Adopt a sustainable e-commerce shipping strategy.
In light of the exponential growth of online sales to meet increased consumer demand, online retailers, and delivery companies must confront a new reality and new challenges.
While retailers have had to rethink and intensify their e-commerce strategy to address modern, hyper-connected consumers who are increasingly impatient and demand faster deliveries, supply chain actors, at the same time, have had to reinvent their transportation and logistics systems to adapt to these needs.
In a highly competitive context and to address customer satisfaction and immediacy issues, new technologies have emerged to ensure increasingly innovative, fast, and cost-effective e-commerce shipping services.
Simultaneously, environmental concerns, ecological awareness, and the growing interest in sustainable solutions from both brands and consumers have led to a restructuring of logistics for more responsible e-commerce.
In this context, discover how to adopt a sustainable e-commerce shipping strategy to minimize your environmental impact.
Don’t have your e-commerce site yet? Create an online store now with Panierdachat!
The Digital Boom: Environmental Impact and Innovation in the Logistics Chain
The digital transition has had repercussions on the economy and society, affecting all consumer sectors.
to sell online?
The unprecedented surge in e-commerce over the past year has led to overconsumption, with the ability to order more quickly, increasing travel, fuel usage, and negatively impacting the environment.
The increase in online shopping frequency has been accompanied by a rise in demand for parcel delivery close to the customer.
To cope with this complex ecosystem, companies have developed new technologies and management tools to automate, digitize, and optimize the logistics chain to shorten delivery times to meet consumer demands.
These technologies, ranging from artificial intelligence and robotics to augmented reality and more, aim for real-time optimization of delivery.
With this, a trend towards local ethical consumption has emerged, pushing merchants to adopt a marketing strategy, particularly in packaging and delivery, generating a significant carbon footprint, in favor of a sustainable approach.
Towards Sustainable E-commerce Shipping
Collective ecological awareness continues to grow as e-commerce progresses.
The willingness of e-merchants, driven by these values, to take this direction to maintain the trust of their consumers puts pressure on delivery companies seeking to align with these expectations.
To increase their network capacity and improve the customer experience, new alternative e-commerce shipping methods and models are emerging.
Among these are silent, maneuverable, clean, and economical vehicles:
- Hybrid vehicles;
- 100% electric vehicles;
- Bicycles or cargo bikes to facilitate delivery in pedestrian areas or areas with limited access or parking.
This allows for more efficient and cost-effective delivery of the last mile, which is the most expensive.
3 Reasons to Adopt Green Logistics
1. Consumers are sensitive to ethics
Environmental responsibility has a real and significant influence on e-consumers, who are sometimes more inclined to wait longer for their orders and/or pay lower delivery fees.
2. Enhance your Brand Image
Green Marketing, a technique that demonstrates your actions and promotes environmentally friendly services, is a way to attract and retain conscious and engaged customers.
This enhances credibility and trust, differentiating you from your competition. By acting as a reassurance element, you increase your chances of generating sales.
3. Enjoy Savings
Ecological, biodegradable, and non-toxic packaging allows for lighter shipments and, therefore, lower shipping costs.
Indeed, the normalization of free delivery in recent times, to remain competitive, has placed a heavy burden on merchants who have had to absorb high costs, thus reducing their margins.
6 Tips for Low-Impact Environmental Shipping
1. Limit overpacking
Reduce packaging quantity by opting for a single, simple, and easy-to-open packaging for less fragile products.
Keep in mind that packaging is part of the customer experience, being the first impression of the customer on your product.
2. Use reusable packaging
Encourage your customers to give a second life to your packaging.
3. Optimize empty space in your boxes
To generate less waste.
4. Reduce product returns
To do this, make sure to provide comprehensive product information to avoid negative shopping experiences.
5. Educate your customers to consolidate their orders
Inform your customers so that they have the option to have their orders delivered later but mention that they are contributing to eco-responsible delivery.
[trial]
6. Offer options for pickup points
Requiring fewer stops and thus reducing pollution.
Shipping by Machool: The New Local Eco-Responsible Partner of Panierdachat
To reduce the impact of your e-commerce on the planet, you must establish a sustainable shipping policy; and this involves the judicious choice of your carriers, which must be reliable and experts to bring real added value to online merchants.
Panierdachat merchants can integrate their store and access several decarbonized local carriers (Fedex, UPS, etc.).
If you already have a shipping account with Canada Post, you can link your account and take advantage of level 4 savings through Machool.
A simple, intuitive integrated solution to centralize and facilitate the sending of your parcels!
Create a FREE account with Machool now and enjoy advantageous pre-negotiated rates and a decarbonized offer.
Recent posts 
Micheal Villeneuve is the President and founder of Laradev. Laradev is certified in Laravel development, specializes in universal application, and offers training and support.