Jeremy Michalek, professor of engineering and public policy at Carnegie Mellon University, reveals the results of a survey that tracked consumer sentiment toward various grocery delivery methods, including the use of autonomous vehicles and equipment.

Autonomous grocery delivery is still in its nascent stage. It can take multiple forms, including driverless cars that meet the receiver at the curb, sidewalk robots that go all the way to the door, and delivery drones carrying smaller packages.

All of those versions are in operation today, but under limited and controlled conditions, Michalek notes. That said, the CMU study sought to assess consumer sentiment toward autonomous grocery delivery as it becomes more widely available.

What it found, Michalek says, is that “most consumers are totally indifferent.” They’re more concerned about speed and cost of delivery than the method of getting packages to the door. A “healthy minority” of 45% of respondents are “delivery compromisers,” meaning they’ll accept autonomous delivery as long as it’s fast and cheap — something that the current technology struggles to achieve. 

“Delivery enthusiasts,” by contrast, are willing to pay more for features like same-day delivery, and don’t care whether it comes by human or robot. They tend to be younger, often with children, living farther from grocery stores.

Autonomous delivery doesn’t make sense in every environment. The early focus is on urban settings, Michalek says. But if consumers end up relying on it for frequent and multiple orders, the result could be greater road congestion — a condition that autonomous technology is supposed to help alleviate.

Frequency of delivery and the weight of individual orders — whether, for example, they consist of one or two items versus a week’s worth of groceries — also will determine the feasibility of autonomous grocery delivery and the method employed, Michalek says.