The rapid growth in e-commerce calls for research on the potential of electric vehicles in improving last-mile delivery. Whereas existing studies have examined aspects of last-mile delivery, such as challenges, acceptance/benefits, and feasibility, the studies are fragmented, with conflicting findings and regional differences. Thus, there is a need for a comprehensive understanding of the studies to map out current research trends and propose future research agendas. To address this research gap, a bibliometric review was conducted on 375 publications from the Scopus database. Findings reveal that pioneering countries such as the USA have researched integrating electric vehicles into last-mile delivery systems, focusing on technological advancements such as battery technologies and smart grids. The sustainability theme is common in most studies, focusing on controlling carbon emissions and energy efficiency. The electric micro-mobility theme has grown in recent years, while emerging technologies remain underexplored, especially in developing economies. Future research should address the underexplored areas. These include charging infrastructure optimisation, electric micro-mobility innovations, and integration in urban environments, alongside the social and ethical implications of electric vehicle adoption for last-mile delivery.

Background: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic had a significant impact on business operations and consumer behaviour across the world. The South African online retail environment also encountered different opportunities and last-mile logistics challenges. However, the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on online consumer behaviour has received limited attention. Furthermore, limited studies exist which have measured the online buying behaviour of young people, an important online market segment.Objectives: The primary purpose of this study was to determine whether the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic significantly influenced the online shopping behaviour of young people and to provide online retailers and consumer behaviour theorists with a better appreciation of young consumers’ online purchasing needs, which will assist them in developing and effecting appropriate last-mile logistics strategies.Methods: A quantitative research design was used, and empirical data were collected from two non-probability sampling surveys conducted in 2019 (before the COVID-19 pandemic) and in 2020 (during the COVID-19 pandemic) of 461 young people in the Johannesburg area. A self-administered online questionnaire was used to collect the research data.Results: The results indicate that online shopping behaviour either did not change or increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic for most respondents. Young online consumers consider order fulfilment aspects to be more important than the tangible considerations of online retailers.Conclusion: This research study provides a distinct perspective of young people’s perceptions of online shopping and makes a meaningful contribution by identifying the important fulfilment-related service quality expectations of young online customers in South Africa.

Background: An effective and efficient last-mile delivery service plays a critical role towards the growth of global online retail sales. In Kenya, online customers have often been unwilling to shop online again, mainly because of delivery issues. However, the extent to which customers are satisfied with the last-mile delivery service remains unknown. This is despite the significant potential that the sector has, which remains unrealised in the country’s economy.Objectives: The key objective of this study was to establish the extent of customer satisfaction with the different elements of last-mile delivery service offered by online retailers in Kenya.Method: A quantitative approach was utilised. An online survey collected data from 467 online customers (‘users’ and ‘nonusers’) in Nairobi. The data were subjected to descriptive statistics and the mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) to determine the outcome of the study.Results: ‘Users’ were most satisfied with delivery options while ‘nonusers’ were most satisfied with delivery fees. However, both ‘users’ and ‘nonusers’ were least satisfied with returns. This study also found that ‘users’ were more satisfied with delivery options, delivery tracking and returns compared with ‘nonusers’. There was a significant difference in satisfaction with delivery options for ‘users’ and ‘nonusers’.Conclusion: Online retail managers are advised to improve the way in which they offer returns to their customers. This involves offering more options for returning the ordered goods, making it easy to locate the returns procedure on their websites and having a clear returns policy.Contribution: This study advances the understanding of last-mile delivery service, after comprehensive empirical evidence of customer satisfaction with the different elements of last-mile delivery service in Kenya.

The significant rise of electric vehicles in urban areas calls for research on smart charging to promote electric mobility. Existing research is fragmented, with inconsistent findings, focusing on single aspects of smart charging, such as challenges, charging technologies, and sustainability concerns. Thus, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify the key themes and propose future research agendas on smart charging for electric mobility in urban areas, to guide policy formulation and promote widespread uptake of electric vehicles. A total of 201 publications covering the period 2005 to 2025 were extracted from the Scopus database; the first was published in 2011 and numbers peaked in 2024, with 39 publications. The topic is young, with an average age per publication of 4.17 years, with China as the top-ranked country, with 97 publications. Research on smart charging for e-mobility in urban areas focuses on four key themes: smart charging technologies and optimisation strategies, grid integration and vehicle-to-grid systems, renewable energy and environmental sustainability, and urban mobility systems and infrastructure development. Despite their importance, real-world testing and smarter integration with cities and grids remain largely underexplored, especially in developing countries. Future research should focus on large-scale vehicle-to-grid integration, user behaviour analysis, and coordinated planning of smart charging with urban transport and policy frameworks.

The significant rise of electric vehicles in urban areas calls for research on smart charging to promote electric mobility. Existing research is fragmented, focusing on single aspects of smart charging, with inconsistent findings. Thus, a bibliometric analysis was conducted to identify the key themes and propose future research agendas on smart charging for electric mobility in urban areas research to guide policy formulation and promote widespread uptake of electric vehicles. A total of 201 publications covering the period 2005 to 2025 were extracted from the Scopus database. Results revealed four key themes are used on smart charging for e-mobility in urban areas research: smart charging technologies and optimisation strategies, grid integration and vehicle-to-grid systems, renewable energy and environmental sustainability, and urban mobility systems and infrastructure development. Despite their importance, real-world testing and smarter integration with cities and grids, especially in developing countries, remain largely underexplored. Future research should focus on large-scale vehicle-to-grid integration, user behavior analysis, and coordinated planning of smart charging with urban transport and policy frameworks.

Electric vehicle charging stations (EVCSs) are a critical infrastructure in urban areas. However, because they depend on power grids and digital networks, they are prone to disruptions from grid failures, extreme weather, and cyber threats. Ensuring resilience is therefore essential to minimise service disruptions and ensure reliable transportation in urban areas. While interest in EVCS resilience is growing, current studies are dispersed across technical, environmental, and spatial domains, limiting a consolidated understanding of how resilience is conceptualised and assessed in urban areas. Despite this growing body of research, no prior systematic review has comprehensively synthesised resilience-specific evidence for EVCSs in urban areas. Thus, the objective of the study was to systematically synthesise empirical research on resilient EVCSs in urban areas to identify key factors influencing resilience and how resilience is assessed. A systematic literature review was conducted on 52 empirical articles from Web of Science and Scopus published between 2015 and 2025, following the PRISMA protocol. The review revealed an increasing trend in publications over time, with research geographically concentrated in Asia, the United States of America, and Europe. Results also showed that the resilience of EVCSs in urban areas is influenced by context-related factors (such as location, environment, and governance) and system-related factors (such as operational, technical, and financial), with location and technical issues being the most studied. The resilience of EVCSs is mainly assessed through accessibility, capacity, availability, and vulnerability, using tools such as indices, curves, scenarios, and optimisation models. However, gaps remain in governance, environment, modular design, predictive maintenance, social aspects, and developing economies. Future research should focus on integrating governance and equity into EVCS planning and developing modular, renewable-powered charging systems supported by smart technologies to enhance resilience in urban areas, particularly in developing economies. This review proposes a Factors-Dimensions Implementation framework that operationalises established resilience concepts by linking context- and system-related factors to measurable resilience dimensions of EVCSs in urban areas.