中文摘要
更快的电商履约往往以环境为代价,原因在于高能耗的运输方式以及更频繁、更缺乏整合的"最后一公里"配送。尽管存在这些环境影响,大多数零售商仍感受到提供快速履约以保持竞争力的压力。但如果能助推消费者自愿选择"绿色但较慢"的配送方式呢?实践中,人们采用多种信息策略来助推此类决策,但哪种策略最佳及其原因尚不清楚。本研究在两个物流情境中考察这些问题,每个情境涉及一种支持"绿色但较慢"配送的不同流程变革:运输方式与订单整合。我们首先提出一个概念框架,依据信息策略对各情境中与关键利益相关者相关的客户感知的影响来选择策略:配送便利性(自我)、环境影响(社会)与可持续性意图(零售商)。随后,借鉴行为研究与行业实践,我们识别了一组全面的信息策略(即流程(Process)、绿色标签(Green Label)、绿色流程(Green Process)和绿色结果(Green Outcome)),并通过涉及3,800名参与者的受控实验检验其效应。实验结果表明,不同的物流情境需要不同的助推策略,这与我们的概念框架一致。我们发现,加入绿色标签对运输方式情境尤为有效,尤其是与结果信息结合时。相比之下,流程信息在订单整合情境中更有前景。此外,加入财务激励可以增强缺乏明确环境信号的信息策略的有效性,而将财务激励与简单的绿色标签搭配,对环保意识较低的个人可能有效。本文由Elena Katok(运营管理)接受发表。基金资助:本研究得到明尼苏达大学环境研究所[MF-0009-23]的支持。补充材料:在线附录与数据文件见 https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.00239 。
Abstract
Faster e-commerce fulfillment often comes at a cost to the environment because of energy-intensive transportation modes and more frequent, less consolidated last-mile deliveries. Despite these environmental implications, most retailers feel pressure to provide fast fulfillment to remain competitive. But what if consumers could be nudged to voluntarily choose green-but-slow shipping? In practice, a variety of information strategies are used to nudge such decisions, but it is unclear which strategy is best and why. This study examines these questions in two logistical contexts, each involving a different type of process change to support green-but-slow shipping: shipping mode and order consolidation. We first introduce a conceptual framework for selecting information strategies based on their influence on customer perceptions related to key stakeholders in each context: delivery convenience (self), environmental impact (society), and sustainability intention (retailer). Then, drawing on behavioral research and industry practices, we identify and test the effect of a comprehensive set of information strategies (i.e., Process, Green Label, Green Process, and Green Outcome) through controlled experiments involving 3,800 participants. Experimental results suggest that different logistical contexts require distinct nudging strategies, aligning with our conceptual framework. We find that including a green label is particularly effective for the shipping mode context, especially when combined with outcome information. In contrast, process information is more promising in the order consolidation context. Also, adding financial incentives can enhance the effectiveness of information strategies without a clear environmental signal, whereas pairing them with a simple green label may be effective for low eco-conscious individuals. This paper was accepted by Elena Katok, operations management. Funding: This work was supported by the Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota [MF-0009-23]. Supplemental Material: The online appendix and data files are available at https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.2023.00239 .