Author archives

Consumers’ marketing channel choice and the impact on logistics and operations

The emergence of digitalization has led to the creation of various marketing channels. Consumers now have numerous options for shopping in the fresh food and grocery retail sector. Analyzing their behavior is crucial for retailers. A recent paper offers a cutting-edge review of existing studies on consumers’ channel choices when purchasing groceries. The research A …

Amazon: on operating more sustainably for customers and communities

Kara Hurst, chief sustainability officer at Amazon, talks to McKinsey about scaling Amazon’s sustainability initiatives, including increasing its focus on nature-based solutions to benefit communities. How is Amazon working on reaching its Climate Pledge goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2040? While the scope of this challenge is large, Amazon has been taking bold steps …

How can e-groceries be made a profitable business model?

Once more, Dutch online food delivery companies, namely Crisp, Jumbo, Getir, and Picnic, are grappling with substantial financial setbacks, further compounded by the recent closure of Dutch Pieter Pot. These financial challenges extend beyond mere teething problems associated with growth. In addition, the escalating minimum wages and the augmented expenses related to light electric vehicles …

Carrier-provided freight data for improved sustainable urban mobility planning

Urban freight transport is expected to increase in volume and share of motorized traffic in cities. Simultaneously, stakeholders responsible for urban development lack access to detailed data on urban freight transport. Private freight actors, i.e., carriers, collect data as part of their operations, which could potentially meet the data needs within public planning. A recent …

Literature review: economic perspectives in sustainable last-mile logistics

In recent years, many cities worldwide have faced the impact of last-mile logistics and the resulting rise in urban traffic and pollution: these dynamics curbed the environmental effects. Urban traffic considerably impacts noise emissions, road safety, and air pollution. Hence, public and private parties shall undertake innovative solutions for reducing the negative effects of last-mile …

Multi-criteria assessment framework for the potential of cargo bike operations

Making deliveries in crowded urban areas can be challenging for commercial vehicles, producing additional negative externalities. In recent years, cargo cycles, including bicycles and tricycles, either man-powered or electric-powered, have been considered a promising alternative for making last-leg delivery. Although cargo cycles have various benefits, the operations are still limited by the nature of the …

How do bicyclists react to delivery vans?

With growing freight operations worldwide, there is a push for transportation systems to accommodate trucks during loading and unloading operations. Currently, many urban locations do not provide loading and unloading zones, which results in trucks parking in places that obstruct bicyclist’s roadway infrastructure (e.g., bicycle lanes). A bicycle simulation experiment was designed in the USA …

Sustainability assessment of last-mile EV: a qualitative study in Germany

Switching to electric vehicles to reduce CO2 emissions and preserve the environment is a common approach also being relevant to the last mile. However, establishing electric vehicles in the long term requires considering economic and social sustainability and ecological sustainability. Additionally, the last mile is characterized by different participants who must be considered for a holistic approach. In …

Research: transitioning e-commerce in Norway

E-commerce is becoming an increasingly visible feature of modern society that places increasing strain on transport systems. Research has hitherto paid substantial attention to ways e-commerce might modify personal travel behavior. Still, it has been less attentive to the ramifications of e-commerce for urban freight. Although contemporary conditions of urban freight are increasingly scrutinized by scholars in …