Developing a conceptual framework for sustainable ‘last-mile’ delivery for Chinese online retailing market

Abstract

This study aims to develop a conceptual framework for sustainable last-mile delivery for China’s online retailing market via systematic literature review (SLR) and semi-structured interviews. Based on our SLR, European academia is the most productive and creative region regarding last-mile delivery research. Unfortunately, many projects and studies have failed or remained at preliminary stages. Nevertheless, European researchers and practitioners are very vigorous to implement new ideas into operations. They have introduced and developed different models, alternative solutions, new vehicles, regulatory suggestions, along with some inspiring frameworks and reviews. In the Chinese context, last-mile research remained at a theoretical level. Scholars are still trying to explain the relationship between e-commerce and last-mile delivery (Chen and Lin, 2013; Wang and Xiao, 2015), few have entered the innovative stage of research. Chinese scholars rarely mention terminologies such as sustainable last-mile, smart-cities, or smart logistics. They are in dire of need a roadmap which can provide guidance for last-mile decision-making process. ---