Blog/ Stories from the high street this Christmas

The importance of sustainable ecommerce is never more obvious than during peak selling periods. With the Christmas rush in full flow, busy retailers might not have much time right now to put in place changes to their delivery systems. But those extra volumes of parcels at Christmas are hard to ignore. As we bemoan the mounting delivery vans vying for parking space on our streets, it’s difficult not to think about what those vans represent in terms of carbon and air pollution. Increasingly everyone involved is joining the dots between deliveries, the climate crisis and the fight for clean air.

COP26 brought a keen focus on transport emissions and how sustainable delivery models can help retailers reach their net zero commitments. For big brands, 2022 needs to be about making good on those lofty goals with tactical plans for real carbon reductions. For many independent, local retailers, the transition to a sustainable delivery model is already underway…

Some retailers are set up to address these challenges right now for the Christmas shopping period.

Cities and towns have been celebrating the arrival of the festive season with incredible outdoor displays, markets and events, to bring people together and encourage us all to show our support by shopping locally. Pedestrianised spaces with no vans and cars create urban retail centres that are welcoming and successful. By switching to consolidated cargo bike deliveries, city centre business are leading the charge in creating inviting city centre space that make shopping locally the obvious choice.

These initiatives serve to create spaces where local people can hang out and retailers can engage with customers. Shopping local has never been more accessible or more encouraged – and this includes the opportunity to access zero emission local deliveries, too.

Shop local this Christmas, it has never been easier.

This week though, we’re seeing shops and shoppers in city centres trying to navigate increasing concerns over another pandemic spike, right ahead of Christmas family get togethers. Shops that have the systems in place to offer their customers online options and home delivery are at an advantage. More and more independent shops realise that they’re protected better against a consumer swing to the ecommerce giants if they’re offering multiple ways for their customers to stay loyal.

Indies with online stores and solid home delivery are better protected from the pandemic yoyo

Zero emission deliveries- a simple change

Creating online ordering that’s better for the planet doesn’t have to be hard won. In fact, our findings show that cargo bikes save 98% carbon emissions per kilometre, compared to a typical diesel van, and 91% compared to a typical EV. Which means simply making the switch to cargo bike deliveries will make a significant difference.
95% of the Zedify fleet in our 9 UK cities is made up of vehicles from the cargo bike family. Our cargo bikes save 7.05kg of deadly NOx from being emitted each year.

Hear from the retailers already making the switch to cargo bikes

If you are a retailer and considering switching over (you know, once you’ve managed to catch your breath after the festivities 😊), this is what just a few of our customers have to say about using Zedify’s cargo bikes for their deliveries…

At Christmas Zedify takes a lot of stress out of our busiest time of year. They are always very helpful and go that extra mile to get everything done.

The Cambridge Cheese Company, Jacky Sutton-Adams

We thought it would be a good idea to have no emission deliveries over Christmas. We don’t do many deliveries, so we thought Christmas would be a good opportunity to give it a try.

Canham’s & Son, Mr Canham

Zedify have completely transformed our business, allowing our customers to select zero emissions delivery and contribute to Bristol’s clean air initiative.

We’ve noticed a massive increase in delivery vehicles on the roads over the last year, following lockdowns and the forced closure of shops. Offering zero emissions deliveries for our Bristol customers that can’t get to our store has become an obvious choice for us.

Zara’s Chocolates, Zara

Working with Zedify has made our delivery service so much smoother and more efficient, and the same-day delivery option means we can get our products to our customers exactly when they need them. They are always happy to accommodate requests and their eco-friendly ethos is aligned with ours, making them the ideal courier for our business.

The Source Bulk Foods, Francesca Schunemann

We’ve always enjoyed using Zedify for our local orders. Deliveries are always on time with no problems, all through the year. The drivers and depot team are always pleasant and helpful. We see and talk to them so much that they feel like part of our team!

The Old Tree Brewery, Tai Ray-Jones

Choosing Zedify as our local courier was one of the best decisions we have made. Zedify have completely transformed our business, allowing our customers to select zero emissions delivery and contribute to Bristol’s clean air initiative. Not only is it great from a sustainability standpoint but Zedify’s service and reliability has been second to none – we know that our boxes will be delivered securely and on time. Their flexibility, responsiveness and friendliness makes them an absolute joy to work with!

BoxLocal, Kate Wyatt

Zedify and ZED are like an extension of our team, they are always flexible and we really enjoy working with them. They deliver our fresh beers intact and on time, and their drivers make the extra effort to get to know our business to give our customers great service.

DraughtDrop, Mell

We’re delighted to partner with Zedify for zero emissions home delivery across Brighton and UK-wide! Their service is personal, friendly and helps keep Brighton’s air clean.

Brighton Bier, Stephen Whitehurst

Clean air should be the basic expectation but for millions of us living in cities it isn’t. That’s why it’s so important that businesses like ours do what they can to help by using zero emission deliveries

Paper Cup Coffee, David

Find out more about making the switch by talking to the Zedify team today.

This article is co-authored by lifestyle journalist Kiesha Meikle.