Consumers are more likely to choose sustainable delivery options if they are encouraged to do so in an online shop's check-out. With a few simple adjustments, online retailers could therefore already contribute to reducing CO2 emissions.
This is according to research on the effects of sustainability interventions on delivery choices, commissioned by Thuiswinkel.org and the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management.
The best way to entice consumers to make a sustainable delivery choice is to offer information on the CO2 emissions of different options. Ticking the most sustainable choice by default also works.
Five check-out pages
In the study, respondents were allowed to pick a gift, after which they were redirected to one of five check-out pages and had to make a delivery choice there. The delivery options were the same, but the pages differed in the way the carbon impact information was presented.
In the group without additional information, 8.1 per cent of respondents chose the most sustainable option. In groups where information about the carbon impact was given, the percentage was almost twice as high at 16 per cent. A double intervention, where both information is given and the most sustainable option is ticked by default, was found to have the most effect, with almost 30 per cent of consumers choosing the most green option in that case.
Dual intervention
"We therefore advise online retailers to include a two-part intervention on the check-out page," said Wijnand Jongen, director of Thuiswinkel.org. "This is the most logical and natural place for these interventions, because the online consumer makes the choice of delivery option here in the purchase process and can therefore still be influenced there."
