Packaging as a Last-Mile Logistics Decision: Consumer Expectations Across E-Commerce Fulfillment Channels

Background: Last-mile delivery is the most operationally complex and consumer-visible segment of E-commerce fulfillment, and direct-from-store (DFS) operations account for a growing share of online orders; yet packaging has been studied largely as a materials or sustainability problem rather than as a consumer-facing logistics decision. This study characterizes consumer packaging expectations across fulfillment channels and compares them with observed DFS practice. Methods: We integrate two empirical efforts: an online survey of general E-commerce packaging perceptions (n = 1947 U.S. consumers) and a DFS investigation comprising an exploratory international field audit of 51 orders across four countries and an online DFS consumer survey (314 participants). Analyses include professional–consumer comparisons, internal-consistency and exploratory factor analyses, and a mixed-effects model of the repeated scenario ratings. Results: Consumers consistently prioritize functional protection, content concealment, and practical sustainability over experiential and branding attributes; packaging professionals rate experiential attributes more highly than consumers do (medium-to-large effects); and observed DFS practices frequently misalign with consumer-prioritized functions. Conclusions: The findings support treating packaging as a managed, consumer-centric logistics variable and identify packaging choice at checkout as a feasible lever for DFS providers.