As online shopping continues to proliferate, an engineering organization is warning that delivery logistics ought to smarten up.
An Ipsos Mori survey conducted for the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) found that of the 2011 adults surveyed, 1518 were online shoppers. Furthermore, of these, 968 (63 percent) had bought a minimum of three gifts online this Christmas.
While on the surface, the findings more or less echo empirical and anecdotal evidence from across the retail spectrum, IET's Professor Phil Blythe said the changing shopping habits need to be considered—both as part of an integrated transport policy and as well as an opportunity for technology chiefs at retailers to improve their logistics platform.
"Traditionally, consumers would travel to the local high street or retail park to buy gifts. We are now seeing an explosion of online shopping, often where gifts are bought and delivered in many batches," Blythe said. "This then results in more deliveries being made and a huge increase in emissions and congestion on our roads. We've heard a lot about delivery by drones, but this is at least a decade away."
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