Understanding the impact of socio-demographic differences on acceptance of last-mile delivery technologies: a comparative analysis

Abstract

In recent years, we have witnessed the global growth of e-commerce, which has significant implications for last-mile distribution. This study examines the impact of factors such as gender, age, urbanity level, and household size on delivery preferences, including night and weekend deliveries, parcel locker usage, and the acceptance of autonomous delivery robots (ADRs). This study presents findings from a global survey conducted across Europe, Asia, and North America of a total of 1344 responses. The survey focused on the socio-demographic characteristics of users and their preferences for last-mile logistics, including e-commerce platform usage and delivery options. The ordered logit models helped identify significant influences on consumers' delivery choices, offering insights into evolving trends in last-mile logistics and the adoption of new urban logistic initiatives. Key findings include that older individuals are less likely to prefer night deliveries, while employed respondents preferred it. Gender, while not consistently a significant factor in all delivery methods, did influence parcel locker usage and willingness to give personal data. Younger people and those in urban settings show a greater openness to ADRs. Education levels positively influence the use of parcel lockers and the use of faster delivery options. Graphical analysis shows gender-based differences in online shopping habits. The use of commercialization platforms (local shops, international marketplaces, local marketplaces) was largely similar across genders; however, it exhibited more pronounced geographical differences. The overall trend shows an average home availability of between four and five hours per day for home deliveries. The most frequent purchase are food-related products and small deliveries, like books and electronics. These findings reflect potential implications for delivery preferences.

The participation of the 2nd author in this paper was part of the project METROPOLIS, financed by MCIN/AEI/10.13039/5011000110 33 and by the European Union “NextGenerationEU”/PRTR.

Peer Reviewed

Postprint (published version)