Last month, PhD student Sanne Wolf received a Rudolf Agricola PhD Grant for her research on nudging customers toward more sustainable delivery choices in e-commerce. The grant will support additional experiments, a workshop with logistics partners, and conference presentations.

Wolf’s research explores how online retailers can encourage consumers to choose sustainable delivery options during the checkout process. I focus on small but impactful changes in how delivery choices are presented—such as preselecting the most sustainable option, adding sustainability information, or offering financial incentives. While each individual delivery choice may seem minor, the cumulative effect is significant due to the sheer volume of online orders. Encouraging sustainable choices can reduce emissions and improve operational flexibility for retailers.

Inspiration for the Research

According to Wolf, the idea for this research came from a simple observation: “Next-day delivery is often preselected or the only option available, even when it isn’t necessary or convenient. For example, if I knew I wouldn’t be home the next day, my only choices were to accept next-day delivery or shop elsewhere. This made me question whether the emphasis on speed truly reflects consumer preferences or if the checkout process is influencing the decision for us.”

Key Finding

The main takeaway from her research is that small changes at checkout can have a big impact. Wolf explains: “In my first field experiment, preselecting the sustainable delivery option led up to 85% of consumers to choose it. This shows that delivery decisions are shaped not just by what people want, but also by how options are presented. Making the sustainable choice the easy choice increases its adoption.”

Broader Implications

Many retailers assume that consumers simply don’t want sustainable delivery options. However, Wolf’s research suggests that consumers may be more open to these choices than retailers think. Encouraging sustainable behavior doesn’t always require major investments or restrictive rules—sometimes, subtle adjustments in the checkout process are enough. This approach can help reduce the environmental impact of e-commerce while maintaining consumer freedom.

From an operational perspective, retailers can create more flexibility in their delivery networks by influencing demand more intelligently, rather than treating consumer preferences as fixed.

Societal Importance

As delivery choices are made millions of times every day, even small changes can have significant environmental and operational consequences. If more consumers choose sustainable delivery options, e-commerce can become less resource-intensive, and delivery networks can operate more efficiently. Additionally, retailers can help shape long-term habits by making sustainable choices easier and more natural for consumers.

Surprising Insight

One unexpected finding was that financial incentives were effective but far less impactful than preselecting the sustainable option. “I initially thought price incentives would have the strongest effect, but in my study, only 35% of consumers chose the sustainable option when offered a financial incentive, compared to 85% when it was preselected. I’m now exploring why preselecting an option is so effective—whether it’s seen as a recommendation, reduces decision fatigue, or subtly signals the "right" choice.”

Next Steps

Wolf is excited to investigate how we can better identify the most sustainable delivery option for each individual consumer. “For example, picking up a parcel from a collection point may not always be the greenest choice if someone drives there in a high-emission vehicle. Similarly, a slower home delivery might not be sustainable if it leads to multiple failed delivery attempts. I want to explore whether combining checkout data with mobility and behavioral insights can help predict the most sustainable option for each situation. This could make sustainable delivery choices more personalized and effective in practice.”

For more information, please contact Sanne Wolf.