A new study has found 73% of UK consumers want online apparel orders shipped from the store closest to them, limiting the environmental impact of deliveries while providing the fastest fulfilment service.
The survey of 1,000 UK consumers for Centra’s latest report What UK Shoppers Want from Fashion Brands in 2024 showed consumers are now considering the speed and price vs environmental impact of the online shopping journey.
While 46% of respondents want to be able to return items for free, despite the environmental and cost impacts, 72% of consumers said fashion retailers’ sustainability claims need to be backed up by meaningful actions and results.
A further 70% of respondents argue fashion retailers should do more to offset their carbon footprint and believe technology should be used to bridge the gap.
Additionally, 68% want retailers to utilise inventory management technology to allow them to process product returns in-store and use these returned items to fulfil new orders locally to limit carbon emissions.
Martin Jensen, CEO at Centra, commented: “ecommerce traditionally suits online multi-brand retailers shipping from a few huge warehouses and doesn’t effectively utilise existing retail or store networks, which is both environmentally negligent and logistically inefficient.
“What we increasingly see in our client base, which predominantly consists of fashion brands, is that they are now looking to use bricks-and-mortar stores as powerful fulfilment hubs. Brands are creating an enhanced infrastructure for global deliveries by turning stores into “micro-warehouses” and using stock in these physical stores to route shipments for online orders intelligently and sustainably.
“As a back-up, the item is reserved from the main warehouse in case local stores can’t fulfil the order, and returns can also be processed in-store, so the customer gets what they want in a faster, more sustainable way.
“This operating model creates a healthier, more holistic business that delivers a huge service and sustainability win, helping brands better meet customers’ delivery and returns experience demands.”
We deliver!
Our editor picks some choice pieces from the analysis flow and sends them to your inbox every Wednesday. Dedicated research report previews will also come direct to you. Subscribe for the emails.
Why not join us on Linkedin and you’ll get the best updates on our research and analysis – UK, Europe and Global – in your feed.
