The effects of innovative delivery solutions on consumers' last mile delivery choices

Last mile delivery is one of the most important e-commerce processes for consumers. This process needs to be convenient for consumers and cost-effective for e-commerce and last-mile delivery companies. The traditional delivery method struggles to meet the expectations of both consumers and e-commerce and last-mile delivery companies. Innovative delivery solutions have been developed to solve this challenge. However, for these solutions to provide the expected benefits, they must be preferred by consumers. The purpose of this thesis is to examine the effects of innovative delivery solutions on consumers' last mile delivery choices. A discrete choice experiment was used as the research method. Within the scope of the research, questionnaires were collected from 480 participants and these data were analyzed with a multinomial logit model. According to the findings of the study, delivery cost, delivery time and the working hours of the delivery company have an effect on the choice of delivery to the address, while delivery method and information and tracking attributes do not have an effect. In the choice of delivery point, delivery cost, delivery time, hours of pick-up, information and tracking, and distance attributes affect consumers' choices. The findings of this study are expected to provide insights on how last-mile delivery and e-commerce companies should approach to drive consumers towards innovative delivery solutions.