Impacts of COVID-19 on Logistics Service Providers’ Operations: An Italian Empirical Study

Giovanni Zenezini, Anna Corinna Cagliano, Giulio Mangano () and Carlo Rafele
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Giovanni Zenezini: Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Anna Corinna Cagliano: Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Giulio Mangano: Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy
Carlo Rafele: Department of Management and Production Engineering, Politecnico di Torino, Corso Duca degli Abruzzi 24, 10129 Torino, Italy

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-13

Abstract: The lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic between 2020 and 2021 resulted in a substantial increase in e-commerce purchases, with the consequent growth of logistics services. Thus, this paper is aimed at studying the effects of the pandemic on the operational processes of logistics service providers. To this end, a survey questionnaire was developed and administered to a sample of identified respondents. The collected data were quantitatively analyzed via the Kruskal–Wallis test. The outcomes point out that logistics operators faced an increase in the distances traveled to carry out pick-up and delivery activities, and larger companies added more light vehicles to their fleets, proving that the company size was a relevant aspect of ensuring a quick response to the pandemic. These results show an increased business-to-consumer market share that is leading to a redesign toward more sustainable operational strategies.

Keywords: logistics service provider; COVID-19; operational sustainability; Italy; questionnaire (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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