Consumers’ perceptions and acceptance of last mile delivery methods in light of perceived sustainability
(A2021-94537)

AUTHORS

Patrick Klein, Saarland University, Chair for Business Administration, in particular Retail Management; Bastian Popp, Saarland University; Marius Mees, Saarland University

ABSTRACT

Today, the exchange of goods faces a multitude of challenges. In times of omni-channel retailing, suppliers are trying to address the problems through alternative ways of transferring goods. This paper contributes to the existing literature and shows how sustainability, in addition to perceived security, trust and the latent constructs of the Technology Acceptance Model, influences the acceptance of using a delivery method. The results show a high acceptance of home delivery, while parcel locker and click & collect were less in demand. For all three delivery methods, acceptance and the associated intention to use is influenced by the perceived sustainability of the respective delivery method. The perceived sustainability of a delivery method has a positive impact on perceived trust and is thus an important driver for the intention to use home delivery, parcel locker and click & collect, which yields interesting insights for logistics and e-commerce retailers alike.