According to a survey from fleet management company Merchants Fleet, 87% of U.S. consumers are as concerned or more concerned than last year about the environmental impact of holiday package deliveries. More than half of survey respondents said they would buy more online if they knew shipments would be delivered by electric vehicle.

“Sustainability remains front and center for American consumers and this clearly extends to their attitudes toward holiday package delivery, reinforcing the imperative for companies to adapt and become greener and more efficient in their shipping operations,” Brendan P. Keegan, chairman, CEO and president of Merchants Fleet, said. “There’s never been a better time for retailers, brands and delivery fleets to accelerate their transition to electric vehicles.”

Merchants Fleet’s 2023 Consumer Holiday Shipping Survey polled 1,000 adults throughout the U.S. on holiday shopping and delivery preferences related to sustainability and logistics. Despite economic uncertainty and cautious consumerism, the survey confirmed the strength of the digital retail sector, with 80% of those polled saying they will buy the same or more online this year compared to last year. Furthermore, 52% said they would buy even more online if they knew shipments were being delivered by EV.

“With 65% of consumers saying a company’s position on sustainability plays into their buying decisions and almost half willing to pay a premium for EV delivery, companies that fail to embrace fleet electrification put their bottom line at risk,” Keegan said.

Additional highlights from the survey, which also looked at perspectives from consumers living in different regions within the U.S., include:

• 65% of consumers have considered the impact their package delivery will have on the environment.
• 58% said environmental impact factors into decisions about having their packages shipped.
• 79% are open to seeing package carriers transition from gas-powered vehicles to EVs.
• 58% of respondents from the West and 52% from the Northeast would choose a package carrier using EVs over one that did not, while the use of EVs does not matter as much to those in the South and Midwest.
• The majority of those living in the Northeast (82%) said they were open to package carriers transitioning from gas-powered vehicles to EVs – the highest percentage among the four regions surveyed.
• 59% of those living in the West would potentially pay a premium for EV delivery, whereas the majority of respondents from the Midwest, South and Northeast indicated they would not.

“At Merchants Fleet, we are proud of our leadership in helping fleets electrify. This year’s Consumer Holiday Shipping Survey reaffirms that EV adoption is not only good for the environment but also for business,” Keegan said.