A new paper seeks to identify the most preferred sustainable last-mile delivery business models among e-customers and assess their environmental, economic, and social impacts. The authors surveyed to achieve this and utilized conjoint analysis, the Delphi method, and the MCDM: Promethee-Gaia.
The findings reveal that price is the most critical factor influencing e-customers’ delivery methods. However, experts do not consider the e-customer’s preferred last-mile delivery and return models sustainable. While these models provide value to customers, they fall short of benefiting the broader urban community.
When analyzing the simulation results concerning the business model scenarios for organizing sustainable last-mile deliveries, two scenarios emerged with positive indicators in the complete ranking (Phi score). The highest values were obtained in scenario 1 (delivery to a pick-up point with free delivery using ecological means of transport and a customer-specified delivery date) and scenario 4 (delivery to a parcel locker with ecological transport, standard pricing, and a standard delivery date).
The study highlights a last-mile delivery business model that balances delivering value to e-customers and co-creating value for the city. The results provide essential insights for both courier companies and local governments.