Die Optimierung der letzten Meile des Online - Einzelhandels im Zeitalter der Nachhaltigkeit

  • Evelyn Rezek

Student thesis: Master's Thesis

Abstract

In a dynamic and rapidly changing economy, online retail is becoming increasingly important. Not least due to the corona pandemic, which has severely impacted trade in physical shops, online trade has become an increasingly important aspect of retail. With the ability to buy products of all types and sizes online, these new opportunities pose new challenges for retailers, as the logistics behind them are complex and must adapt to changing policy requirements. Companies must pay particular attention to the last mile, which plays an important role in customer satisfaction on the one hand and presents the challenge of organizing it sustainably on the other. Whether normal delivery, express delivery or same-day delivery, whether delivery or pick-up, the company must be aware that this last mile, the interface between the customer and the company, can always be in constant change. There are many steps and aspects that need to be considered behind the idea of an efficient and sustainable supply chain and the last mile in particular. Above all, the topic of sustainability is becoming more and more important, and companies are increasingly affected by political regulations. After the introductory chapter 1, the terminology is explained in chapter 2. Developments in the last mile are presented in Chapter 3, which also forms the theoretical part of the thesis. Chapter 4 explains the methodology of the systematic literature research to identify the relevant factors on the last mile, which forms the basis for the online survey. Chapter 5 then explains the empirical methodology of the online survey and describes the structure and implementation of the questionnaire. The results of the survey are presented in Chapter 6 and Chapter 7 provides design recommendations for companies for the last mile by linking them to the literature. Chapter 8 forms the conclusion, in which a summary of the work is drawn, the research questions are answered, the limitations of the work are pointed out and an outlook is given. The results of the thesis are presented in the form of optimization recommendations and solution approaches for companies, which aim to enable the design of the last mile in a sustainable and efficient manner. As part of the recommendations, suggestions are made with regard to sustainability. The concept of sustainability covers not only ecological aspects, in particular emissions, but also economic factors, in particular the costs of the last mile, as well as social aspects relating to working conditions. The delivery of parcels was also addressed as part of the recommendations. The recommendations include taking customers' wishes into account with regard to the most convenient and flexible delivery of parcels. Recommendations were also made regarding the technologies to be used, including drones and autonomous vehicles for last-mile delivery.
Date of Award2024
Original languageGerman (Austria)
SupervisorRobert Zimmermann (Supervisor)

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