Abstract
Concerns about the impacts of failed first-time home deliveries on road transport and the environment are growing because of the potential for additional vehicle trips for carriers and consumers. Local collection-and-delivery points (CDPs), at which consumers can collect their failed home deliveries, have emerged as a viable solution. On the basis of two databases of households from across Winchester and West Sussex in the United Kingdom and responses from nine major carriers, this paper quantifies greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from carrier and consumer trips related to the conventional delivery method, in which the carrier makes redelivery attempts when a delivery fails, and appraises the environmental benefits of CDP networks for handling delivery failures. The results suggest that most GHG emissions associated with handling failed home deliveries are generated by the carrier. The share of GHG emissions generated from consumers increases as the proportion of failed first-time home deliveries increases. A range of CDPs (supermarkets, railway stations, and post offices) was found to reduce the environmental impacts of failed home deliveries. A CDP network would reduce GHG emissions most effectively when (a) 30% or more of householders who experienced a failed first-time home delivery travel to the carrier's depot to retrieve goods, (b) the proportion of failed first-time home deliveries is significant, and (c) “local collect” post offices are used as CDPs. The study has practical and managerial implications for retailers and carriers about ways to improve home delivery services by identifying consumer home shopping behaviors and promoting more convenient and environmentally friendly delivery strategies.
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