With sustainability continuing to remain high on consumers’ agendas, half of UK shoppers would now support a delivery tax for online retailers levied to off-set carbon emissions caused by eCommerce fulfilment, according to new research from the Retail Technology Show (RTS).
Original research of over 1,000 UK consumers by RTS revealed that over three quarters (76 per cent) of shoppers believe retailers could do more to be sustainable. Over two thirds (67 per cent) of UK consumers said making fulfilment carbon-neutral was one of the main ways retailers could improve green retailing, with 50 per cent now in support of online retailers being taxed to offset carbon emissions generated from deliveries, rising to 56 per cent of Gen Z consumers.
However, while consumers are demanding greener delivery options, speed and cost are still top shopper delivery demands; 68 per cent said the speed of delivery was their top consideration, followed by the cost of delivery not being too expensive (53 per cent) or being free (51 per cent). This follows recent research by Asendia that showed while 48 per cent would pay more for faster fulfilment, fewer (23 per cent) would pay more for 100 per cent carbon-neutral deliveries.
Circular retail was also a growing area that shoppers polled felt retail businesses could improve, with 71 per cent believing that offering repair services could help retailers become greener, a service many retailers have started trialing as part of their sustainability efforts. Currys, for example, launched its on-demand tech repair service, RepairLive, at the end of last year, while Zara also announced it would extend the life of its clothing with repair services available by booking online or bringing items into store.
44 per cent of UK shoppers are already use recycling services from retailers, while 38 per cent are choosing recyclable or products using minimal packaging and 34 per cent are using refill packs to cut down on packaging waste. With demand for resale retail formats also booming, with Seasalt is just one of the latest fashion retailers to announce the launch of its pre-loved platform, over a third (35 per cent) of UK shoppers are now buying pre-loved or reconditioned items, while a further 30 per cent are opting to buy second-hand to reduce the number of new items they buy and minimise the environmental impact of their consumption.
Share