IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/wly/sustdv/v34y2026i1p1399-1410.html

Towards the Development of More Sustainable Services: Investigating Functional and Experiential Drivers of Consumer Behavior in Online Food Delivery Market

Author

Listed:
  • Li Huang
  • Ornella Papaluca
  • Mario Tani
  • Azaz Ali Ather Bukhari

Abstract

For service organizations like Online Food Delivery (OFD) services, sustainable development is increasingly becoming a necessity to meet customer expectations while addressing environmental and social sustainability issues. Therefore, these businesses must continuously adapt and innovate, and to do so, it is essential to understand consumer behavior and decision‐making processes to establish sustainable service design. This study investigates the factors influencing the adoption of OFD services by extending TAM (Technology‐Acceptance‐Model) with three key variables: variety of choice, perceived convenience, and frequency of use. The aim of this study is to offer an expanded perspective on TAM that incorporates experiential dimensions and actual behavioral indicators. A quantitative exploratory approach was adopted to test the model among European consumers. The results showed that experiential variables increase understanding of digital behavior and, interestingly, frequency of use depends significantly on behavioral intention. The study has interesting implications for customer journey and understanding user interactions with digital platforms.

Suggested Citation

  • Li Huang & Ornella Papaluca & Mario Tani & Azaz Ali Ather Bukhari, 2026. "Towards the Development of More Sustainable Services: Investigating Functional and Experiential Drivers of Consumer Behavior in Online Food Delivery Market," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 34(1), pages 1399-1410, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:1399-1410
    DOI: 10.1002/sd.70321
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://doi.org/10.1002/sd.70321
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1002/sd.70321?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Rupam Chowdhury, 2023. "Impact of perceived convenience, service quality and security on consumers’ behavioural intention towards online food delivery services: the role of attitude as mediator," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 3(1), pages 1-23, January.
    2. Kapoor, Anuj Pal & Vij, Madhu, 2018. "Technology at the dinner table: Ordering food online through mobile apps," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 342-351.
    3. Ray, Arghya & Dhir, Amandeep & Bala, Pradip Kumar & Kaur, Puneet, 2019. "Why do people use food delivery apps (FDA)? A uses and gratification theory perspective," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 221-230.
    4. Hanan Alhaddi, 2015. "Triple Bottom Line and Sustainability: A Literature Review," Business and Management Studies, Redfame publishing, vol. 1(2), pages 6-10, September.
    5. Yeo, Vincent Cheow Sern & Goh, See-Kwong & Rezaei, Sajad, 2017. "Consumer experiences, attitude and behavioral intention toward online food delivery (OFD) services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 35(C), pages 150-162.
    6. Anderl, Eva & Schumann, Jan Hendrik & Kunz, Werner, 2016. "Helping Firms Reduce Complexity in Multichannel Online Data: A New Taxonomy-Based Approach for Customer Journeys," Journal of Retailing, Elsevier, vol. 92(2), pages 185-203.
    7. Suk Won Lee & Hye Jin Sung & Hyeon Mo Jeon, 2019. "Determinants of Continuous Intention on Food Delivery Apps: Extending UTAUT2 with Information Quality," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-15, June.
    8. Roh, Minjung & Park, Kiwan, 2019. "Adoption of O2O food delivery services in South Korea: The moderating role of moral obligation in meal preparation," International Journal of Information Management, Elsevier, vol. 47(C), pages 262-273.
    9. Vivek Thakur & Shampy Kamboj & Mohd Adil, 2025. "Understanding the Predictors of Sustainable Food Consumption Behavior: A Pathway to Achieving Sustainable Development Goals," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(6), pages 8041-8056, December.
    10. John Hulland, 1999. "Use of partial least squares (PLS) in strategic management research: a review of four recent studies," Strategic Management Journal, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 20(2), pages 195-204, February.
    11. Evropi‐Sofia Dalampira & Stefanos A. Nastis, 2020. "Mapping Sustainable Development Goals: A network analysis framework," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 46-55, January.
    12. Simone Sehnem & Deivsson Souza Bispo & Jacinto Orlando João & Maria Aparecida Lima de Souza & Oscar Bertoglio & Rogério Ciotti & Simone Machado Deon, 2022. "Upscaling circular economy in foodtechs businesses in emergent countries: Towards sustainable development through natural resource based view," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(5), pages 1200-1221, October.
    13. Matthew Keeble & Jean Adams & Gary Sacks & Lana Vanderlee & Christine M. White & David Hammond & Thomas Burgoine, 2020. "Use of Online Food Delivery Services to Order Food Prepared Away-From-Home and Associated Sociodemographic Characteristics: A Cross-Sectional, Multi-Country Analysis," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-17, July.
    14. Charlene Li & Miranda Mirosa & Phil Bremer, 2020. "Review of Online Food Delivery Platforms and their Impacts on Sustainability," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(14), pages 1-17, July.
    15. Wong Ming Wong & Yaobin Wang & Wunhong Su, 2025. "Who will be prosocial consumers? The relationship between environmental value and sustainable consumption," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(1), pages 1157-1173, February.
    16. Viswanath Venkatesh & Fred D. Davis, 2000. "A Theoretical Extension of the Technology Acceptance Model: Four Longitudinal Field Studies," Management Science, INFORMS, vol. 46(2), pages 186-204, February.
    17. Sandile Mkhize & Debbie Ellis, 2024. "Organic consumption as a means to achieve sustainable development goals and agenda 2063," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(5), pages 5181-5192, October.
    18. Charoenchai Agmapisarn & Prapakorn Seetha & Pipatpong Fakfare, 2025. "Optimizing Surplus Food Redistribution: Leveraging Digital Platforms to Advance Sustainable Consumption," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 33(3), pages 3831-3846, June.
    19. Yuxing Shi & Chaoqiong Li & Minjuan Zhao & Guoqing Qin, 2024. "Public willingness to pay for farmland non‐point source pollution governance toward sustainable development: A choice experiment in Gansu, China," Sustainable Development, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 2600-2622, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Nurul Labanihuda Abdull Rahman, 2022. "A Review and Bibliometric Analysis of Online Food Delivery by Using Scopus Database ," GATR Journals jmmr303, Global Academy of Training and Research (GATR) Enterprise.
    2. Shankar, Amit & Dhir, Amandeep & Talwar, Shalini & Islam, Nazrul & Sharma, Piyush, 2022. "Balancing food waste and sustainability goals in online food delivery: Towards a comprehensive conceptual framework," Technovation, Elsevier, vol. 117(C).
    3. Kumar, Sushant & Shah, Arunima, 2021. "Revisiting food delivery apps during COVID-19 pandemic? Investigating the role of emotions," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 62(C).
    4. Sahu, Aditya Kumar & Khan, Mohd Ziyauddin & Gupta, Piyush, 2025. "Instant food on your table: The role of logistics service quality dimensions in the adoption of instant online food delivery services," Transportation Research Part E: Logistics and Transportation Review, Elsevier, vol. 200(C).
    5. Jabbour Al Maalouf, Nada & Sayegh, Elie & Makhoul, Wissam & Sarkis, Nada, 2025. "Consumers' attitudes and purchase intentions toward food ordering via online platforms," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    6. Burlea-Schiopoiu, Adriana & Puiu, Silvia & Dinu, Adina, 2022. "The impact of food delivery applications on Romanian consumers’ behaviour during the COVID-19 pandemic," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 82(PA).
    7. Ding, Ye & Nayga Jr, Rodolfo M. & Zeng, Yinchu & Yang, Wei & Arielle Snell, Heather, 2022. "Consumers’ valuation of a live video feed in restaurant kitchens for online food delivery service," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 112(C).
    8. Fan Cheong & Rob Law, 2022. "Will Macau’s Restaurants Survive or Thrive after Entering the O2O Food Delivery Platform in the COVID-19 Pandemic?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(9), pages 1-19, April.
    9. Syed Rashid Hussain Shah & Sumera Syed & Aliyah S. Buchoon, 2024. "Antecedents of digital transformation of Trinidad’s fast-food industry: an empirical investigation from the untapped Caribbean market," SN Business & Economics, Springer, vol. 4(11), pages 1-24, November.
    10. Mohd Adib Izzat Mohd Nor & Zubaidah Mohd Ali Tan & Mohamad Daim Darson & Akmal Adanan & Saidatul Afzan Abdul Aziz, 2025. "Customer’s Intention to Use Online Food Delivery Services (OFDS) in Penang, Malaysia," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 9(2), pages 4557-4568, February.
    11. Seo, Kyowon & Roh, Taewoo, 2025. "Online and offline delivery qualities: O2O satisfaction and loyalty through technology acceptance model," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 82(C).
    12. Daniel Belanche & Luis V. Casaló & Carlos Flavián & Alfredo Pérez-Rueda, 2021. "The role of customers in the gig economy: how perceptions of working conditions and service quality influence the use and recommendation of food delivery services," Service Business, Springer;Pan-Pacific Business Association, vol. 15(1), pages 45-75, March.
    13. Shahzad, Khuram & Zhang, Qingyu & Zafar, Abaid Ullah & Ashfaq, Muhammad & Rehman, Shafique Ur, 2023. "The role of blockchain-enabled traceability, task technology fit, and user self-efficacy in mobile food delivery applications," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 73(C).
    14. Ou Wang & Federico J. A. Perez-Cueto & Frank Scrimgeour, 2025. "E-commerce food choice in the west: comparing business-to-consumer, online-to-offline food delivery service, and click and collect," Electronic Commerce Research, Springer, vol. 25(5), pages 3559-3587, October.
    15. Anbumathi, Rajendiran & Dorai, Sriram & Palaniappan, Umayal, 2023. "Evaluating the role of technology and non-technology factors influencing brand love in Online Food Delivery services," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    16. Abbasi, Amir Zaib & Qummar, Hamza & Bashir, Shahid & Aziz, Shahab & Ting, Ding Hooi, 2024. "Customer engagement in Saudi food delivery apps through social media marketing: Examining the antecedents and consequences using PLS-SEM and NCA," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 81(C).
    17. Yeo, Sook Fern & Tan, Cheng Ling & Teo, Shen Long & Tan, Kim Hua, 2021. "The role of food apps servitization on repurchase intention: A study of FoodPanda," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 234(C).
    18. Hadiqa Riaz & Vida Davidaviciene & Hassaan Ahmed & Ieva Meidute-Kavaliauskiene, 2022. "Optimizing Customer Repurchase Intention through Cognitive and Affective Experience: An Insight of Food Delivery Applications," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(19), pages 1-22, October.
    19. Iwona Kowalczuk & Dagmara Stangierska & Jerzy Gębski & Agnieszka Tul-Krzyszczuk & Edyta Zmudczyńska, 2021. "Digital Consumers in the Foodservices Market," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(13), pages 1-18, July.
    20. Zhao, Hongying & Liu, Luning, 2025. "The impact of public health policies on online food delivery services in China," Socio-Economic Planning Sciences, Elsevier, vol. 100(C).

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:wly:sustdv:v:34:y:2026:i:1:p:1399-1410. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Wiley Content Delivery (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1002/(ISSN)1099-1719 .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.