Retailers: Sustainability is Not a Challenge, It’s an Opportunity

According to our latest research, consumers don’t believe that most retailers are doing a good job with their home delivery sustainability efforts.

Yet consumers care about being eco-friendly and intend to buy more from retailers they perceive to be sustainable. 

This means there is a massive opportunity for forward-thinking retailers offering home delivery to seize a larger market share by implementing and promoting sustainable initiatives. Moreover, these initiatives often go hand-in-hand with increased fleet efficiency and therefore lower costs. Given that e-commerce purchases and sustainability expectations are going to rise, now is the time for retailers to improve their home delivery and sustainability efforts.

Home Delivery and Sustainability

Descartes’ latest consumer research shows that:

• The percentage of online orders being delivered to the home is increasing.
• 45% of respondents say that helping the environment is quite/very important in their daily life, with 39% regularly or always making purchasing decisions based upon a company or product’s environmental impact.
• One in five respondents indicated they would pay more for a delivery from an environmentally friendly company.
• 37% said that convenience and environmental impact were of equal importance when making a purchase, with 54% of respondents indicating they would be willing to accept longer lead times from an environmentally friendly company.

The Sustainability Opportunity for Retailers

Eco-friendly delivery options present a significant opportunity for retailers because they drive delivery density and are therefore more cost-effective than traditional deliveries. With substantial numbers of consumers willing to pay for sustainable delivery options, there is even an opportunity for e-commerce retailers to use new eco-friendly delivery options to increase profits.

Descartes can help optimise your delivery solutions to make your fleet more sustainable and cost-effective.

Download our research today and turn sustainability into a competitive advantage.