoppers continue to become more environmentally conscious, retailers need to mirror this in their offer. While convenience remains important for customers, it’s not enough for sustainable delivery to be an add-on or after-thought anymore – in an already tough environment, it will set brands apart in their battle for customer loyalty.

‘With a quarter (26%) of consumers actually surprised by how many of their favourite brands still only offer home delivery, retailers need to make alternatives like click & collect, consolidated deliveries and store kiosks more prominent at checkout and be explicit about the environmental benefits.’

This year several major supermarkets have announced they will be shaking up their delivery options in attempts to go greener.

John Lewis announced that their heaviest trucks will be switched to biomethane by 2028 and the company has started electrifying its fleet of vans used for home deliveries.

The Co-op will also offer shoppers the chance to have zero-emission home deliveries after teaming up with e-cargobikes.com.