The Berlin delivery platform Seven Senders, in cooperation with the market research institute Appinio, surveyed 3,500 online shoppers in seven countries about their attitudes and expectations of sustainability in online trading, namely 500 in Germany, France, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Spain and Switzerland . It became clear that while sustainability is desired when shopping online, the majority of consumers are not willing to pay for it.
Of those surveyed, half (50 percent) said they order products online several times a month, a third (34 percent) once a month, and 11 percent or 5 percent only once in six months or less. No one said they never shop online.
A majority (54 percent) of those surveyed agreed that online shopping is more harmful to the climate or environment than shopping in-store; 9 percent of them “totally” and 29 percent tended to agree. 44 percent disagreed with the statement, 10 percent disagreed at all and 24 percent “rather disagree”.
Packaging and returns are the biggest problem
Most respondents (31 percent) would look to recyclable packaging to reduce the environmental footprint of their purchase, while 28 percent would avoid returns. Only 8 percent would pay a surcharge for climate-friendly shipping, while 13 percent would use the option of delivery to a parcel shop and 7 percent to a packing station. The remaining respondents did not provide any information.
However, when asked specifically about a possible surcharge for sustainable delivery, a more differentiated picture emerged: only a quarter (26 percent) of those surveyed fundamentally rejected a surcharge, while 14 percent would make this dependent on the value of the delivery. However, more than half (54 percent) would be willing to pay a small premium: 15 percent of respondents up to 10 cents, 10 percent up to 20 cents, 7 percent up to 30 cents, 3 percent up to 40 cents, 13 percent up to 50 cents and 6 percent up to one euro. Only 2 percent would pay more than this.