Consumers Are Willing to Sacrifice for Sustainability, Survey Finds

Blue Yonder, an American software and consultancy company owned by multinational conglomerate Panasonic, in April released findings from its 2023 Consumer Sustainability Survey, which revealed consumer preferences at retail related to sustainable shopping habits.

The survey found that more than three-fourths (86%) of consumers are willing to delay e-commerce deliveries for the sake of improving sustainability, if given an incentive to do so. Of those respondents, 29% are willing to delay deliveries up to five days, and 28% are willing to delay a week or more.

The data also showed that the COVID-19 pandemic had a noticeable impact on consumer sustainability habits, according to a media release. Nearly half (44%) of consumers said their interest in shopping sustainably increased since the start of the pandemic.

“During the pandemic, many businesses had to temporarily trade-off sustainability for the sake of public health and safety,” Edward Wong, senior vice president, global retail sector leader at Blue Yonder, said in the release. “Essential stores such as grocery eliminated reusable bag use and nearly all brick-and-mortar shops strengthened or in some cases added new online commerce operations with delivery options. This shifted more sales online that previously would have occurred in-store.”

“As retail emerges from pandemic-era practices, sustainability is back in focus. The findings of this study reflect the paradigm shift toward a more environmentally friendly supply chain as consumers are now willing to do their part to embrace more sustainable shopping habits,” Wong added.

According to Statista, retail e-commerce sales are expected to grow by 50% over the next four years. Blue Yonder’s survey found that consumers are willing to do their part by recycling, spending more on sustainable packaging or setting minimum spending requirements on deliveries to help limit the environmental impact of their online shopping.

The survey also found:

• 64% of consumers are willing to spend more on sustainable packaging, with 44% willing to spend up to 5% more.
• 40% agree there should be a minimum amount a consumer must spend to qualify for expedited shipping or shipping in general.
• Shoppers are most likely to switch loyalty for food, household and beauty and wellness products.
• Price Is the most important factor for shoppers when making a sustainable purchase.
• When evaluating the sustainability of a company’s product, 32% said consumer reviews were the most important factor.