Gen Z, Millennials Prioritize Delivery Apps Over Streaming Services

Survey finds Americans becoming more dependent on online services

1/28/2022

Gen Z, Millennials Prioritize Delivery Apps Over Streaming Services

Onfleet’s survey found that 55% of Gen Z and 60% of Millennials have more delivery apps than streaming services.

More than half of consumers age 18-45 (55% of ages 18-34; 60% of ages 35-44) have more delivery subscriptions (Amazon Prime, DoorDash, UberEats, etc.) than streaming service subscriptions (Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, etc.) This is according to last-mile delivery management software company Onfleet’s new survey about consumer preferences regarding delivery services.

The survey, conducted by The Harris Poll, found that customers appreciate the convenience and efficiency of remote shopping, especially at a time when many view in-person shopping as unsafe amid ongoing COVID-19 risks. More than half (53%) of Americans said that they plan to get groceries delivered at least some of the time in 2022. Furthermore, a third of Americans surveyed feel that they waste valuable free time grocery shopping each week. More men (39%) than women (33%) overall expressed that notion, and almost half (49%) of 18- to 34-year-olds agree.

Onfleet's survey also found that Americans favor environmentally conscious delivery companies. Nearly half of Americans (45%) would be willing to pay higher delivery fees for online purchases if a company has initiatives to offset its carbon footprint. Younger demographics (58% of those age 18-34; 63% of those age 35-44) would be more willing than older ones (45% of those age 45-54; 32% of those age 55-64; 23% of those age 65+).

“With Gen Z becoming more important in the global marketplace, I believe the younger generation will start to shift the delivery economy towards a more sustainable and eco-friendly path. At the end of the day, it’s up to individual companies to step up and implement practices that reflect consumer sentiment and improve customer satisfaction,” said Khaled Naim, co-founder and CEO of San Francisco-based Onfleet.

While more consumers are more comfortable with delivery services, this doesn't mean that they're ready to embrace every innovation within the delivery economy. More than half of Americans (55%), for example, said that they wouldn’t trust a robot or autonomous vehicle to deliver online purchases.

Online grocery had a big year in 2021, with sales hitting $97.7 billion, according to the latest Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Shopping Survey. Online grocery shopping grew 2% to comprise almost 13% of total grocery spending for the year.

Onfleet is a last-mile delivery management software company that helps businesses streamline their delivery operations. In June 2021, the company reached the milestone of 100 million deliveries since its launch in 2015. Onfleet's consumer preferences survey was conducted online within the United States by The Harris Poll from Nov. 30 to Dec. 2, 2021 among 2,038 adults ages 18 and older.