Consumer acceptance of packaging return mechanisms in e-commerce deliveries: Mechanisms, profiles, and drivers

Abstract

The growth of e-commerce has increased parcel volumes and packaging waste, creating new challenges for sustainable urban logistics. This study examines stated acceptance of three return mechanisms: central collection, back mailing, and return during next delivery using questionnaire data from 2,012 respondents across four European cities: Dortmund, Paris, Trondheim, and Zurich. Latent class cluster analysis and a multivariate ordered probit model identify consumer acceptance profiles and their attitudinal, behavioural, and contextual determinants. Return during next delivery receives the highest acceptance, followed by central collection; back mailing is substantially less accepted. Three profiles emerge: total acceptors, selective acceptors (the majority, whose acceptance varies by mechanism), and non-acceptors. Environmental concern, social activity engagement, and shopping behaviour consistently explain acceptance across mechanisms, while socio-demographic effects remain limited. These findings suggest that packaging return systems can achieve meaningful recovery rates by targeting frequent delivery users and embedding return within existing delivery interactions.