As European shoppers continue to embrace e-commerce, the task of efficiently delivering these goods to doorsteps in densely populated cities presents an ever-increasing challenge for urban traffic management.
Even post-pandemic lockdowns, shoppers are increasingly choosing to purchase their day-to-day goods online. According to data from Eurostat, in 2023, 75% of internet users in the European Union bought or ordered goods or services online, with clothing and restaurant deliveries leading the way. And, looking with more detail, that figure rises even higher depending on age group, to 87% and 85% among 25–34-year-olds and 35–44-year-olds, respectively.
Handling the consequences of e-commerce
While online transactions may be quick and seamless, the real-world impact of last-mile delivery is often less ideal — particularly with narrow European streets congested with polluting delivery vans. “Barcelona’s problem with last-mile delivery lies in the fact that it generates a lot of traffic. And the City Council is trying to find systems, projects and measures to reduce all this traffic linked to last-mile distribution,” explains Ariadna Sancho from Barcelona City Council.
The TACTIC (Transformative, Adaptive, and Collaborative Traffic Management for Improved Capacity) project seeks to address the challenges of last-mile delivery. Barcelona is the latest European city to pilot this sustainable initiative, which aims to enhance the economic, environmental and social value of last-mile logistics.
Led by Factual, and developed by Hermeneus World, Vanapedal and Clem-e with support from EIT Urban Mobility, the TACTIC project focuses on optimising the local commerce logistics chain, by connecting shoppers and local markets through digitalisation, e-commerce and electric vehicles. By integrating shared delivery options with e-commerce platforms, TACTIC supports cities to improve air quality and reduce congestion.
Providing a sustainable alternative
After an initial pilot in the Métropole du Grand Paris, a new pilot was recently launched at Barcelona’s Mercat de Provençals. The TACTIC project allows shoppers to choose sustainable delivery options during online checkout through the Mercatsaunclic app. This app is part of a broader initiative by Barcelona City Council to digitalise local markets, making fresh, local products more accessible to residents.
By introducing sustainable delivery options, TACTIC enhances ongoing efforts by encouraging shoppers to choose zero-emission vehicles as a delivery choice during the check-out process. The hope is that, by offering this option users will be empowered to practise more environmentally responsible consumption habits over the long-term. Additionally, by creating new ways for consumers to access locally sourced products, TACTIC helps reduce the environmental impact of logistics and builds more resilient local economies.
Additionally, two new electric vehicle charging points have been installed at Mercat de Provençals to support this shift to net-zero emissions in urban mobility. One charging point is allocated for market vendors, while the other is available to the public, making it easier for shoppers to take up electric and sustainable mobility themselves. “We’re looking at how to export the experience either to other markets in the city, or maybe even to commercial hubs if we find a suitable way,” Sancho says.
“On the one hand, this is a type of solution that ultimately supports and helps local commerce, and on the other hand, it makes local commerce increasingly sustainable, greener, with the introduction of more electric mobility,” says Víctor Moyano from Factual, the consultancy leading the TACTIC project. “Last mile logistics vans that can be shared between the different retailers also enable reduced costs among traders,” he adds, highlighting not only the environmental benefits of the project, but also the investment in local business.
“TACTIC is a perfect example of an innovation project that we want to promote because it applies sustainable logistics solutions in the heart of our cities,” says Martí Massot, Innovation Lifecycle Officer at EIT Urban Mobility. “It is also a perfect example of public-private collaboration between cities in our partnership and private sector actors,” he adds.
Learning by doing, and re-doing
Whilst the uptake of this new service by local logistic operators has proved satisfactory, it is worth noting that the direct use by local commerce faced several challenges in both pilot sites, Barcelona and Métropole du Grand Paris, with many shops subcontracting deliveries to wholesalers or logistics companies and others already having their own vehicle for more lengthy deliveries. Additional challenges related to refrigeration of the transport and the competition of other non-electric vehicle rental services. In the long-term, efforts will be required to raise awareness and create real behavioural change. These setbacks have still provided meaningful insights, and the pilots are a great first step for reiteration – ultimately enabling the delivery of a solution that can be scaled and widely adopted.
“The solution that we have seen here in Barcelona is a solution that will be increasingly relevant, one that can be exported to other types of markets, and that will have an increasingly wider scope,” Moyano explains.
