Factors affecting customer intention to use online food delivery services before and during the COVID-19 pandemic

Are online meatball restaurants in Indonesia committed to their declared Halal label?

Background and Aim

Halal restaurants participating in online food delivery services do not require halal certification. The Halal status of products through the Halal logo provides the consumer with information on the basis of which he decides to buy. Online transactions involve potential risks related to online processes, payment methods, and product quality. The aim of this study was to determine whether a declared Halal label is in accordance with the business processes implemented.

Materials and Methods

Halal authentication of Gofood's meatball partner products in Yogyakarta and Solo Raya determined the incompatibility of meatball ingredients. Sixty meatball samples were collected from Yogyakarta and 30 samples from Solo Raya. Halal certification test was carried out using the thermal cycle polymerase chain reaction method at Universitas Gadjah Mada Animal Husbandry Laboratory and the results were used to identify pork contamination in meatballs. The addition of pork or pork meatballs was used as a control.

Results

Eight meatball restaurants in the Solo Raya and Yogyakarta areas were found to be contaminated with pig DNA. The results of the tracing materials and processes, i.e., the grinding stage, are critical because all samples were supposed to be made from beef. It is known from interviews that contamination with pig DNA at the milling stage was accidental.

Conclusion

Restaurants that sell meatballs are committed to adhering to product labels that are 91.1% safe from pork contamination. The Halal and original beef labels were in accordance with their statements. This study highlights the concept of Halal authentication with traceability to overcome pork contamination in meat products.

Digital food behaviours, motivations, and delivery application usage among saudis during COVID-19: A mixed-methods study

Food delivery apps (FDAs) and smartphones in Saudi Arabia have become ubiquitous and increasingly popular methods for food ordering and consumption. Such app use during the COVID-19 pandemic has become a convenient and popular response to pandemic restrictions. However, the motivations and preferences behind FDA use are complex, as are the perceptions of FDA users regarding nutrition and healthy foods. To explore FDA usage, motivations, perceptions, and food behaviours in the unique cultural context of Saudi Arabia at the intersection of two epidemics, COVID-19 and obesity, a convergent parallel mixed-methods study design was used with 566 Saudis in the quantitative phase and 17 continuing to the qualitative phase. Of the respondents, 71.9 % reported using FDA typically once a week. Frequent FDA usage was reported by 33.3 % of the participants aged 30-40 years (P = .049). Nearly two-thirds of the sample (62 %) reported that time and convenience were the driving factors in using FDAs. Qualitatively, six main themes were identified: 'Perceived benefits and drawbacks', 'Effects of Promotions and Food Preferences', 'Nutritional information and dietary guidelines', 'Concepts of healthy food', 'Obstacles to healthy food consumption', and 'Maintaining Customs and Traditions'. Although convenience and taste were the primary drivers of FDA usage, the roles of tradition and culture in Saudi Arabia were also important FDA usage factors. Overall, understanding the determinants of how Saudis engage with FDAs, in concert with a deeper understanding of food preferences, perceptions, and nutritional knowledge, should help guide future efforts in nutrition education, app development, and public health policy.

Determinants of satisfaction and continuance intention towards online food delivery service users in Indonesia post the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in behavioural changes in the way people consume food in Indonesia, because people tend to use online food delivery (OFD) services to order food after the pandemic. In line with this, application-based OFD service providers in Indonesia such as GoFood, GrabFood, ShopeeFood, and others are growing year after year, creating competition among OFD service providers. On the other hand, now that the COVID-19 pandemic condition has begun to improve, people may return to ordering food in the traditional manner, namely by visiting restaurants directly without using the OFD service application. As a result, it may jeopardize the stability of the OFD service business. As a result, the purpose of this study is to investigate the factors that influence the satisfaction and intent of OFD service users in Indonesia to continue using OFD services in the future. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), Expectancy Confirmation Model (ECM), online review, online rating, and online tracking were all combined to do structural equation modeling (SEM) using the PLS-SEM approach. Data were gathered using an online poll of 325 respondents who have used OFD services. According to the findings of the structural model analysis, effort expectancy, hedonic motivation, price-saving orientation, and confirmation all have a direct impact on the level of satisfaction of OFD service users. Meanwhile, performance expectancy, habit, online review, and satisfaction all influence the intention to continue using OFD services. The findings of this study can be used as a reference for OFD service providers as a service improvement strategy, as well as to expand the literature on consumer behaviour regarding OFD services and provide a foundation for future research.

A machine learning ensemble approach to predicting factors affecting the intention and usage behavior towards online groceries applications in the Philippines

The emergence of e-commerce platforms, especially online grocery shopping, is heightened by the COVID-19 pandemic. Filipino consumers started to adapt online due to the strict quarantine implementations in the country. This study intended to predict and evaluate factors influencing the intention and usage behavior towards online groceries incorporating the integrated Protection Motivation Theory and an extended Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology applying machine learning ensemble. A total of 373 Filipino consumers of online groceries responded to the survey and evaluated factors under the integrated framework. Artificial Neural Network that is 96.63 % accurate with aligned with the result of the Random Forest Classifier (96 % accuracy with 0.00 standard deviation) having Perceived Benefits as the most significant factor followed by Perceived Vulnerability, Behavioral Intention, Performance Expectancy, and Perceived. These factors will lead to very high usage of online grocery applications. It was established that machine learning algorithms can be used in predicting consumer behavior. These findings may be applied and extended to serve as a framework for government agencies and grocers to market convenient and safe grocery shopping globally.

Application of the extended value-belief-norm (VBN) theory to understand consumers' intention to use autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs)

Emissions from transportation fuel vehicles are polluting the environment more than ever before. Currently, autonomous delivery vehicles (ADVs) are welcomed by logistics service providers and lots of consumers in general for their significant contribution in reducing environmental pollution and increasing delivery efficiency. However, there is a lack of in-depth research on consumers' willingness to adopt ADVs, despite the fact that ADVs are innovative delivery method in the field of last-mile delivery. The purpose of the study is to expand the existing knowledge of consumers' adoption behaviors by developing and testing the extended Value-Belief-Norm (VBN) theory in autonomous delivery literature. In particular, the study adds subjective norms and COVID-19 risk into the original VBN model as a theoretical framework to gain a comprehensive understanding of the consumer decision-making processes with respect to their intentions to use ADVs. Structural equation modeling is conducted using data from a web-based survey of 561 consumers through an online sample platform. The results of the study demonstrated that both subjective norms and COVID-19 risk are all related with consumers' intention to use ADVs. The casual chain hypotheses of the extend VBN theory mentioned in our study are all supported. The results of the study make significant theoretical and managerial contributions to the field of last-mile delivery and the adoption behaviors of emerging technologies.

Investigating changes in travel behavior over time in response to the COVID-19 pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected travel behavior, including the frequency and mode of travel, with the magnitude and nature of these effects varying over time. This study investigates the nature of these relationships by examining changes in various measures of travel behavior, including weekly driving hours, as well as the frequency of telecommuting, use of ride-sharing services, travel for medical purposes, and use of food delivery services. Self-reported travel data from a representative statewide survey of Michigan residents were used to assess changes in these metrics during the early stages of the pandemic, as well as one year thereafter. Random effects linear regression and ordered logit regression models were estimated and the findings show that various changes in behavior had long-lasting effects, while other behaviors generally reverted back toward pre-pandemic levels. In addition, these changes were found to vary across individuals. For example, significant differences were observed based on socio-demographic characteristics, between urban and rural areas, and amongst individuals with differing views on COVID-19 and related government interventions. In general, the pandemic tended to have less pronounced and sustained effects among younger adults as compared to older age groups. Further, those individuals who were opposed to mandatory COVID-19 vaccines were less likely to change their travel behavior, during both the early and latter stages of the pandemic. Changes were observed consistently across most of the travel metrics of interest. Among these, overall driving hours, travel for medical purposes, and ride-sharing were still lower during the latter stages of the pandemic, while telecommuting and the use of food delivery services reverted nearer to pre-pandemic levels.

Korean consumers' use and concerns about food delivery service

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES

Despite the rapid growth of the online food delivery service market since the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019, little research has focused on how consumers are using food delivery service and what they are concerned about when using food delivery service. Moreover, previous studies have not paid adequate attention to how these concerns are related to consumers' intention to use food delivery service. Therefore, our study examines behaviors and concerns regarding food delivery service and identifies the key factors in consumers' intention to use food delivery service.

SUBJECTS/METHODS

Using data collected from 549 Korean consumers, we conducted descriptive analysis, exploratory factor analysis, and multiple regressions.

RESULTS

We found that using food delivery service is not only for main meals at home or the office but also to meet a variety of dietary needs and occasions. The findings indicated that Korean consumers are most concerned about the sustainability of food delivery service, followed by health, hygiene, hedonic, and usability aspects of the service. Hygiene concerns and a hedonic aspect of the service were negatively associated with consumers' intention to use food delivery service among users, while health concerns decreased the intention of non-users.

CONCLUSION

The findings have implications for practitioners and policy makers in food delivery service. To further propel market growth, they should help reduce health concerns of non-users, as well as hygiene and hedonic concerns of existing users.

Analysis of wastage mechanisms in the supply chain of fish products in a circular economy perspective: Empirical research

The problem of food waste at the post-consumption phase, as well as its rational management, is one of the central matters of the transition process undertaken by the European Union, and it is one of the priorities in the Action Plan for a Circular Economy. In particular, the waste of fish products occurs throughout its supply chain. A wide literature is provided in analyzing waste on the first part of the fishing supply chain while high importance is also given to its consumption phase, especially regarding dynamics, causes and social behaviors. The paper aims at investigating mechanisms and causes of wastage that occurs in the last part of the supply chain, at a local level in Italy, by focusing the analysis at the final stage of fish consumption, produced by Italian households. Among the causes, the change in consumption habits and attitudes is also influenced by the restrictions of the healthy regulations adopted for the pandemic. Specifically, a survey was conducted to investigate what actions, habits and behaviors contribute to producing fish food waste. Causes of waste have been discussed by framing them under two dimensions of final consumption, home consumption and out-of-home consumption. Findings carried out from the research suggest knowledge of channels of distribution and integrative elements to manage the leftover food as well as the intensity of fish consumption are basilar to understand the wastage mechanism in a circular perspective. This study is an assessment of whether factors identified as causes, may increase, or decrease the waste. The importance of realizing explorative studies at the consumption phase under the approach of considering fish waste, not only as a fraction into the food waste but even a distinct part as a whole, is also given by the need to create specific strategies for sustainable production and consumption. A reflection is conducted as to how this study can be the basis for future studies on other food products related to the challenge of the rational management of food waste studies in a circular perspective.

Extending UTAUT2 with knowledge to test Chinese consumers' adoption of imported spirits flash delivery applications

Despite the rapid growth in sales of imported spirits in the Chinese market, consumers are struggling to easily buy high-quality imported spirits with favorable price. The imported spirits flash delivery applications are proposed to provide Chinese consumers with high-quality services delivered within a few hours. This study extends UTUAT2 with knowledge, risk and innovativeness to identify factors influencing Chinese consumers' use of flash delivery services for imported spirits. With the help of service providers, 315 valid questionnaires were collected and an empirical study was carried out. Findings suggest that social influence, habit, innovativeness and knowledge all have significant effects on usage. In particular, knowledge has significant moderating effects on relationships between social influence, habit, innovativeness and usage. This research is supposed to help imported spirits flash delivery providers to further expand the market, and will be of great help to the investment decisions of multinational spirits manufacturers in China.

Antecedents of trust and customer loyalty in online shopping: The moderating effects of online shopping experience and e-shopping spending

This paper determines the antecedents of trust (i.e., perceived ease of use [PEoU], privacy concerns [PC], perceived security [PS], product variety [PV], and on-time delivery [OD]) and customer loyalty (CL) in online retailing. A questionnaire was developed using scales validated in prior e-commerce studies to measure these factors in the conceptual model. Data were collected in an online survey from a non-probability judgement sample of online shoppers between the ages of 18 and 65 years old, who provided informed consent for participation in the survey. Data were analysed via structural equation modeling (SEM) on AMOS version 28. The ethical approval certificate was issued by the College of Business and Economics Research Ethics Committee (CBEREC). The results indicate that customer trust (CT) in online shopping relies on OD, PS, PV, and PEoU, but not PC. CT, followed by OD and PV, significantly impacts CL. The results show that trust mediates the relationship between OD, PS, and PV, and CL. Online shopping experience and e-shopping spending significantly moderate the impact of PV on trust. The impact of OD on CL is significantly moderated by the online shopping experience. This paper validates a scientific approach to coexisting effects of these key forces that e-retailer practitioners can use to gain trust and build CL. Research that validates this valuable knowledge is absent in the literature, as the factors were measured disjointedly in prior studies. This study offers originality by validating these forces in online retailing in South Africa.

In-person, pick up or delivery? Evolving patterns of household spending behavior through the early reopening phase of the COVID-19 pandemic

Consumer reactions to COVID-19 pandemic disruptions have been varied, including modifications in spending frequency, amount, product categories and delivery channels. This study analyzes spending data from a sample of 720 U.S. households during the start of deconfinement and early vaccine rollout to understand changes in spending and behavior one year into the pandemic. This paper finds that overall spending is similar to pre-pandemic levels, except for a 28% decline in prepared food spending. More educated and higher income households with children have shifted away from in-person spending, whereas politically conservative respondents are more likely to shop in-person and via pickup.

How has COVID-19 impacted customer perceptions and demand for delivery services: An exploratory analysis

The novel coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic created an environment where nearly all aspects of mobility changed to ensure the health and safety of the public. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommended that people quarantine for 14 days if they were potentially exposed to the virus, stay at least six feet apart from others, and stay at home as much as possible. Delivery via third-party restaurant app, grocery, and package delivery quickly became an essential service. This study assesses customer's changes in use and perceived quality of delivery services in Southwest Virginia, via an online stated-preference survey (n = 423). The responses were analyzed using ordered logit and generalized ordered logit models to identify which population segments had changing delivery behavior and perceptions due to the pandemic. Findings include that before the pandemic, only households with an income greater than $100,000 had a significantly higher demand for package delivery services than those making less than $25,000. During the pandemic, all income brackets had a significantly higher demand for package delivery "weekly" than households with less than a $25,000 income, with a 19.50%, 22.54%, and 45.59% greater chance of use for income levels $25,000 to $50,000, $50,000 to $100,000, and over $100,000, respectively. This trend highlights that package delivery became necessary during the pandemic. Respondents who lived within town limits were statistically significantly more likely to use third-party restaurant delivery apps at least once a week before (3.10%), during (9.20%), and after (4.50%) the pandemic compared to those outside town limits. The results also found people who lived within town limits were 7.77% more likely to be satisfied with delivery services in general than those who lived outside town limits. The findings from this paper identify expanding delivery equity gaps within the population and provide recommendations for policymakers and delivery agencies. Some limitations include that low sample size did not allow for fully segmented models and meant that the study should be considered exploratory in nature.

The moderating role of trust in government adoption e-service during Covid-19 pandemic: health belief model perspective

The present paper discusses the influence of factors in the health belief model (HBM) on adopting government e-services during the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia. Furthermore, the present study demonstrates the moderating effect of trust in HBM. Therefore, we propose an interacting model between trust and HBM. A survey of 299 citizens in Indonesia was used to test the proposed model. By using a structural equation model (SEM), this study found that the HBM factors (perceived susceptibility, perceived benefit, perceived barriers, self-efficacy, cues to action, health concern) significantly affect the intention to adopt government e-services during the Covid-19 pandemic, except for the perceived severity factor. In addition, this study reveals the role of the trust variable, which significantly strengthens the effect of HBM on government e-service.

CRNet: a multimodal deep convolutional neural network for customer revisit prediction

Since mobile food delivery services have become one of the essential issues for the restaurant industry, predicting customer revisits is highlighted as one of the significant academic and research topics. Considering that the use of multimodal datasets has gained notable attention from several scholars to address multiple industrial issues in our society, we introduce CRNet, a multimodal deep convolutional neural network for predicting customer revisits. We evaluated our approach using two datasets [a customer repurchase dataset (CRD) and mobile food delivery revisit dataset (MFDRD)] and two state-of-the-art multimodal deep learning models. The results showed that CRNet obtained accuracies and Fi-Scores of 0.9575 (CRD) and 0.9436 (MFDRD) and 0.9730 (CRD) and 0.9509 (MFDRD), respectively, thus achieving higher performance levels than current state-of-the-art multimodal frameworks (accuracy: 0.7417-0.9012; F1-Score: 0.7461-0.9378). Future research should aim to address other resources that can enhance the proposed framework (e.g., metadata information).

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s40537-022-00674-4.

Dinner planning and preparation considerations of parents with children attending childcare

The objective of this study was to explore the meal-related thought processes, planning, and purchasing behaviors of primary caregivers on weeknights. A mixed-methods study design was applied using a cross-sectional survey and qualitative interviews. Thirty-three primary caregivers from early childhood education centers were enrolled in the study. Descriptive statistics of sample characteristics were conducted and an a-priori thematic analysis of interview recordings was completed using NVivo Qualitative software. The following key themes were identified: satisfaction with dinner, feeding behaviors before the COVID-19 pandemic, regretful feeding experiences, meal planning, food purchasing, social support, and general feelings about dinner preparation and cooking. Important considerations for food purchasing included family satisfaction, price, convenience, and healthfulness. Satisfaction around dinner choices varied, with dissatisfaction often related to a bad workday, being stressed, or making meals that family members disliked. Findings demonstrate the need for more research and interventions around the topic of meal planning and preparation, specifically for working parents, that further examine tasks required for providing meals, the physical and cognitive time for meal preparation, and helpful means of support.

Impact of perceived convenience, service quality and security on consumers' behavioural intention towards online food delivery services: the role of attitude as mediator

This study aims to examine the impact of perceived convenience, service quality and security on consumers' attitudes and behavioural intentions towards online food delivery services in Bangladesh. The paper proposes an extended theory of the technological acceptance model which includes' perceived convenience, service quality, and security along with their relationships to evaluate their impact on the mediator consumers' attitude and dependent variable consumers' behavioural intention towards online food delivery services. Data were collected from 306 participants. Smart-PLS was used for the data analysis. The results showed that convenience and service quality had significant effects on attitude and behavioural intention. However, no such relationship was found for security.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s43546-023-00422-7.

Evaluating the influence of service quality, hedonic, and utilitarian value on shopper's behavioral intentions in urban shopping malls during the COVID-19 pandemic

Shopping malls are subjected to a lot of changes during the COVID-19 pandemic, especially in the Philippines. The objective of the study was to evaluate the influence of service quality, hedonic, and utilitarian value of malls on shopping mall goers' behavioral intentions during the COVID-19 pandemic. SERVQUAL five dimensions were utilized to represent the service quality aspect, while utilitarian and hedonic values are used to embody the shopping mall values among Filipino citizens. Additionally, we included convenience and social experience as part of our model, to which relationships were assessed toward the utilitarian and hedonic shopping mall values, respectively. An online survey was distributed and collected 519 valid responses among Filipino shopping mall goers. Using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), results showed that for service quality aspect, tangibles, empathy, and assurance had significant effects on shopper's shopping mall satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, both shopping mall values present positive effects on shopper's satisfaction on which utilitarian value gave the strongest influence in the overall model, followed by the hedonic value. Convenience and social experience also showed positive effects on utilitarian and hedonic values, respectively. The utilized extended framework from SERVQUAL dimensions and hedonic and utilitarian values to measure satisfaction and behavioral intentions was seen to be applicable to measure human behavior and lifestyle studies. Overall, the satisfaction from both service quality and shopping mall values aspect strongly influences shoppers' behavioral intention in going to the mall.

A Thematic Review on Using Food Delivery Services during the Pandemic: Insights for the Post-COVID-19 Era

The food delivery service is the most typical and visible example of online-to-offline (O2O) commerce. More consumers are using food delivery services for various reasons during the COVID-19 pandemic, making this business model viral worldwide. In the post-pandemic era, offering food delivery services will become the new normal for restaurants. Although a growing number of publications have focused on consumer behavior in this issue, no review paper has addressed current research and industry trends. Thus, this paper aims to review the literature published from 2020 to the present (October 2022) on consumers' use of food delivery services during the pandemic. A thematic review was conducted, with 40 articles searched from Scopus and Web of Science being included. Quantitative findings showed current research trends, and thematic analyses formed eight themes of factors influencing consumer behavior: (1) technical and utilitarian factors, (2) system-related attributes, (3) emotional and hedonic factors, (4) individual characteristics, (5) service quality, (6) risk-related factors, (7) social factors, and (8) food-related attributes. The paper also emphasizes COVID-19-related influences and suggests promising future research directions. The results offer insights into industry practices and starting points for future research.

COVID or VOID: A systematic literature review of technology adoption and acceptance in hospitality and tourism since the breakout of COVID-19

The purpose of this study was twofold. The first goal was to review and synthesize research pertaining to ‘technology acceptance and COVID-19’ from the years 2020, 2021, and early August 2022 in the realm of hospitality and tourism. The second goal was to dwell on the relevant technology adoption studies in order to provide a critical analysis and extract insights for future research theoretically and practically. A systematic literature review was performed. Findings indicate that some constructs were not properly used like perceived enjoyment and some constructs were overlooked like perceived interaction. Additionally, besides technology features, the characteristics of consumers need to be investigated to reveal the true underpinnings of the technology adoption behavioral process. However, inquiries regarding consumers’ traits need to be expanded beyond basic demographics (e.g. age and gender). The paper systematically garnered technology acceptance research from the COVID-19 era in order to provide insights for future research directions in the post-COVID era. This work identified a lack of consensus over the theoretical underpinnings of technology acceptance research among tourism hospitality researchers. The study revealed the narrow research lenses focusing on particular empirical domains, mainly hotels, restaurants, and museums, and overlooking other contexts (e.g. airports, stations, within-city transportation, and events).

Changes in consumer spending behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic across product categories

We examine changes in online consumer spending during the COVID-19 pandemic. Specifically, we compare consumer spending on various product categories before the pandemic started to after. Unlike previous work, we not only look at the different consumer demographic profiles but also different product categories, providing a better understanding of spending behavior. E-commerce has been a favorite way of shopping for consumers before the pandemic, while some demographic groups were reluctant to use e-commerce. However, as pandemic-related restrictions on physical shopping were put in place, consumers found e-commerce the only way to shop for many essential products. As such, consumer online spending changed. We employ freshly released Canadian Perspectives Survey Series (CPSS) data on consumer spending by Statistics Canada. We examine the association between various demographic factors and the change in online spending empirically. Our findings indicate that, compared to their counterparts, younger consumers are more likely to have increased online spending on product categories related to internet connectivity and streaming services. Female consumers exhibit increased online spending on similar products, in addition to online learning services and home exercise equipment. Consumers living in urban areas exhibit a higher probability of increased online spending on computers, smartphone devices, internet connectivity, and food delivery services. Consumers with at least one child exhibit a similar trend. Larger households exhibit a considerable increase in the probability of increased online spending on food delivery services. Lastly, consumers with higher education exhibit a higher probability of increased online spending on products related to online learning and streaming services.

Food Safety Issues Related to Eating In and Eating Out

Because of growing urbanization and lack of time to prepare meals at home, eating out or getting food delivered have become common trends for many people. The consumption of food from unknown sources may impose an increased chance of contamination with microbiological hazards, especially if sanitary conditions are not met. We evaluated data from health surveillance agencies and scientific articles on foodborne diseases (FBD) reported internationally according to the exposure sites. We observed that the data are influenced by cultural, political, and socioeconomic differences. For instance, in New Zealand, Australia, United States, Denmark and India, the occurrence of FBD outbreaks was greater from foods prepared in commercial establishments and street vendors than from households. Conversely, in China, countries of the European Union and Brazil, the results are the opposite. Additionally, the pandemic imposed new eating behavior patterns, increasing delivery services and foods prepared in so-called "Dark Kitchens". The underreporting and heterogeneity of data among countries prevented a precise conclusion to the question of whether homemade foods are inherently safer than foods prepared out. Nevertheless, a lower level of development in a country influences its sanitation conditions, as well as the number of street food vendors, the search for cheaper foods, and insufficient knowledge of the population on good hygiene practices, which can all increase the chances of FBD cases.

Online food delivery companies' performance and consumers expectations during Covid-19: An investigation using machine learning approach

Online food delivery (OFD) businesses flourished during COVID-19; however, OFD companies experienced different challenges and customers' expectations. This paper uses social media data to explore OFD companies' performance and customers' expectations during the COVID-19 pandemic. The most important topics in developed and developing countries are identified using machine learning. Results show that customers in India are more concerned about social responsibility, while financial aspects are more important in the US. Overall, customers in India are more satisfied with OFD companies during the COVID-19 pandemic than the US customers. We further find that factors such as OFD companies' brand, market size, country, and COVID-19 waves play a crucial role in moderating customer sentiment. The results of the study offer several managerial insights.

Elucidating the role of digital technologies in bridling the ramifications of COVID-19 in restaurant services: moderation of pandemic susceptibility and severity

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to augment the perceived service quality (PSQ) dimensions as well as evaluate the effects of pandemic susceptibility and severity by appending crucial enablers of customer satisfaction (CS) in the restaurant industry (RI).

Design/methodology/approach

The top 10 restaurants from Mumbai and Kolkata were selected based on the Conde Nast Traveller Magazine List, 2020. The study used a cross-sectional design to collect responses from 840 respondents across the two major metropolitans of India after the second wave of COVID-19 by employing a structured questionnaire. The proffered hypotheses in this study were validated using factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) techniques.

Findings

This research espies pivotal facilitators of CS and customers' perceived value (CPV). The results divulge that food quality (FQ) and tangibility dimensions markedly enhance CS while the FQ and digital technologies (DT) dimensions augment CPV in Indian restaurants. The study asserts that CPV acts as a partial mediator between FQ and DT on the one hand and CS on the other. In addition, perceived pandemic susceptibility (PPSU) and perceived pandemic severity (PPSE) moderate the association between CPV and CS in restaurants.

Research limitations/implications

This study exemplifies the critical enablers of CS and CPV that may invigorate restaurant owners, managers and policymakers to prioritize the identified dimensions to aggrandize CS and CPV quotients.

Originality/value

The study enriches the literature by assimilating DT and CPV dimensions in a comprehensive theoretical framework. The research is unique in attempting to unfurl the moderating effects of PPSU and PPSE in the RI.

Protection Motivation Theory and consumers' food safety behaviour in response to COVID-19

The threat of COVID-19 has altered consumers shopping behaviour and increased consumers' willingness to purchase food using online food delivery services. Consumers were more likely to practice strict hand hygiene measures and were concerned with food safety. Such behaviours were likely driven by the fear and threat of contracting COVID-19. This study aims to use Protective Motivation Theory (PMT) to investigate how COVID-19 affects food shopping and food safety behaviour. An online, cross-sectional study was conducted in Indonesia and Malaysia to determine the protective motivation to engage in three food shopping and hygiene practices such as i) Safe food shopping behaviour; ii) Hand hygiene and avoiding cross contamination; and iii) Use of online food delivery services. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, Spearman rho's correlation and binary logistic regression. A total of 1180 responses were received of which 1129 were valid. Gender was identified as a significant predictor across all food safety behaviours during COVID-19. Response efficacy and self-efficacy were significant predictors for food shopping behaviour while perceived severity significantly predicted hand hygiene practices after shopping. Age, frequency of food preparation and shopping, perceived severity, perceived vulnerability, response efficacy and self-efficacy were significant predictors for use of online food delivery services. Our findings suggest that women were more likely to engage in protective measures during food shopping, carry out hand hygiene practices after shopping and use online food delivery services during COVID-19. Participants with higher response and self-efficacy scores were more likely to shop from markets or shops with high hygiene standards while participants who perceived COVID-19 as a serious threat were more likely to clean and sanitise their hands after shopping. Participants also believed that the use of online food delivery services helps to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection. However, foods should be purchased from trusted restaurants or takeaways. This is the first study to use Protection Motivation Theory to explore consumers' food shopping, hand hygiene and online food delivery practices during COVID-19.

Supply Chain Sustainability during COVID-19: Last Mile Food Delivery in China

The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a strict 100-day lockdown period in Spring of 2020 in China. One of the consequences of the lockdown was the disruption of the food supply chain for the millions of people confined to their homes. The well-established online food delivery service (OFDS) in China were disrupted by pressure to scale up rapidly to resolve the last mile of food delivery. The importance of the OFDS during periods of crises became apparent, as did the realization that uninterrupted food distribution was only possible due to the presence and scalability of the existing delivery network. Focusing on the importance of an established OFDS as a foundation for food distribution, this paper seeks to explore factors that affect consumers’ perception and acceptance of the retail food delivery system in urban China. By applying the extended theory of planned behavior (TPB), mean value calculation, univariate linear regression, and multiple linear regression have been adopted to test the hypotheses. Data obtained online from 260 participants demonstrate that the software’s characteristics concerning hedonic motivation (HM), convenience motivation (CM), perceived ease of use (PEOU), navigational design (ND), information quality (IQ), privacy and security (PS), restaurant credibility (RC), and perceived severity (Psev) have positive and significant impacts on customers’ intention to use (ITU), and thus, affects the actual use (AU) of the application in a positive way. The findings of this research contribute to the existing literature by consolidating, validating, and extending the TPB model, especially under the large-scale public health crisis circumstances. Customized practical insights are provided to emphasize developing HM, CM, Psev, and RC factors with maximal marginal effects that promote consumer acceptance; this is a prerequisite to the development of a robust OFDS. which can be repurposed during periods of crises to provide sustainable last-mile food delivery networks.

Factors Influencing Customer Decisions to Use Online Food Delivery Service during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Despite the popularity of online food delivery systems in the foodservice industry, there have been few studies into customers’ decision-making process to use online food delivery services during the Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. This study applied the technology acceptance model (TAM) to examine the factors affecting customers’ intention to use online food delivery services. Results showed (a) the perceived usefulness affects customer’s online food delivery usage directly and indirectly through customer attitude; (b) enjoyment and trust are also key factors determining behavior intention toward customer attitude using online food delivery services; (c) positive relationship between social influence and customer attitude; and (d) a positive relationship between customer attitude and behavior intention in the online food delivery service context. These findings provide theoretical and managerial implications that contribute to the online food delivery service industry.

Using Mobile Food Delivery Applications during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Applying the Theory of Planned Behavior to Examine Continuance Behavior

COVID-19 has opened up a significant market for food delivery services in Vietnam. Based on the theory of planned behavior, subjective norms and social isolation were hypothesized to have a positive impact on behavior intention and continuance behavior. The study also aimed to determine the positive impacts of perceived food safety, food delivery, and behavioral intention on continuance behavior, while the perception of food safety and food delivery were also proposed to have direct impacts on behavioral intention. Structured equation modeling was used to evaluate data obtained from 299 respondents who were experienced in using delivery apps for ordering food. As a result, this study contributes to prior findings regarding the positive effects of the subject norm—social isolation, food delivery hygiene, perceived food safety—on behavioral intention to use mobile apps. Additionally, customers’ continued usage behavior was found to be also influenced by behavioral intention, perceived food safety, and food delivery hygiene. It was concluded that these findings have significant theoretical and practical implications. This study adds to the existing debate on consumer behavior in the context of online food delivery in Vietnam and sheds light on the elements that could be used to forecast people’s willingness to buy food through food delivery apps, and for how long they would continue to use them.