article · Sustainability
Online shopping and last-mile logistics increasingly rely on collection networks, yet evidence from African markets remains limited. This research explores Moroccan consumer habits and willingness to use designated pick-up points for collecting and returning online purchases. Using qualitative focus groups, the investigation reveals that consumers are primarily motivated to buy online by competitive pricing, spatial and temporal flexibility, and the quality of retail websites. Conversely, concerns surrounding product authenticity, delivery risks, privacy, and personal security deter potential shoppers. When deciding whether to use pick-up points, consumers prioritise convenient locations, local network density, site security, and operating hours. These findings offer practical guidance for parcel delivery providers seeking to build collection networks in Casablanca, as well as for urban planners aiming to encourage sustainable transport solutions.
Understanding consumer preferences for collection points helps make e-commerce deliveries more efficient and environmentally friendly. By identifying what encourages or deters shoppers from using collection hubs, logistics providers and city planners can design delivery networks that reduce road congestion, lower emissions, and support sustainable urban growth in developing e-commerce markets.
This early-stage qualitative research directly informs parcel delivery operators and e-commerce logistics firms looking to establish pick-up point networks in Casablanca. By addressing specific consumer requirements around network density, physical security, and operating hours, delivery businesses can design viable collection services that reduce failed home deliveries and expand customer adoption in Moroccan retail markets.
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The use of pick-up points by consumers is one of the most developed areas of research in the literature on last-mile logistics over the last decade. In this regard, several researchers have attempted to expose the factors that influence consumers’ online shopping behavior and their willingness to use pick-up points. However, no study has addressed this issue in African countries. The aim of this research is to examine the online shopping behavior of Moroccan consumers, focusing on their opinions about using pick-up points to receive/return goods purchased online. This research adopted a qualitative approach through focus group sessions with Moroccan consumers. The results indicate that temporal and spatial flexibility, competitive prices, and the quality of the retailer’s website are the main factors encouraging consumers to buy online. On the other hand, product risk, delivery risk, privacy, and security were identified as the factors that prevent consumers from buying online. In contrast, the location, density, security, and opening hours of pick-up points were considered to be the factors that influence the Moroccan consumer’s choice to use this delivery option when buying online. These findings are important both for parcel delivery companies that want to establish pick-up point networks in Casablanca and for public authorities and local communities that want to formulate policies and implement strategies leading to more sustainable urban environments.
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DOI: 10.3390/su15097405
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