Mobile Food Research Articles

Service quality of online food delivery mobile application: an examination of the spillover effects of mobile app satisfaction

PurposeDrawing on the mSERVQUAL model and spillover theory, this study aims to examine the mechanism through which food-ordering mobile app service quality influences users’ mobile app satisfaction, food satisfaction and repurchase intentions.Design/methodology/approachOnline surveys were completed by 1,000 customers who used a food-ordering mobile app to order fast food on the day they completed the online survey. Structural equation modelling was then used to examine the proposed mechanism.FindingsResults showed that the effects of food-ordering mobile app service quality on customer satisfaction (i.e. mobile app satisfaction and food satisfaction) and repurchase intention varied widely across service quality dimensions. Mobile app service quality had significant spillover effects on food satisfaction and repurchase intention.Practical implicationsOnline food-delivery platforms should find the results insightful to better design their food-ordering mobile app. The findings can also assist restaurateurs and mobile payment companies with supporting the whole online food delivery process.Originality/valueRather than examining online food delivery service quality based on the service delivery process in the during-consumption stage or the service outcomes in the post-consumption stage, this study focused on the service quality in the pre-consumption stage to highlight the important role of online food delivery mobile apps. From a longitudinal perspective, this study drew on the associate network theory to explain the spillover effect of mobile app satisfaction in the pre-consumption stage on food satisfaction in the during-consumption stage and repurchase intention in the post-consumption stage.

Using a BBWM-PROMETHEE model for evaluating mobile commerce service quality: A case study of food delivery platform

In the age of COVID-19, many governments imposed social distancing, work-from-home, and crowd control measures, which continue to affect economic development and forces service providers to be increasingly reliant on e-commerce and m-commerce platform technology. Moreover, due to the availability of 5G network speeds, cell phone applications and the Internet services have become indispensable for future smart lifestyles, prompting brick-and-mortar businesses to shift their sales models to mobile network operators (MNOs). To popularize the use of m-commerce, it is critical to ensure that service platforms operate well and give the customer what they want. It is thus essential to create a comprehensive and complete performance framework for the evaluation of m-commerce services. In this paper, a hybrid model is developed to explore this issue and the effectiveness and robustness of the model is illustrated by an application to two major food delivery platforms in Taiwan. The Bayesian Best Worst Method (BBWM) is applied to identify the criteria weights and ranks. The judgments of 14 experts are integrated to obtain the optimal group criteria weights. The performance data were obtained from a survey of 210 experienced users of these delivery platforms. The difference between the actual performance of each delivery platform and the aspiration level (AL) was calculated using the modified Preference Ranking Organization Method for Enrichment Evaluations (modified PROMETHEE) to determine an overall score for each delivery platform. A sensitivity analysis was also conducted and comparison made with other Multiple Criteria Decision-Making (MCDM) methods. The results show that information security and privacy, integrity, and mobile transaction service are the most important criteria, with Food Panda performing better than the other mobile food delivery service provider. The proposed evaluation framework is useful for performance evaluation of mobile commerce service quality, and providing effective suggestions to assist decision-makers in creating development strategies.

Green consumers’ behavioral intention and loyalty to use mobile organic food delivery applications: the role of social supports, sustainability perceptions, and religious consciousness

Consumer behavior in the food industry has undergone significant changes in recent years, largely driven by growing consumer awareness of environmental, technological, religious, and social concerns. As a result, organic food has emerged as a popular alternative to conventionally produced food. Many emerging nations, including Bangladesh, promote its consumption due to its perceived health and safety benefits. Despite this growing trend, there remains a need for more understanding of consumer behavior, particularly concerning their motivations for continuous purchases toward mobile organic food delivery applications. In order to fill this knowledge gap, this study looks at how six indirect predictors (emotional support, informational support, environmental consciousness, religious consciousness, trust, and technological consciousness) affect customer loyalty through the intention to use organic food. This study employed a purposive sampling technique (i.e., judgmental sampling) and collected data from 386 respondents across three cities in Bangladesh. Data analysis was conducted using SmartPLS 3 software. The study found that all predictors, except for technological consciousness, significantly influenced behavioral intention, which, in turn, significantly influenced loyalty. Additionally, the study revealed that the five predictors, excluding technological consciousness, indirectly influenced loyalty through behavioral intention. The results of this study add to the existing literature on organic food by extending social support theory to include consumers' primary motivations, such as environmental, religious, technological, and social consciousness, as predictors of loyalty to use mobile organic food delivery applications. The study highlights the importance of sustainable food consumption in promoting environmental protection, ensuring social justice, creating economic success, and providing valuable insights for implementers looking to expand the organic food market.Graphical abstract

Determinants and Outcomes of Food Delivery App Engagement During COVID-19

With the expansion of internet penetration and the adoption of mobile apps, usage of food delivery applications has increased significantly during the pandemic. The study's main objective was to examine the antecedents and consequences of food delivery app engagement among urban and semi-urban customers in India during COVID-19. The data were collected from 269 semi-urban respondents and 301 urban respondents. The stimulus organism and response (SOR) model has been used to understand consumers' antecedents and consequences of food delivery app engagement during the pandemic. The study used the structural equation modelling method to test the relationship between the variables. The study's findings showed that the mobile application's perceived ease of use, enjoyment, and time convenience found a significant effect among urban and semi-urban customers. This study is limited to urban and semi-urban customers with cross-sectional survey data. The study has explored a few antecedents and consequences of mobile food delivery app engagement.

Differences in mobile food market customer outcomes between 2019 and 2021.

To evaluate the outcomes of increasing mobile market service from mostly biweekly in 2019 to weekly in 2021. Repeated, cross-sectional customer intercept surveys. Mobile market customers in Summers 2019 (N=302) and 2021 (N=72). Mobile food markets bring affordable, high-quality foods to communities that lack such access. Outcomes included food security, fruit/vegetable intake, and food-related characteristics and behaviors. General linear and logistic regression models were used to assess associations between outcomes and survey year and length of mobile market shopping. Models were adjusted for economic assistance use, race, and ethnicity. No outcomes were significantly different between 2019 (with mostly biweekly service) and 2021 (with weekly service). Length of mobile market shopping (e.g., >2 years, 1-2 years, etc.) was positively associated with affordable, quality food access (β=0.20, SE=0.10, p=.03) and fruit/vegetable intake (β=0.28, SE=0.08, p<.001) as well as lower odds of food insecurity in the last 12 months (aOR=0.79, 95% CI=0.64, 0.99). Despite COVID-19 interrupting scheduled market service, the length of time that a survey respondent identified as a full-service mobile market customer was associated with higher food access and fruit/vegetable intake and reduced food insecurity odds. These findings suggest promise and encourage further evaluation.

Young Adults' Use of Mobile Food Delivery Applications and the Potential Impacts on Diets during COVID-19 Pandemic in Singapore: A Mixed Methods Study.

Poor diet contributes significantly to the development of non-communicable diseases (NCDs). In Singapore, it is recommended to consume at least two servings of fruits and vegetables (FV) daily to reduce the risk of developing NCDs. However, the adherence rate among young adults is low. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to frequent users of Mobile Food Delivery Applications (MFDAs) adopting unhealthy eating habits including high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), making it crucial to gain a deeper understanding of the underlying factors driving their usage patterns. This study aimed to examine the usage patterns of MFDAs among young adults during the COVID-19 pandemic; investigate the association between MFDA usage and socio-demographic factors, dietary factors, and body mass index (BMI); identify the underlying reasons for the observed usage patterns of MFDAs among users; compare the influences of MFDA usage between frequent and infrequent users. A sequential mixed methods design was used, involving an online survey and in-depth interviews with a subset of questionnaire respondents. Poisson regression and thematic analysis were employed to analyze the quantitative and the qualitative data respectively. The quantitative results revealed that 41.7% (150/360) of the participants reported using MFDAs frequently, defined as at least once-a-week use. Although not significant, the study found that frequent users were less likely to consume two servings of vegetables per day and more likely to drink SSBs. Nineteen individuals who had participated in the quantitative component were selected for and completed the interviews. Qualitative analysis identified four primary themes: deliberations about other sources of meals versus meals purchased via MFDAs, convenience is vital, preference for unhealthy meals ordered from MFDAs most of the time, and cost is king. Before making any purchase, MFDA users consider all these themes at the same time, with the cost being the most significant influential factor. A conceptual framework based on these themes is presented. Lack of culinary skills and COVID-19 restrictions were also found to influence frequent usage. The study suggests that interventions should focus on promoting healthy dietary patterns among young adults who frequently use MFDAs. Teaching cooking skills, especially among young males, and time management skills could be useful to reduce reliance on MFDAs. The study highlights the need for public health policies that make healthy food options more affordable and accessible. Given the unintended changes in behavior during the pandemic such as reduced physical activity or sedentary behavior and altered eating pattern, it is essential to consider behavior change in interventions aimed at promoting healthy lifestyles among young adults who frequently use MFDAs. Further research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of interventions during COVID-19 restrictions and to assess the impact of the "new normal" post-COVID on dietary patterns and physical activity levels.

The influence of subjective norms and perception of food safety toward behavioral intention to use and continuance behavior

This study aims to explore how subjective norms and perceptions of food safety influence people's behavioral intention to use and continue using delivery apps during the coronavirus pandemic. According to the TPB model, subjective norms were anticipated to be positively linked to both intention and continued behavior. The study's objective also was to ascertain the advantageous consequences of perceived food safety and intention on continued usage. The study used a quantitative approach, with a sample of 300 mobile food ordering app users in Yogyakarta selected using non-probability sampling. The data collection method was a validated and reliable questionnaire, and data analysis used SEM AMOS. The results showed that subjective norms and perceived food safety had a significant positive influence on behavioral intention and that behavioral intention and perceived food safety affected continued use. This study contributes to the existing literature on the benefits of subjective norms and perceived food safety on mobile app usage, and its findings have both theoretical and practical implications.

모바일 식자재 발주시스템의 서비스품질에 따른 이용의도에 관한 연구

The proliferation of information and communication technologies, such as mobile devices, artificial intelligence, and platform services, is ushering in a new era of food technology in the food service industry. Hence, in this study, we utilized the extended Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) to investigate the impact of service quality in mobile food materials ordering systems on the perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intention to use. To carry out the study, a total of 300 questionnaires were collected from November 1 to 30, 2022, but only 281 (93.67%) were used for the analysis. To examine the hypothesized relationships in the model, a structural equation model was utilized. The study produced the following findings: Firstly, the service quality factors of timeliness, reliability, sympathy, and customized service in the mobile food ordering system had a positive impact on the perceived ease of use. Secondly, the perceived ease of use was found to have a significant effect on perceived usefulness. Lastly, the perceived ease of use was observed to have a significant influence on the intention to use. This study highlights the need for greater emphasis on improving service quality to facilitate the use of mobile food materials ordering systems by managers and to expand the mobile food materials ordering market.

Formation of the architectural environment of food facilities based on an ecological approach

In the article, the questions of the formation of the architectural environment are considered based on a survey based on the use of an ecological approach. This approach is one of the current trends in the development of modern architecture. The purpose of the article is to highlight methods of interaction of food objects with the natural environment. The importance of forming a new network of food facilities in the structure of the city was noted. This network must meet the requirements of the present. The formation of a network is a feature of the modern development of public catering facilities. This is subject to strict standardization and is reflected in the conceptual strategy of the institution.&#x0D; Today, the following types of catering facilities are highlighted: location in the city center; in the sleeping area of the city; outside the city; on highways; in recreational areas; on transport and pedestrian paths; in reconstruction conditions. In addition, new types are actively forming: placement of mobile food facilities and non-standard location.&#x0D; Today, the use of an ecological approach in the design of food establishments is the most relevant and in demand. Selected methods of interaction of food objects with the natural environment. These techniques include integration with vegetation, water, terrain, and polarization. The role of the phytoenvironment as an important component of the architectural solution of food facilities is noted. Phytoenvironment is formed on the basis of landscape design tools.&#x0D; Thus, at the present stage there is a need for a critical analysis of the aspects of the formation of the architectural environment of public housing facilities, the improvement of the network and their location in the structure of the city. This should be done taking into account new socio-economic and cultural factors. The use of an ecological approach in the design of institutions is a relevant component of the formation of the architecture of these objects.

Consumer behavior of mobile food ordering app users during COVID-19: dining attitudes, e-satisfaction, perceived risk, and continuance intention

研究目的由于 Covid-19 爆发期间的社交距离规定, 移动订餐应用程序 (MFOA) 变得更受欢迎。 人们开始比平时更多地使用这些应用程序点餐。由于客户似乎很乐意使用这些应用程序, 因此始终存在传播感染的风险。这些事实不可避免地会影响客户的使用意愿。因此, 本研究旨在实证评估 MFOA 用户在 Turkiye Covid-19 大流行期间对感知风险的用餐态度、电子满意度和持续意图。研究设计/方法/途径该研究在预期确认理论和技术接受模型中使用了 SEM。 数据收集工具来自现有文献, 通过在线调查收集了 625 份问卷。 数据收集工具由 8 个部分组成, 旨在收集有关参与者的人口统计信息、期望确认、感知易用性、感知有用性、电子满意度、感知风险和持续意图的信息。研究发现结果显示电子满意度、用餐态度、感知风险和持续意愿之间存在显着关系。 最显着的发现是, 虽然电子满意度会影响客户重复使用 MFOA, 但感知到的风险会导致持续意愿下降。研究原创性/价值该研究模型通过添加风险因素拓宽了现有的 MFOA 研究模型。 此外, 它还为土耳其和世界新兴的 MFOA 文献做出了宝贵贡献。

Specialty Box Program: Implementing Tailored Food Boxes to Serve the Community During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

Although food pantries play a key role in addressing food insecurity across the United States, the usual methods of getting food to people in need were severely challenged during the COVID-19 crisis. Chronic disease, lack of transportation, and food insecurity are social determinants that amplify health disparities at higher rates among racial and ethnic minorities throughout the greater Charlotte, North Carolina, area. Loaves & Fishes, a local network of food pantries, partnered with RAO Community Health to develop and support the sustainability of the Specialty Box Program which provides whole grains and foods low in sodium, sugar, and fat to people with chronic disease. As a pilot initiative developed during the COVID-19 pandemic, the Specialty Box Program used a mobile food pharmacy and home-delivery services to increase access to healthier foods. The request for specialty boxes more than doubled the program's initial goal, showing a continued need for healthier food options beyond the pilot phase. Through Loaves & Fishes' infrastructure, we leveraged our current partnerships, funding resources, and response plans. The result was a sustainable program that can be replicated in other areas where nutrition security is inadequate.

The role of blockchain-enabled traceability, task technology fit, and user self-efficacy in mobile food delivery applications

The working pattern of the food industry has entirely changed with the emergence of mobile food delivery apps (MFDAs), which deliver an innovative method to interact with and offer high-quality services to customers. This study pinpoints the imperative factors affecting the customer's attitude and continued intention in light of the task technology fit (TTF) model. The required data were collected from MFDA users and analyzed by the structural equation modeling technique via Amos-23 and SPSS-22. The results confirm that customer rating, ordering review, food tracking, navigational design, and user self-efficacy positively impact TTF. Further, self-efficacy positively moderates the relationship between visual design and TTF, navigational design and TTF, and food tracking and TTF. Moreover, TTF positively influences attitude and continued intention, and in turn, attitude positively influences continued intention. Additionally, blockchain technology (BT) enabled traceability positively moderates the relationship between TTF, attitudes, and continued intention to use MFDAs. The developers of MFDAs should consider how customers perceive BT-enabled traceability and take steps to embrace it to increase customer trust in MFDAs. Furthermore, the theoretical and managerial applications are explained in detail so that developers can offer what MFDA users need.

Association of a primary care-based mobile food pantry with child body mass index: A propensity score matched cohort study.

To test the hypothesis that children in Food FARMacia-a six-month food insecurity intervention from May 2019 to January 2020-would have smaller age-adjusted, sex-specific body mass index (BMIz) gains than matched counterparts. In this proof-of-concept study, we performed a difference-in-differences (DiD) analysis of a propensity-score matched cohort among paediatric primary care patients aged <6 years with household food insecurity. Children with anthropometric measures prior to and after intervention started were included. The main outcome was child BMIz from standardized clinical anthropometric measurements. We examined differences in child BMIz change between Food FARMacia participants and matched non-participants. Among 454 children with household food insecurity, 265 were included, 44 of whom were in Food FARMacia. Mean child age was 1.48 (SD 1.46) years and most reported Hispanic/Latino ethnicity (84.5%). After propensity score matching, children in Food FARMacia had smaller increases in BMIz (unadjusted DiD -0.28 [-0.52, -0.04]) compared to non-participants in the follow-up period. After adjusting for potential confounders, findings remained statistically significant [adjusted DiD, -0.31 units (95% CI: -0.54, -0.08)]. In this proof-of-concept cohort study of children in households with food insecurity, a paediatric primary care-based mobile food pantry program was associated with improvement in child BMIz over 6months.

Zomato: shaping the future of food

Learning outcomes The learning outcomes are as follows: 1. assess and evaluate the challenges affecting a mobile food aggregator platform’s business model and its effect on the customer journey in a developing market; 2. understand the relationship between the different stakeholders on such platform, namely, restaurants, end-users and the platform itself, and its implication on the customer journey; and 3. develop different potential marketing strategies under that business context that can be implemented and replicated in a given emerging market. Case overview/synopsis Zomato is an online restaurant aggregator and food delivery company that provides information, menus and user reviews of restaurants. While Zomato was growing exponentially in terms of number of users and listed restaurants, the platform had to constantly reinvent itself to stay competitive in light of increasingly aggressive competitors that were launching into the different markets it serves. Maya, the country manager of Zomato Lebanon, faced a key dilemma deciding which potential strategy to replicate from head office into the local market that would help her fend off rising competitors while still increasing the size of the market. Complexity academic level This case can be used mainly in senior undergraduate-level business school students. The case can be taught in courses covering marketing and strategy. Supplementary materials Teaching notes are available for educators only. Subject code CSS 8: Marketing.

Using a Mobile Food Pantry to Address the Food Insecurity Needs of College Students

Food insecurity is a prevalent issue throughout the United States, the state of Oklahoma, and on Oklahoma State University’s (OSU) Stillwater campus. Research has shown that college and university students tend to be more food insecure than national population averages and Stillwater’s food insecurity rates have been even higher. Mobile food pantries (MFP) generally have been effective in addressing food insecurity, but few studies have investigated their use to alleviate food insecurity among college students. Our Daily Bread Food and Resource Center (ODB) in Stillwater implemented an MFP on OSU’s campus. The present study surveyed students who utilized the MFP to assess their needs, food security status, and perceptions of the MFP. Of 130 students who answered the food security questions (after receiving their food), more than 83% were classified as food insecure. Respondents agreed that the MFP provided sufficient foods considering nutritional value, variety, diversity, and acceptability. Students were mostly unaware of available food assistance programs but were open to using them. Almost one-third of students reported no grocery or market within walking distance of their residence. Overall, the findings of this study showed a need for an MFP on OSU’s campus.

Visual aesthetics and multisensory engagement in online food delivery services

PurposeThis study aims to investigate the effects of two visual design principles, repetition and compositional lines, in a food image on purchase intention in the context of a mobile food delivery app and test the effect of crossmodal correspondences between vision and taste as a processing mechanism.Design/methodology/approachIn this study, two experiments were conducted using burgers and iced tea as stimuli.FindingsThe results demonstrate that repetition of an identical food product increases visual appeal for both burgers and iced tea. However, the optimal level of repetition was different between the two products. The findings show that different compositional lines generate different levels of visual appeal and the effects of compositional lines vary between burgers and iced tea. The results also validate the serial mediation effects of vision and taste between design principles and purchase intention.Originality/valueThe findings of this study add substantially to the understanding of visual information processing in food retailing by demonstrating how design principles such as repetition and compositional lines facilitate crossmodal responses between vision and taste and influence purchase decisions in a mobile platform. Also this study provides guidance as to how food retailers use design principles (e.g. repetition and compositional lines) for different products effectively when the food retailers develop visual digital content for a mobile app.

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).

Understanding Consumers’ Acceptance Intention to Use Mobile Food Delivery Applications through an Extended Technology Acceptance Model

The rapid growth of the domestic food delivery market has led to intense market competition as the use of delivery applications has grown quickly. This study explored the variables of personal innovativeness, trust, perceived ease of use, perceived usefulness, and intention to use such applications by testing the extended technology acceptance model (ETAM). By using Google Forms, data were collected from 10 May 2022 for a period of two weeks from Koreans who have experience using mobile food delivery applications. A total of 296 responses were used to test the hypotheses. The findings revealed that personal innovativeness had a positive effect on perceived ease of use. Trust was found to positively affect perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use. The variables perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness significantly influenced intention to use food delivery applications. This current research study provides practical implications by suggesting that ease of use with food delivery applications deserves further consideration. It was shown to be a key factor in increasing the intention to use such applications and can help to influence the creation of strategies to enhance continuous usage.

Cross-border food remittances and mobile transfers: The experiences of Zimbabwean migrants in Cape Town, South Africa

Mobile transfers have become a defining feature of cross-border remittance transmission in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). However, recent studies on mobile transfers have mainly focused on cash remittances and need to pay more attention to mobile food transfers. This paper addresses this research gap on mobile food transfers by examining cross-border food remittances and mobile transfers by Zimbabwean migrants residing in Cape Town, South Africa, to their families and friends back home. In this paper, we seek to understand the factors influencing the uptake of digital food remittances by Zimbabwean migrants who have lived in South Africa for at least three years. The paper is based on a mixed research study carried out in Cape Town during the nationwide COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. The mixed-methods study involved a questionnaire survey of 100 Zimbabwean nationals that was complemented by in-depth interviews with 10 participants selected from the interviewed group. The study findings reveal that the national COVID-19 pandemic lockdown disrupted informal food-remitting channels and, at the same time, helped to solidify the digital and mobile food transfers across national borders that have emerged in SSA in recent years.

Gaining loyalty towards mobile food purchasing service: a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic

Gaining loyalty towards mobile food purchasing service: a lesson from the COVID-19 pandemic