Title:

Consumer’s willingness to pay for

sustainable delivery in Johannesburg,
South Africa

Names of Group Members

Mbali Javu
Rirhandzu Ndlala
Newton Mtileni
Muzikayise Zwane

Date of Submission:
15 September 2025
Annexure: Title page and anti-plagiarism declaration

TITLE PAGE OF THE ASSIGNMENT/ANTI-PLAGIARISM DECLARATION

University of Johannesburg
Department of Transport and Supply Chain Management

ASSIGNMENT COVER PAGE GROUP NUMBER: 08

Course: RML01A1/ RMT01A1 Due date: _15 Septemer________ Title of research
report: Logistics_______
Lecturer: Dr E Quaye:
Plagiarism is to present someone else’s ideas as my own.

Where material written by other people has been used (either from a printed source or
from the internet), this has been carefully acknowledged and referenced. I have used the
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• I hereby declare the following in respect of the attached work assignment:

• I know that plagiarism is wrong and that it is a punishable academic offense.
• I understand what plagiarism is and am aware of the University’s policy in this
regard.
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sentences or paragraphs from a book, article, or Internet source without proper
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someone else’s words without proper citation.
• I declare that I have written my own sentences and paragraphs throughout my
essay, and I have credited all ideas I have gained from other people’s work.
• I declare that this assignment is my own original work. The work submitted
herewith is my own independent work.
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Signed on this _15___ (day) of September___ (month) of 2025 (year) at Johannesburg

(location).

First name; Surname of Student Tel number Member’s Signature

group Member number contribution
1. Mbali Javu 225044531 0674056949 100% MJ

2. Rirhandzu Ndlala 221039850 0632100618 100% RN

3. Mahlori Mtileni 218081192 0788672761 100% NM

4. Muzikayise Zwane 222030392 0681285047 100% MZ

Table of Contents

1. Introduction .....................................................................................................5

2. Background .....................................................................................................6

2.1 Problem Statement ............................................................................................ 7

3. Research Objectives And Questions ...............................................................8

4. Literature Review .............................................................................................9

4.1. Overview of Willingness to Pay (WTP) ................................................................... 9

4.2. Theoretical foundation .......................................................................................... 10

4.3. Conceptual and hypothesis development ............................................................. 12

4.4. Key Concepts and Constructs .............................................................................. 12

5. Methodology .................................................................................................. 14

5.1. Research Philosophy ............................................................................................ 14

5.2. Research Approach .............................................................................................. 14

5.3. Population of study............................................................................................... 15

5.4. Sampling Method ..................................................................................................15

5.5. The research instrument ....................................................................................... 16

5.6. Data Collection Methods ....................................................................................... 17

5.7. Data Analysis ........................................................................................................ 17

5.8. Ethical Considerations .......................................................................................... 17

5.9. Limitations of the study ........................................................................................ 18

6. Data Preparation ..................................................................................................19

7. Descriptive statistics............................................................................................ 20

8. Reporting of Descriptive results ........................................................................... 22

9. Inferential statistics.............................................................................................. 27
10. Reporting of Inferential Results .................................................................. 29

References............................................................................................................ 32

Appendices ........................................................................................................... 33

1. Introduction
The rapid expansion of online shopping in South Africa, particularly in urban areas, has
transformed the way consumers access goods and services. This increase in online
shopping is a ripple effect from the COVID-19 pandemic, where people were forced to
rely on online shopping. (Lefophane, 2023). (Antonino, et al., 2022) States that not only
did consumer shopping change, but more organizations started launching delivery
services. However, the cost of implementing these delivery services needs to be aligned
with environmentally sustainable methods, such as eco-friendly packaging, the use of
motorbikes and electric vehicles, and the implementation of consolidated pickup points.
At the core of these efforts lies an essential question: Are consumers willing to pay more
for environmentally friendly delivery options?

While several studies have explored this question in developed economies such as
European countries (Marta, Lucia, & Delphine, 2025), There is limited research examining
the attitudes and behaviours of South African consumers. To address this gap, our
research investigates the willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainable delivery among South
African consumers, those who reside in Johannesburg, drawing specifically on data
collected through a survey conducted by Shoprite Checkers in Johannesburg between
March and May 2023. This study will explore how factors such as environmental concern,
moral obligation, perceived value, trust in providers, and convenience orientation
influence consumer decisions (Quaye, 2025). Understanding these key constructs is very
important for retailers and logistics providers aiming to reduce their environmental impact
while maintaining service competitiveness.
As consumers are becoming more aware of environmental issues, organizations are
under increasing pressure to adopt sustainable delivery methods. (Magazine, 2023).
Delivery services that rely heavily on petrol/diesel contribute significantly to greenhouse
gas emissions, raising concerns among both regulators and consumers.

2. Background
Over the past century, online shopping has skyrocketed in South Africa. This is largely
driven by the relative affordability of online shopping and its benefits, such as its 24/7
accessibility and the convenience of “window shopping” any time, any place. (Marta,
Lucia, & Delphine, 2025). This then leads to consumers purchasing a wide range of
products. As a result, last-mile delivery- which is the final stage of the distribution process
from warehouse/outlet store to customer- has become increasingly critical for online
retailers. (Xin Jin, 2018). However, Last-mile logistics is energy-intensive and contributes
a significant amount of carbon dioxide emissions, which hurts the environment. In
response, Businesses need to adopt several strategies for more sustainable delivery
methods, and this also comes at a cost for both consumers and retailers (Marta, Lucia, &
Delphine, 2025). These include the adoption of low-emission vehicles (such as electric
bikes) (Anne Buttgen, 2021), optimized distribution systems (Leise Kelli de Oliveira, 2017)
(enter more options). Consumers also have alternative options, such as pick-up points
(enter more options).

To address these problems, retail outlets need to act fast, with intention and sustainably.
One of the retail outlets that has adopted one of these sustainable methods is Shoprite
Checkers. Shoprite Checkers has grown tremendously since 2019, being the first
supermarket chain in SA to provide 60-minute on-demand grocery delivery services
(Checkers, 2025). It can be argued that the launch of Checkers Sixty60 was perfectly
timed, coinciding with the outbreak of COVID-19 in South Africa in early 2020.
Furthermore, the Checkers’ Sixty60 app had accumulated over 3.1 million downloads as
of March 2023 and had expanded to 466 stores by September 2023 (Illidge, 2024).

Shoprite Holdings Ltd is Africa’s largest food retailer, operating in more than 10 countries
with over 2,900 stores, and serving millions of customers weekly. In South Africa, its
subsidiary Checkers has become a market leader in online grocery retail through its on-
demand delivery service, Checkers Sixty60 (Checkers, 2025). Launched in late 2019, the
platform rapidly gained popularity by offering fast and affordable grocery delivery, often
within 60 minutes. In 2022, Checkers Sixty60 reported over 2 million downloads and
continued double-digit monthly order growth, highlighting a strong consumer appetite for
convenience-driven e-commerce. (Holdings, 2023)

The service relies on a last-mile delivery network powered by a fleet of motorbikes and
vehicles, mostly operating in high-traffic urban environments such as Johannesburg.
According to (Illidge, 2024), Shoprite’s annual results for the year-end 2ND July 2023
revealed that Sixty60 saw sales grow 149.8% during the 2021/22 financial year, and
Checkers Sixty60 reported a sales increase of 81.5% in July 2023. While Sixty60’s
efficiency has set new standards for delivery speed and overtook Pick n Pay’s home
delivery service and competes with Spar2U and Woolworths’s online delivery, its logistics
model contributes to carbon emissions, packaging waste, and increased road use.

Due to legislations such as the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), Act
No. 107 of 1998, not being taken with much seriousness it deserves, South Africa is facing
serious environmental concerns, including urban air pollution, and companies such as
Checkers Sixty60 are under pressure to adopt greener delivery practices. Therefore,
understanding consumer attitudes toward green delivery can help shape future strategies
and contribute to South Africa’s sustainable development goals.

2.1 Problem Statement

Although studies in developed nations such as Italy and Norway show that some
consumers are willing to pay for low-carbon delivery options, these findings are
geographically specific and may not generalize to South Africa’s distinct socio-economic
and infrastructural realities. The evidence in the developed countries confirms a positive
willingness to pay for climate-friendly last-mile options and links the willingness to pay to
online shopping frequency and social demographics, but offers limited external validation
for emerging markets, such as South Africa.
Within South Africa, local logistics studies/ research talk about sustainability and
resilience challenges in the last mile, but do not quantify consumers’ willingness to pay
or unpack consumers' behavioural drivers. This leaves open questions about key
constructs such as environmental concern, moral obligation, perceived value, trust in
providers, and convenience orientation that shape payment preferences for greener
delivery in the southern African online grocery context.

There is a clear empirical gap on South African consumers’ willingness to pay for
sustainable loss milk delivery and on the relative importance of key psychological
constructs and behaviours that influence the willingness to pay. The existing South
African logistics research highlights last-mile sustainability challenges but lacks the
evidence of the consumer side and how it impacts last-mile services.

Addressing this empirical gap will inform retailers' service design and pricing of last-mile
sustainable delivery options in South Africa’s online grocery market, which behavioural
patterns are most effective in shifting demand toward lower emission options, and support
policy and industry research maps for the last mile, where consumer acceptance is vital.

While e-commerce delivery continues to grow, it also significantly contributes to urban

emissions and environmental degradation. Studies from developed nations such as Italy
and Norway have shown that some consumers are willing to pay extra for sustainable
delivery services (Marta, Lucia, & Delphine, 2025). However, these findings are not
directly transferable to the South African context, where income disparities, differing
environmental awareness, and infrastructure limitations may affect consumer
preferences (Alinda, Hans, Ondrej, & Albert, 2024).

In South Africa, the lack of existing academic literature on consumer WTP for sustainable
delivery presents a knowledge gap. Furthermore, there is uncertainty about how
constructs such as environmental concern, moral obligation, perceived value, trust in
providers, and convenience orientation affect decision-making among local consumers.

3. Research Objectives And Questions

Main Objective
 1. To determine the factors influencing willingness to pay (WTP) for eco-friendly
delivery services in Johannesburg

Sub-objectives

1. To evaluate if the perceived value of sustainable delivery influences WTP for

environmentally friendly delivery options.

2. Provide recommendations for logistics companies and e-retailers in Johannesburg

Main Question

1. Are Johannesburg citizens willing to pay for sustainable delivery options?

Sub Questions

1. Are Johannesburg residents aware of the environmental impact of delivery services?

2. What is the relationship between the frequency of online grocery shopping and trust in
providers?

3. How does household income influence consumers’ innovativeness towards adopting

sustainable delivery services?

ASSIGNMENT 2

4. Literature Review
4.1. Overview of Willingness to Pay (WTP)

Willingness to pay refers to the maximum amount of money a consumer is ready to

spend to obtain a product or service that meets their needs or values... Many studies
highlight that WTP for green delivery is influenced by several factors, including income,
environmental awareness, and trust in the service provider (Marta, Lucia, & Delphine,
2025). In developed countries, consumers often show a higher WTP because of higher
income levels, better environmental education, and stronger policy enforcement (Alinda,
Hans, Ondrej, & Albert, 2024)

In South Africa, the adoption of sustainable delivery practices is still new. Most retailers
focus on convenience and speed, with limited emphasis on environmental impact.
According to (Illidge, 2024), last-mile delivery is one of the biggest contributors to urban
emissions, yet most South African consumers are unaware of its environmental footprint.

4.2. Theoretical foundation

To understand consumer willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainable delivery, in the context
of Johannesburg’s urban e-commerce population, focussing particularly on users from
Checkers 60/60, this study integrates the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) and the
Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) Theory as frameworks that work hand-in hand. These theories
are selected as the best fit because TPB suggests that an individual's behaviour is driven
by behavioural intentions, which are influenced by attitudes, subjective norms, and
perceived behavioural control (Ajzen, 1991) – while VBN states that values and
environmental beliefs activate personal norms, leading to environmentally responsible
actions (Stern, Dietz, Abel, Guagnano, & Kalof, 1999). By combing these two theories,
we move beyond isolated- individual explanations, to a more holistic view : TPB helps
understand why consumers might rationally weigh out the extra cost of eco-deliveries
against the perceived benefits, whereas VBN explains the emotional guilt or responsibility
that drives consumers towards paying for eco-delivery methods despite the economic
constraints, as evidenced by the positive correlations between moral obligation,
environmental concern, and WTP in our data.

Furthermore, TPB states that, if consumers have a positive attitude towards sustainability,
feel social pressure to act sustainably, and believe they can afford or control their buying
decisions, they are more likely to pay a premium price for green delivery options. In
Johannesburg’s Checkers Sixty60 context, where deliveries via motorbikes contribute to
urban emissions, TPB illustrates how positive attitudes toward sustainability, that is
fostered by perceived value , can drive the WTP – only if consumers have control over
their choices, like being able to afford for a premium or accessing convenient greener
options. For instance, if Checkers consumers feel social pressure from peers or family to
reduce their carbon footprint (subjective norms), they might opt for eco-friendly
alternatives, however this intention could affect South Africa’s affordability – challenged
environment, where lower-income groups will prioritize cost and affordability over control
or premium costs for greener alternatives, which potentially widens the attitude-behaviour
gap (Marokhu M.K and Fatoki, 2024).

In this study, the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) connects well with our key factor
constructs (i) Perceived value shapes attitudes by emphasizing the worth of green
delivery. (ii) Convenience orientation influences both attitudes and perceived control; as
seamless integration (e.g., electric bikes maintaining speed) makes consumers feel more
capable and empowered. (iii) Trust in providers strengthens both attitude and control,
since consumers who trust companies to deliver on their promises are more confident in
paying for the service. Empirical Studies in South Africa show that younger urban
shoppers display stronger behavioural intentions towards eco-friendly purchasing,
supporting TPB's relevance (Christo & Philip, 2016). Overall, TPB suggests that when
attitudes are positive, social support is present, and consumers feel capable, their
willingness to pay for green delivery increases

VBN theory focuses on pro-environmental behaviour, stating that values and

environmental beliefs activate personal norms, leading to environmentally responsible
actions (Stern, Dietz, Abel, Guagnano, & Kalof, 1999). This theory supports the idea that
moral obligation and environmental concern can drive WTP. Applied to this study, VBN
suggests that consumers who hold strong environmental values are more likely to feel
morally responsible for supporting eco-friendly delivery options, even when it involves
additional costs (Ghazali, Nguyen, Mutum, & Su-Fei, 2019); (Wang, Wang, Wong, &
Zhang, 2023). South African research highlights that consumers in metropolitan areas
such as Johannesburg are becoming more value-driven, particularly when environmental
issues are visible, such as air pollution and waste management challenges (Quaye,
2025).
4.3. Conceptual and hypothesis development
Beyond theory, empirical evidence from South Africa highlights the complexity of
consumer decision-making. Recent studies show that while many consumers express
pro-environmental attitudes, these do not always translate into behaviour, as price and
quality often outweigh environmental concerns at the point of purchase (Naidoo &
Gasparatos, 2023). This tension, commonly referred to as the attitude–behaviour-gap is
particularly relevant in Johannesburg, where e-commerce adoption is growing rapidly but
cost and convenience remain key consumer priorities.

Several constructs emerge as central to understanding willingness to pay: environmental

concern, moral obligation, perceived value, trust in providers, and convenience
orientation. Additionally, demographic factors such as income and education, as well as
competitive dynamics in the retail market, may influence consumer behaviour.

4.4. Key Concepts and Constructs

• Environmental Concern: Reflects awareness and worry about environmental
degradation influence sustainable purchase behaviour. Local surveys suggest that
60% of Johannesburg respondents are concerned about delivery-related
emissions, suggesting a strong foundation foe eco-conscious decision (Holdings,
2023).
• Moral Obligation: Embodies a sense of ethical responsibility that encourages eco-
friendly choices, particularly among middle-income earners who may feel
compelled to align actions with values, potentially amplifying WTP when
affordability Lefophane, 2023).
• Perceived Value: Based on consumers’ evaluation of the benefits compared to the
costs, with South Africa’s context revealing a critical interplay where affordability
and trust in brands such as Checkers Sixty60 enhance this perception, influencing
WTP when economic trade-offs are favourable (Illidge, 2024).
• Trust in Providers: Builds loyalty and support WTP by fostering confidence in
retailers’ ability to deliver sustainable services. Checkers Sixty60’s reported trust
 as a key driver for online purchases underscores its role in bridging consumer
doubt and payment intent (Holdings, 2023).
• Convenience Orientation: Highlights the tension where speed and ease remain
priorities, potentially undermining WTP if green options are perceived as slower or
complex. However, urban studies suggest this factor may dominate environmental
concern in South Africa, especially when fast delivery aligns with sustainability,
justifying further exploration of its overriding influence (Alinda, Hans, Ondrej, &
Albert, 2024). Together, these constructs suggest a dynamic model where moral
drivers and trust supports WTP, while convenience and Value moderate the
balance between environmental attitudes and practical realities, reflecting
Johannesburg’s Unique consumer population.

4.5. Hypotheses
H1: Higher levels of environmental concern positively influence WTP for sustainable
delivery. About 60% of respondents expressed strong concern, despite this the gap with
WTP suggest convenience or economic barriers may temper this effect, prompting a need
to assess its impact in the real world.

H2: Moral obligation has a positive effect on WTP for sustainable delivery. Among
middle-income groups this may be significant, but its strength could decrease if
affordability concerns overshadow ethical concerns reflecting local priorities.

H3: Perceived value of sustainable delivery options increases WTP. Given South Africa’s
focus on affordability, this relationship may hinge on trust and cost perceptions, testing
whether value perception can overcome economic constraints.

H4: Trust in providers offering sustainable delivery positively affects WTP. Given trust's
crucial role in online purchases, its impact may be particularly significant in
Johannesburg. However, consumer confidence in Checkers Sixty60's environmental
commitments could influence this relationship.

H5: Convenience orientation negatively moderates WTP for sustainable delivery.

Contrary to initial assumptions, if fast delivery is achieved through sustainable methods,
it may outweigh environmental concern. This indicates the need to examine which factor
between spend and sustainability has a strong influence in this context.

5. Methodology
5.1. Research Philosophy
This study adopts a positivist research philosophy, as it complements the quantitative
design, by enabling objective measurements of consumer behaviour through structured
datasets and statistical analysis, aligning with the research’s focus on testing hypotheses
derived from TPB and VBN theories regarding the WTP for sustainable delivery Hair,
Black, Babin, & Anderson, 2019). This positivism approach is well-suited for the analysis
of the Shoprite Checkers survey data, collected in Johannesburg , which uses a 7-point
Likert – scale to quantify constructs like environmental concern and perceive value,
minimizing researcher bias and providing measurable predictors of WTP - which is crucial
for evidence – based recommendations for retailers like Checker Sixty60 (Syarifah,
Melda, Kezia, Sugeng, & Rizky, 2023).

Interpretivism and critical realism were not employed in this study as they emphasized
subjective meanings or structural critics, whereas positivism supports the study's reliance
on numerical data to address its main objective to identify the willingness to pay
influences, ensuring a focused and practical framework for hypothesis testing within the
urban South African context.

5.2. Research Approach

A quantitative approach is used to analyse numerical data and test hypotheses. Since
this assignment focuses on secondary data, the study examines an existing dataset
provided by Shoprite Checkers. The dataset includes survey responses collected in
Johannesburg from March to May 2023. This approach starts with general theories (TPB
and VBN) to formulate specific hypotheses, which are tested using secondary survey
data. The quantitative method is ideal for measuring constructs like environmental
concern and WTP on Likert scales, enabling statistical inferences about relationships and
demographic differences, as seen in WTP studies for sustainable services (Biancolin M.,
2025) It combines exploratory elements, such as descriptive statistics, to uncover trends
in attitudes toward sustainable delivery, with confirmatory techniques like regression to
validate hypotheses. Moreover, the use of secondary data streamlines the focus on
hypothesis testing rather than theory building, a common practice in consumer behaviour
research (Hair, Black, Babin, & Anderson, 2019)

5.3. Population of study

The target population comprises urban consumers in Johannesburg, South Africa, who
engage in online grocery shopping, particularly through Checkers Sixty60 platforms. This
group was selected due to their direct exposure to last-mile delivery services and growing
awareness of environmental impacts from e-commerce logistics. Making them pertinent
for assessing WTP for sustainable options. As South Africa’s economic hub,
Johannesburg drives significant e-commerce growth, with South Africa’s online retail
sector reaching R71 billion in 2023, representing 6% of total retail, and fast-moving
consumer goods (FMCG) e-commerce valued at R13.9 billion (Allen, 2024). With a
population exceeding 5 million and hundreds of thousands of online grocery shoppers,
concentrated in Gauteng province, the city’s demographic diversity in age, income, and
occupation provide a suitable context to explore WTP variations, especially in high-
emission logistics settings where sustainable options such as electronic vehicles could
have noticeable impact (Mastercard, 2024). However, the reliance on Checkers Sixty60
users may exclude lower-income groups without smartphone access, potentially biasing
the sample towards higher-income demographics with different WTP perspectives, a gap
that warrants consideration in interpreting results. (Hasan, Mashael, Mahamod, &
Mohammed, 2024)

5.4. Sampling Method

Convenience sampling was utilized in the original survey by Shoprite Checkers,
conducted in Johannesburg between March and May 2023, targeting readily accessible
participants, such as customers visiting Checkers stores or using the Sixty60 app. The
sample comprises approximately 351 respondents, this non-probability sampling method
was chosen for its efficiency and cost-effectiveness, providing a practical cross section of
urban online grocery shoppers familiar with the deliver services, which supports the
secondary data analysis aimed at testing hypotheses (Wang, Wang, Wong, & Zhang,
2023). However, as a non-probability method, it introduces significant selection bias by
over-representing frequent Checkers users or those more inclined to respond to
sustainability surveys, while also excluding lower-income individuals without access to
smartphones, potentially skewing the WTP attitudes and limiting generalizability
(Syarifah, Melda, Kezia, Sugeng, & Rizky, 2023). The sample’s demographic diversity,-
covers age groups from under 18 to 65+ and income levels from below R5,000 to
R30,000+ - enabling subgroup analysis to explore WTP variation, though probability
sampling could enhance generalizability in future studies by enhancing
representativeness to better address research sub-objectives on demographic patterns.

5.5. The research instrument

The research instrument a structured questionnaire developed by Shoprite Checkers,
served as the primary tool for this study, designed to collect data for secondary analysis
from Johannesburg respondents between March and May 2023. It consisted of 21 Likert-
scale items measured on a 7-point scale (1 = Strongly Disagree, 7 = Strongly Agree),
capturing seven psychological constructs: Environmental Concern (EC), Perceived Value
(PV), Trust in Providers (T), Convenience Orientation (CO, with one item reverse-coded),
Moral Obligation (MO), Innovativeness (INNO), and Willingness to Pay (WTP). Each
construct was measured using three items to ensure reliability, with reliability testing via
Cronbach’s alpha. For instance, Environmental Concern includes items like “I am
concerned about the environmental impact of delivery services,” while Moral Obligation
included items like “I feel it is my responsibility to support eco-friendly delivery.” In
addition, six categorical demographic questions (gender, age, household income,
occupation, shopping frequency, residence) were included to explore subgroup
variations. Validity was partially ensured through alignment with TPB and VBN
frameworks, though nature limits control over initial construct validity, necessitating
cautious interpretation.
5.6. Data Collection Methods
This study relies on secondary data, originally collected via online survey by Shoprite
Checkers, with no primary data collection conducted. The dataset, securely stored and
provided for this analysis, captures responses from Johannesburg urban consumers
between March and May 2023, during the tine of COVID when e-commerce demand
peaked, potentially influencing attitudes towards delivery services. Respondents
participated voluntarily, offering an efficient means to reach digitally active consumers,
though the tine following potential economic shifts on delivery prices changes may have
shaped WTP responses, context specific factor is not fully controlled in secondary
analysis

5.7. Data Analysis

The analysis of the secondary dataset will be conducted in two main phases: descriptive
and inferential analysis, tailored to address the hypotheses and research objectives.
Descriptive statistics – frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations-
summarise demographics profiles and attitude towards sustainable delivery, with bar
charts histograms and tables used for clear representation.

Inferential analysis, and correlation analysis will be used to examine the strengths and
direction of relationship between constructs to test H1 – H5, while multiple regression
identifies the predictive power of these constructs on WTP, addressing the attitude-
behaviour gap where high concern may not align with payment intent due to economic or
convenience factors. Where relevant, subgroup analysis by age or income may be
conducted to explore variations by demographic segments such as age or income.

5.8. Ethical Considerations

The study upholds to ethical principles in its use of secondary data from Shoprite
Checkers’' survey ensuring anonymity and confidentiality as per the original questionnaire
instruction, with no identified personal details to minimize privacy risks. Informed consent
was obtained during the original survey, where respondents were informed about the
study's aims, voluntary participation, and the right to withdraw aligning with ethical
standards . However, as a secondary user, the study assumes the original data collection
adhere to ethical protocols,

5.9. Limitations of the study

The methodology section presents several limitations impacting the study's validity. First,
reliance on secondary data restricts control over the collection process, including
questionnaire design and administration, potentially introducing inconsistencies such as
the scale discrepancy (the PDF questionnaire mentions a 5-point Likert scale, but the
dataset uses 7-point responses) potentially skewing response interpretation and
compatibility.

Second, the convenience sampling method, while practical, limits generalizability, as the
350 respondents primarily represent urban Johannesburg Checkers customers,
introduces bias, over-representing frequent users or sustainability-inclined respondents
while excluding rural, non-app users and lower income groups without smartphones,
possibly misrepresenting broader WTP attitudes.

Third, self-reported data in surveys is susceptible to biases like social desirability, where
participants may overstate WTP for sustainable options to align with perceived norms,
rather than reflecting actual behaviour (Syarifah, Melda, Kezia, Sugeng, & Rizky, 2023).
The cross-sectional design prevents establishing causality, as it captures attitudes at one
point (March–May 2023) without tracking changes over time. Finally, the quantitative
focus overlooks qualitative insights into moral obligations, suggesting a need for mixed
methods in future research to deepen understanding.
6. Data Preparation
A. Source Of Data

The source of data used in this analysis originates from a survey conducted by Shoprite
Checkers in Johannesburg, South Africa, between March and May 2023. The survey
targeted consumers in the online grocery market, specifically focusing on Shoprite
Checkers' 60/60 service, to investigate psychological and demographic factors
influencing willingness to pay (WTP) for sustainable delivery options. The data consists
of responses from 351 participants collected via a structured questionnaire. All responses
are confidential and self-reported.

B. Types Of Data
1. Categorical data (Nominal and Ordinal):
• Nominal variables classify respondents into distinct categories without any
ranking, for example: gender, Occupation and residence.
• Ordinal variables have a natural order but the intervals between categories are
not constant, for example: Age group, Household income brackets and frequency
of online shopping.
2. Ordinal data (Likert scale responses)
• The main psychological constructs such as environmental concern, perceived
value, trust and provider, convenience orientation etc. were measured using Likert
scale items (1 = Strongly Disagree to 7= Strongly Agree.

The responses are treated as ordinal data because they reflect ordered levels of
agreement. However, in quantitative analysis they are often grouped for example by
creating means and treated as interval or scaled data to allow for descriptive statistics,
correlations, and regression analysis.

C. Variables In Dataset

There are 28 variables in total:

• ID: Unique respondent identifier (numeric).

• Environmental Concern (EC): ec1, ec2, ec3 (3 Likert items, 1-7scale).
 • Perceived Value (PV): pv1, pv2, pv3 (3 Likert items, 1-7scale).
• Trust in Providers (T): t1, t2, t3 (3 Likert items, 1-7 scale).
• Convenience Orientation (CO): co1, co2, co3 (3 Likert items, 1-7 scale
• Moral Obligation (MO): mo1, mo2, mo3 (3 Likert items, 1-7 scale).
• Innovativeness (INNO): inno1, inno2, inno3 (3 Likert items, 1-7 scale).
• Willingness to Pay (WTP): wtp1, wtp2, wtp3 (3 Likert items, 1-7 scale).
• Demographics: gender (gen) (1=Male, 2=Female, 3=Prefer not to say)
-Age Group (Age) (1=Under 18 to 7=65+)

-Household Income (HI) (1=Below R5,000 to 6=Prefer not to say)

-Occupation (Occ) (1=Full-time employed to 6=Other)

-Frequency (Frq) (1=Frequently to 4=Never)

-Residence (Res) (1=Urban, 2=Rural).

7. Descriptive statistics
Table 7.1.1. Socio-demographic characteristics

Socio-demographic Frequency Percentage

characteristics
Gender
Male 126 35.9%
Female 225 64.1%
Residence
Urban 317 90.3%
Rural 34 9.7%
Occupation
Employed full-time 94 26.8%
Employed part-time 70 19.9%
 Self-employed 20 5.7%
Student 30 8.5%
Unemployed 66 18.8%
Other 71 20.2%
Household Income
Below R5,000 27 7,7%
R5,000 – R9,999 11 3,1%
R10,000 – R19,999 19 5,4%
R20,000 – R29,999 70 19,9%
R30,000 – and above 122 34,8%
Prefer not to say 102 29,1%
Age group
Under 18 11 3,1%

18 – 24 128 36,5%
25 – 34 168 47,9%
35 – 44 38 10,8%
45 – 54 6 1,7%

Table 7.1.2. Measure of central tendency and dispersion results

mEC mPV mT mCo mMo mInno mWtp

MEASURE OF
CENTRAL
TENDANCY

N Valid 351 351 351 351 351 351 351

 Missin 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
g
Mean 4.8414 5.4065 5.2450 5.3476 5.4587 5.4644 5.4568
Median 5.0000 5.6667 5.3333 5.6667 5.6667 5.6667 5.6667
Mode 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00
MEASURE OF
DISPERSION
Std. Deviation 1.49831 1.27816 1.39641 1.32454 1.25412 1.27089 1.18024
Variance 2.245 1.634 1.950 1.754 1.573 1.615 1.393
Range 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 6.00 Commented [MM1]: Write in full

8. Reporting of Descriptive results

Socio-Demographic Table

Table 7.1.1 provides details of 351 participants who took part in a Shoprite Checkers
survey in Johannesburg from March to May 2023, focusing on online grocery shoppers.
It covers Gender, Residence, Occupation, Household Income, and Age Group, linking to
the study’s goals, questions, and hypotheses. Women make up 64.1% (225) compared
to 35.9% (126) men which could affect willingness to pay (WTP) patterns. Most live in
cities 90.3% (317) with only 9.7% (34) from rural areas, fitting the study’s urban focus and
tying to awareness of delivery pollution as question 2 state “Are Johannesburg residents
aware of the environmental impact of delivery services?
“. Many work full-time 26.8% (94) or part-time 19.9% (70), with 18.8% (66) unemployed,
indicating workers might pay more due to income (H3), while others prioritize convenience
(H5). Higher earners R30,000+, 34.8%, (122); R20,000–29,999, 19.9%, (70) dominate,
though 29.1% (102) didn’t share income, hinting higher income could boost WTP (H3,
H4) for question 3 which states: “How does household income influence consumers’
innovativeness towards adopting sustainable delivery services?”. The group is mostly
young 18–24, 36.5%, (128); 25–34, 47.9%, (168), totalling 84.4%, suggesting they might
pay more for environmental reasons (H1, H2) but still want fast delivery (H5).
This data supports the study’s main goal of finding WTP factors and checking awareness
among the youth in Johannesburg, offering ideas for stores such as targeting rich young
people. It helps answer if people will pay more and if age or income act as the influences
willingness to pay. The sample: young, urban, female-heavy, and moderately rich is great
for studying WTP in Johannesburg’s e-commerce scene but may miss older, rural, or
lower-income groups, as noted in limitations. This sets up further analysis to see if these
traits link to WTP, guiding sustainable delivery plans.

Measure of central tendency and dispersion results

Table 7.1.2 presents the descriptive statistics for the seven constructs measured in the
study: Environmental concern (mEC), perceived value of sustainable delivery (mPV), trust
in provider (mT), convenience orientation (mCo), moral obligation (mMo), innovativeness
(mInn), Willingness to pay (mWtp). A total of 351 valid responses were recorded for each
construct, with no missing values.

The mean values ranged from 4.8 to 5.46 on a 7- point Likert scale, indicating that
respondents generally expressed positive perceptions across all constructs. The median
scores ranging from 5.00 to 5.67 and consistent mode values of 6.00 further confirmed
that most responses clustered around “agree” or “strongly agree”.

In terms of dispersion, standard deviations range from 1.18 to 1.49. This suggests that
perceptions of willingness to pay were the most consistent, while the environmental
concern showed the greatest variability, reflecting A wider range of respondent opinions.
Although the range across all constructs were six, which indicates that responses
spanned the full Likert scale.

Overall, respondents rated innovativeness (M=5.46), moral obligation (M=5.46), and

WTP (M=5.46) the highest, while environmental concern (M=4.84) scored the lowest.
These findings highlight that, while customers are willing to pay for eco-friendly delivery
particularly in terms of innovation and moral obligation, convenience orientation remains
as a point of divergence and may present challenges in certain geographical areas, e.g.,
informal areas.
Frequency of online shopping vs Trust in providers
Figure 1: Frequency vs Trust in providers

The Frequency vs Trust in Providers (T3) table and graph shows how 351 participants
buy groceries online and how much they trust delivery services, using data from a
Shoprite Checkers survey in Johannesburg from March to May 2023. Participant who
shop a lot 3–4 times a week (80) or sometimes 1–2 times a week (91) tend to trust
providers more, with 40% (32) and 39.6% (36) agreeing or strongly agreeing, and only a
few (3.75% and 2.2%) strongly disagreeing. Those who shop rarely less than once a week
(92) or never (88) are more neutral, with 20.7% (19) and 21.6% (19) somewhat agreeing.

Never shoppers have the highest strong agreement at 29.5% (26), meaning trust stays
even if they don’t shop often. The graph shows taller bars for "agree" and "strongly agree"
for regular shoppers, suggesting that shopping more often builds trust (H4), which might
make them willing to pay more for green delivery as the study suggests. Participants
(84.4%) aged 18–34 who shop a lot might pay more if they trust sustainable delivery,
supporting the idea that trust helps WTP. The study focuses on urban participants, but its
limits say it might not include everyone, so more surveys are needed to be sure trust
always boosts WTP.

Residence vs Environment concern

The table and graph show how 351 participants from the Shoprite Checkers survey in
Johannesburg (March–May 2023) feel about the environment based on whether they live in urban
or rural areas. The table says most urban residents (317) have mixed feelings: 12 strongly
disagree, 23 disagree, 16 somewhat disagree, 71 are neutral, 73 somewhat agree, and 47
strongly agree, while rural residents (34) are similar but with fewer responses, such as 2 strongly
disagreeing and 3 strongly agreeing. The graph makes it clear that urban people have a wider
range of opinions, with big bars for neutral (22%), somewhat agree (23%), and strongly agree
(15%), while rural people show smaller bars, with neutral (18%) and somewhat agree (24%)
standing out. This suggests that urban participants, who make up 90.3% of the sample, might
care more about the environment (H1) because they see pollution from deliveries every day,
which fits the study’s focus on Johannesburg and its goal to find out if people will pay more for
green delivery.

9. Inferential statistics
Table 9.1. correlation

Regression analysis

Table 9.2. Variables Entered

Table 9.3. Model Summary

Table 9.4. ANOVA

Table 9.5. Coefficients

10. Reporting of Inferential Results
10.1 Correlation Analysis Results

Table 9.1 indicates that the correlation results show that willingness to pay (mWTP) is
significantly and positively related to all the predictor variables. The strongest
associations are with innovativeness (r = .758), convenience orientation (r = .720), and
perceived value (r = .710). This suggests that individuals who are innovative, value
convenience, and see greater value in sustainable delivery are also more willing to pay
for it. Moderate positive relationships were also observed with moral obligation (r = .680),
trust in providers (r = .641), and environmental concern (r = .595). Importantly, the
predictors are also strongly correlated with each other, such as perceived value and
convenience orientation (r = .879), which raises the possibility of multicollinearity when
interpreting regression results.

10.2 Regression Analysis Results

The regression model predicting willingness to pay from environmental concern,

perceived value, trust in providers, convenience orientation, moral obligation, and
innovativeness was statistically significant, F(6, 344) = 101.122, p < .001. The model
explained 63.8% of the variance in willingness to pay (R² = .638; Adjusted R² = .632),
which demonstrates strong explanatory power and indicates that the predictors
collectively provide valuable insights into the factors shaping consumers’ willingness to
pay for sustainable delivery services.

When examining the individual predictors, innovativeness emerged as the strongest and
most significant factor (B = .371, β = .400, t = 6.999, p < .001). This finding suggests that
individuals who are more open to adopting new ideas and practices are considerably
more likely to be willing to pay for sustainable delivery. Moral obligation was also
statistically significant (B = .146, β = .155, t = 2.840, p = .005), indicating that consumers
who feel a sense of ethical duty to protect the environment are more willing to pay. These
results confirm H2, showing that moral obligation plays an important role in consumer
decision-making, particularly among groups where ethical considerations remain strong
despite economic challenges. Innovativeness, while not originally hypothesised, appears
to be a critical driver, highlighting behavioural openness as a central factor influencing
willingness to pay.

The other predictors, while positively correlated with willingness to pay, were not
statistically significant within the regression model. Environmental concern (B = .014, β =
.018, t = 0.325, p = .745) did not significantly influence willingness to pay, despite bivariate
correlations showing a moderate relationship. This result does not support H1, suggesting
that although many consumers express concern for the environment, this concern does
not necessarily translate into paying more for sustainable delivery. This gap may reflect
the role of affordability or convenience barriers, which temper the effect of concern in real-
world consumer decisions.

Similarly, perceived value (B = .067, β = .072, t = 0.962, p = .337) did not significantly
predict willingness to pay, meaning H3 was not supported. This finding implies that while
consumers may recognise the value of sustainable delivery, economic priorities in South
Africa may limit their willingness to pay more, especially when affordability is a stronger
consideration than perceived environmental benefits. Trust in providers (B = .091, β =
.108, t = 1.793, p = .074) showed a marginal effect, but it was not statistically significant,
providing only weak support for H4. This result suggests that while trust remains important
in online purchases, it may not independently drive willingness to pay for sustainability,
unless consumers are fully confident in providers’ environmental commitments.
Convenience orientation (B = .122, β = .137, t = 1.755, p = .080) was also non-significant,
which does not align with H5. Interestingly, this suggests that consumers do not
necessarily perceive a trade-off between convenience and sustainability if sustainable
delivery options can also deliver efficiency.
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Appendices
Charts