UK shoppers show support for sustainable delivery options

Nearly half (43 percent) of UK shoppers state that they are “more likely” to shop with a rival retailer if they offer a greater range of sustainable delivery options, new research from click-and-collect firm Doddle has found.

The survey reveals that whilst consumers are going green in some areas of their lives, such as the adoption of reusable bags and coffee cups, or choosing products with less packaging, this hasn’t fully filtered through to the way they shop online, as only 6 percent state that they always collect their shopping instead of having it delivered.

However, the research reveals that this is changing, as two-fifths of consumers surveyed don’t think retailers currently do a good enough job of offering sustainable options, and a quarter are annoyed that home delivery is often positioned as the default option, generating unnecessary emissions.

Younger consumers, aged 18-24 are adopting more environmental habits, with more than half of them (53 percent) planning to use direct home delivery less in future. This is nearly double the number of 45-year-olds at 20 percent.

However, the research also added that all consumers are becoming more conscious of their impact, with 59 percent trying to “trip chain” where they combine multiple tasks in a single journey. 76 percent say it’s to cut costs, but over half (54 percent) say they are doing it to be more sustainable.

When it comes to the cost of choosing sustainable delivery options, shoppers note that they are willing to put their money where their values are and pay a premium, with nearly half (47 percent) stating they would pay 1 pounds or more, and over a quarter (26 percent) would be happy to pay 2 pounds or more.

Doddle research shows consumers consider sustainability over retailer loyalty

Tim Robinson, chief executive of Doddle, said in a statement: “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 afterthought any more – in an already tough environment, it will set brands apart in their battle for customer loyalty.

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

Doddle also added that it has reviewed delivery figures to understand how embracing click and collect can benefit the environment and it estimates that there could be over a 80 percent reduction in delivery vehicles on the street if everyone used click and collect or pick up drop off points. It does add that this would be the extreme, but even moving towards this in a small way would have a big impact on the environment given every kilometre of a delivery emits 147g of CO2.

The research was conducted by YouGov on behalf of Doddle in March 2019 and the results are based on responses from 2,196 consumers across the UK.

Images: courtesy of Doddle