Most Shoppers Would Pay More For Sustainable Delivery Options

Retailers are ramping up delivery speeds to meet the demands of empowered shoppers and keep pace with online giants such as Amazon.

While speed is undoubtedly paramount to the delivery experience, consumers also are looking for more “green” options. In fact, 54% of consumers are willing to pay at least 5% more for products ordered online if they are delivered sustainably. Even more consumers (76%) said they are willing to wait at least one extra day for climate-friendly transport, according to a recent study performed by West Monroe Partners.

For the study, titled: Need For Green Or Need For Speed, West Monroe Partners gathered feedback from approximately 600 U.S. shoppers and more than 1,000 consumers in Western Europe.

The majority of respondents had a positive view of sustainable delivery options. These consumers also said they were willing to adopt more environmentally friendly methods. However, most shoppers (79%) also didn’t know such delivery options existed, pointing to the need for retailers to promote and educate the public on sustainability. Of all respondents, only 5% of consumers had used sustainable delivery options in the past.

Annual income was not a factor in shoppers’ willingness to pay more for sustainable delivery. Approximately half of respondents who earn more than $150,000 a year said they were not willing to pay higher prices in exchange for climate-friendly transport. Only about 45% of the respondents who earn less than $50,000 annually said they would not pay for greener delivery options.

“Given the dominance of e-Commerce and trends such as same- and next-day delivery, order fulfillment’s impact on the environment is a significant one,” said Yves Leclerc, Managing Director and Leader of West Monroe Partners’ Supply Chain Practice. “Consumers are willing to sacrifice for products delivered in ways that don’t yield damaging greenhouse gas emissions — they just need to be aware of these alternative delivery models first.”

Click here to download a complimentary copy of the report.