Half a decade in two years: household freight after COVID-19

Abstract

E-commerce growth as experienced during the COVID-19 pandemic was only expected to occur by 2025–2030. Online shopping increased in intensity and diversity. At the same time, retailers diversified their operations and opened online channels, also in sectors that previously showed reluctance to make this shift. These evolutions resulted in an expansion of household freight in terms of volume, geography, and organisation. Hence, half a decade of innovation in the e-commerce sector was needed in the span of two years. This manuscript summarises the repercussions for household freight since the pandemic's start. Given that interactions between consumers, retailers, and logistics service providers drive the e-commerce system, this manuscript combines these different literatures into a holistic framework, going beyond traditional siloed research on last-mile logistics, retail strategies, or online shopping behaviour. We found that logistics has come to the forefront: logistics service providers now need to provide tailored services and come in direct contact with consumers. As a result, we need (i) to gain insights into the new geography and dynamics of household’s freight origins and destinations; (ii) use this to re-examine existing relationships between consumer, retailer, and logistics service provider, and; (iii) assess the impact of more demanding consumers on the sustainability of the overall system.