Home
delivery of groceries is not yet a very popular service among consumers. One
reason for the slow progress has been the time-consuming and expensive ordering
process. In recent years, Internet-based solutions have solved most of the
problems related to the order transaction process - making ordering simpler,
cheaper and faster. However, there are still a lot of unsolved problems in the
e-grocery business. One of the biggest obstacles is inefficient home delivery.
The articles investigates how different solutions for goods receipt affect
home-delivery efficiency. Different alternatives for receiving the goods are
presented and the service levels of these concepts are described from the
consumer's point of view. In addition, the costs for the e-grocer are studied.
The efficiency of using a reception box is demonstrated by simulating two
alternative receiving concepts.