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

Van Dat Tran

doi:10.3390/su132112066

Abstract

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.

Highlights

IntroductionParallel to the difficulty caused by the government’s restrictions to protect people, such as not going out without unnecessary purpose, closing restaurants and stores, etc., to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there has been an explosive growth in the use of online food-ordering applications
According to a recent Nielsen Vietnam survey, during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 62% of Vietnamese customers stated that they preferred to purchase food to eat at home; the number of online orders increased by approximately 10% to 30% compared with pre-pandemic times
According to Taber [73], Cronbach’s alpha is a measurement typically cited by authors to illustrate that tests and scales created or accepted for research projects are suitable for the purpose

Summary

Introduction

Parallel to the difficulty caused by the government’s restrictions to protect people, such as not going out without unnecessary purpose, closing restaurants and stores, etc., to prevent the spread of COVID-19, there has been an explosive growth in the use of online food-ordering applications. From the point of view of service businesses, the use of an online-to-offline network for ordering and delivering food is a possibility for reviving the catering and restaurant sector, which has suffered during this pandemic [1]. According to a recent Nielsen Vietnam survey, during the COVID-19 pandemic, up to 62% of Vietnamese customers stated that they preferred to purchase food to eat at home; the number of online orders increased by approximately 10% to 30% compared with pre-pandemic times

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Discussion

Conclusion