Measuring consumer perceptions of home-delivery convenience – the case of cargo bikes

What is it about?

Purpose. Despite the increasing use of home delivery (HD) in e-commerce, no studies have explicitly examined consumer perceptions of the convenience of the last-mile delivery of goods by cargo bike (CB). Therefore, our study aims to identify the dimensions of HD convenience and to develop a reliable and valid measurement tool, namely the Home-Delivery Convenience via Cargo Bike (HDCCB) scale. Design/methodology/approach. The methodology of this scale development study is premised on a review of the existing literature, which identifies differences in consumer perceptions of the convenience of services. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 10 online consumers and validated the content with three experts on marketing in the retail and services sectors in order to develop the items for the scale. Thereafter, we identified the main dimensions through an exploratory factor analysis that we applied to an online survey with 116 respondents. Finally, the scale was validated through a confirmatory factor analysis of an online survey with 300 respondents. Findings. Following the original work of Brown (1990), we define consumer perceptions of HD convenience as a multidimensional construct and measure each facet of its four dimensions, which are time, use, execution, and acquisition. E-retailers and last-mile logistics providers could use our proposed measurement tool to assess consumer perceptions of the convenience of HD. That assessment could generate a competitive advantage. Originality. Our study is original because it deepens the existing understanding of consumer perceptions of the convenience of HD by CB in last-mile logistics. It also develops a multidimensional measure that is based on an empirical study.

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