Investigating the choice of receiving on-line purchases through discrete choice modelling approach

The paper aims to analyse modern and innovative last-mile delivery solutions, investigating the attributes and levels that influence the preferred alternative for receiving online purchases. Based on this, a forecasting model is developed to simulate the choice behaviour of end consumers (using a discrete choice model), and its use for implementing more effective and efficient last mile delivery strategies is discussed. Thus, the paper, after a review of the main attributes and levels that guide the end consumers in choosing the way of receiving the purchases done online, identifies the main available alternatives (i.e., parcel lockers, drones, crowdshipping and delivery to trunk) and presents the results of a stated preference survey. Two blocks of nine different scenarios were designed, and 310 respondents were part of a stated preference survey, and whose results allowed a discrete choice model with significant results to be developed.