CONCEPTUAL ANALYSIS article

Online food shopping: a conceptual analysis for research propositions.

\r\nChi-Fang Liu*

  • Department of Business Administration, Cheng Shiu University, Kaohsiung, Taiwan

Shopping foods online is different from shopping other things online. To stimulate more thinking and enrich potential future research imagination, this paper reviews for online food shopping features, offers a commentary, and proposes future research directions. The propositions include the following: (1) The design and implementation of online food shopping (eco)systems should engage the consumers and other stakeholders to co-create collective and social values; (2) A better fit between technologies’ and food businesses’ natures could generate better applications for online food shopping; (3) A business model with sound finance systems becomes the core of a healthy online food ecosystem; (4) The interaction and transformation between online (virtual) and offline (virtual) food businesses determines the dynamic development of future food shopping.

Introduction

Most studies on online shopping focus on the implications and benefits of e-commerce. This focus is expected to increase as more people are pushed toward shopping online in a bid to avoid crowded shopping malls for fear of contracting the dreaded COVID-19 virus. A gap in the literature, however, is that while the topic is rife with studies detailing how online shopping works, there is limited research on shopping foods online, which is inherently with very different characteristics from buying other kinds of commodities via the World Wide Web. Nonetheless, food is one of the most common products for the mankind, and so are with great impact for human’s online shopping life. A critical analysis for in-depth understanding of the special attributes that online food shopping has can facilitate the construction of a precise (for stakeholders’ needs) and high-quality (for stakeholders’ safety and satisfactions) online food shopping ecosystem. This paper presents a conceptual analysis aimed at explicating the significant themes within the current literature. The review will conduct critical propositions reflected from these studies to propose future research directions. The academic review is significant to both researchers and online food stores as people across the world start embracing online shopping more than ever before.

Background Descriptions

Before beginning the conceptual analysis with literature review, a broader background discussion is needed. Practically, the broader background constitutes: e-commerce platforms, consumer preferences and attitudes, marketing approaches, and packaging and delivery considerations.

E-Commerce Platforms

Silva et al. (2017) define e-commerce platforms as the set of technologies designed to help online businesses to manage their marketing, sales, and operations. Wei’s et al. (2018) study sought to examine the purchase intention of fruits among online shoppers. The authors argue that the past few years have seen the emergence of online purchase platforms for fruits, a trend that has significantly advanced e-commerce development and improved the quality of human life. Although their study sought to investigate consumers’ purchase intention, the results reveal that compared to other products, the e-commerce platforms for fruits did not play a major role in influencing a buyers’ purchase decision. On the contrary, the success of fashion products and electronics is dependent on how online customers perceive their e-commerce platforms ( Huete-Alcocer, 2017 ). For example, customers are less likely to purchase luxury fashion products from a poorly designed website ( Kang et al., 2020 ) and ( Buckley, 2016 ). Thus, while there are limited studies on the differences between buying food and other products online, at least the current studies evidence that e-commerce platforms do not play a significant role in influencing buyers’ purchase decisions.

Consumer Preferences and Attitudes

Kim Dang et al. (2018) study on consumer preference and attitudes regarding online food products examines how the Internet has changed people’s food-buying behaviors. The study is significant because it establishes the underlying consumers’ concerns with regards to food safety information, especially for online food products. Compared to other products, consumer preferences and attitudes toward buying food online differs in that the perceived risks and information quality do not play major roles in influencing their buying behavior ( Li and Bautista, 2019 ; Sanchez-Sabate and Sabaté, 2019 ; Zieliñska et al., 2020 ). Kim Dang et al. (2018) study relies on a cross-sectional study conducted in Hanoi, Vietnam. The findings are reliable as they are based on responses gathered from over 1736 customers through face-to-face interviews. While the preferences and attitudes toward buying food online differ from buying other commodities, Kim Dang et al. (2018) note that the laws governing e-commerce in Vietnam are the same. As such, the findings provide practical advice to online food retailers and the Vietnam government on how to implement appropriate legislation with regards to trading online food products.

Martínez-Ruiz and Gómez-Cantó’s (2016) study emphasizes that using the Internet to seek food service information has now become a common practice among people today. More people than ever before have positive attitudes toward finding information about food online ( Martínez-Ruiz and Gómez-Cantó, 2016 ; Maison et al., 2018 ). Also, people are more likely to search information about food on the Internet than any other product or service ( Hidalgo-Baz et al., 2017 ; Whiley et al., 2017 ; Wong et al., 2018 ). However, Kim Dang et al. (2018) study found that a significant number of consumers were unconcerned about the accuracy of the evidence regarding food safety they found online in selecting food products on the Internet. The conclusions drawn from the current article review produces practical pieces of advice to consumers buying food online as well as the food retailers selling food over the Internet.

Marketing Approaches

Rummo et al. (2020) examine the relationship between youth-targeted food marketing expenditures and the demographics of social media followers. The authors sought to establish the extent to which teenagers follow food brands on Twitter and Instagram by examining the relationships between brands’ youth-targeted marketing practices and the overall percentages of adolescent followers. The study provides evidence showing that unhealthy food brands, especially fast food and sugary drink have more adolescent followers on social media ( Rummo et al., 2020 ). These study results are consistent with Salinas et al. (2014) findings which show that unhealthy food products enjoy a higher market base than the healthy ones. The high percentage of teenage followers is concerning among health experts mainly because most of the advertisements from these companies are biased and do not highlight the unhealthy consequences associated with eating these foods. Compared to other products, food companies are often not required by regulations to highlight their negative consequences ( Salinas et al., 2014 ). For example, cigarette and alcohol companies are mandated to disclose their effects of use on all marketing materials ( Gravely et al., 2014 ). Consequently, with the ubiquitous use of social media by teenagers, young people are more exposed to food and beverage advertising which occurs across multiple digital channels.

The failure to address digital advertising when formulating policies makes it harder to governed youth-targeted food marketing. Food products are often marketed using the general techniques and approaches applied in other products and services. Juaneda-Ayensa et al. (2016) note that food marketing topics such as market segmentation, strategic positioning, test marketing, branding, consumer research, targeting, and market entry strategy are highly relevant. Moreover, food marketing is affected by the major challenges that affect conventional markets such as dealing with perishable products whose availability and quality varies as a function of the current harvest conditions ( Hongyan and Zhankui, 2017 ). However, Topolinski et al. (2015) note that the value chain in food marketing is particularly important because it highlights the extent to which sequential parties within the marketing channel add value to the final product. According to Linder et al. (2018) processing new distribution options often provides additional opportunities available to food marketers to provide the final consumer with convenience. However, when overhead costs such as marketing and processing are added they result in significantly higher costs ( Lou and Kim, 2019 ).

Demographics play an essential role in food marketing almost more than any other product. According to Qobadi and Payton (2017) , food companies must utilize statistical demographics to understand the inherent characteristics of a population. For food marketing purposes, such knowledge can help firms develop a better understanding of the current market place as well as predict future trends ( Isselmann DiSantis et al., 2017 ). For example, with regards to the current market, food companies interested in entering a new market with sports drinks might first study the overall number of people between the ages of 15 and 35, who would constitute a particularly significant market. In such cases, most food companies often prefer shifting their resources toward products consumed by a growing population. As such, the success of the marketing strategy employed by a food company is contingent on how good it studies the demographical makeup of its target market.

Packaging and Delivery Consideration

One of the primary consideration food consumers take into account when making a purchase decision online involves packaging and delivery. According to Chen et al. (2019) , the modern consumer is more interested in food products that utilize sustainable packaging and delivery systems. Hu et al. (2019) add that most customers today are more focused on recyclable packaging systems. Grace (2015) further notes that sustainability is one of the primary sustainability attributes online shoppers look for. For example, over 33% of online consumers believe that packaging and recyclability are more important to them when ordering food items online ( Gutberlet et al., 2013 ). Additionally, 13% of online shoppers cite a lack of packaging information available online, which suggests that there is an existing opportunity for e-retailers to increase their sustainability information ( Quartey et al., 2015 ).

As the world continue grappling with the COVID-19 pandemic, online purchases for fresh food is gradually becoming the norm across the world. As such, food producers must be able to adapt accordingly to take advantage of the emerging market. However, the majority of consumers are still concerned about freshness and food waste ( Yu et al., 2020 ). Unlike in a brick-and-mortar store where shoppers can visibly check the freshness of their produce, this is more difficult with home delivery ( Song et al., 2016 ). Thus, brands must try and opt for packaging that can keep food safe and fresh during transit and displays its freshness to re-assure customers. Moreover, to meet sustainability goals, fresh food brands need to balance the use of more sustainable, recyclable materials, with packaging that continues to extend shelf life and avoid food waste.

Conceptual Analysis for Future Research Propositions

The article review shows that sufficient studies have been conducted on online food shopping. As more people start shopping online, the number of articles on online food shopping is expected to increase. However, despite studies on online food shopping and business models remain rife, there are key gaps in research. These gaps are a result of the majorities of the researchers’ focus on highlighting their perspectives and largely ignore those of the consumers and businesses. Moreover, these studies do not consider crisis (e.g., COVID-19 pandemic) when making these future predictions. The forecasts made about future help in developing a better understanding of the various implications of ordering via mobile apps. Also, it provides a background for examining the emerging technologies in online food ordering. As such, the critical propositions reflected in the literature review propose the following four future research directions.

Value Co-creation With Stakeholders

From a business perspective, getting partners and investors on board is not easy and most restaurants tend to stay away from technology. Thus, the preposition made involves conducting research aimed at developing a better understanding of the customer and business’ perspectives. According to Chen et al. (2018) , setting the commission rates with restaurants is a major problem within the online food industry. Moreover, the majority of startups are depended on restaurants to deliver food at the customer’s doorstep ( Onyeneho and Hedberg, 2013 ). Hwang et al. (2020) argue that relying on technology is not the main focus of a restaurant because preparing food is its main core business. As such, even if an investor trusts a food startup, integrating technology within its business process will always be perceived as a high risk. The lack of sufficient evidence on the business’ perspective toward technology and online platforms make it more difficult for rescuers to tailor their studies to generate crucial insights that help in making better business decisions.

One of the problems identified from the consumer’s perspective is that most of the things mentioned in the online food menus are often not available. Instead, they act as click baits designed to entice online users to continue interacting with their platform and marketing content ( Lara-Navarra et al., 2020 ). In rare cases, some clickbait links often forward online users to pages that require them to make payments, register, or even fill in their payment details. Consequently, a significant communication gap exists between consumers and restaurants while shopping on phone and online. While numerous studies examine the purchase intention of food among online shoppers, few highlight the inherent challenges experienced by consumers as they go about their day.

While it is crucial to investigate both perspectives, more studies need to be conducted on the customer ones. This is because most online businesses often find it difficult to deal with customers, but Ho et al. (2014) note that this is usually because they do not see things from the buyers’ point of view. The authors, however, refutes the popular phrase that “customer is always right” and notes that even when they are completely wrong, they can always win. For example, customers can criticize a business online or even refuse to pay their bills. As such, failing to grasp a customer’s perspective can result in a meltdown with them which is always bad business. It is also essential for future businesses to take into consideration the fact that work is much more enjoyable and profitable when people work alongside the customer rather than against them. Thus, conducting more studies aimed at understanding customers can help develop the necessary recommendations to help businesses see things from their point of view.

One of the ways future studies can explore to better understand the customer’s perspective involves exploring the issues related to empathy. Charles et al. (2018) note that empathy does note naturally to most people but it reinforces one’s ability to understand and share the feelings of a customer by placing themselves in their shoes. Future studies should highlight how online businesses can ask questions about how their current and potential customers would feel in different circumstances. Also, future studies must examine how well online businesses can listen to their customers. Afshar Jahanshahi and Brem (2018) notes that the first step in customer relations involves actively listen to them. Finally, future studies must be able to provide recommendations on how online food businesses can grow trust and show respect to their customers. The prepositions made with regards to the business and customers’ perspective provides the background information for future studies. Also, bridging the current research gaps will help business adopt a more effective online model that maximizes customer satisfaction when purchasing foods. Based on the discussions above, this article suggests the following proposition to both identify the gap in the literature and the corresponding future research directions.

Proposition 1: the design and implementation of online food shopping (eco)systems should engage the consumers and other stakeholders to co-create collective and social values.

Technological Nature

Although smartphone apps provide an efficient way to replace the conventional methods of ordering food through a phone call, there lacks sufficient evidence on the implications of placing orders through them. A partial but potentially important reason is the lack of in-depth and broader understanding of the technology per se . Mobile ordering apps have caused a significant change in food delivery and pickup business ( Onyeneho and Hedberg, 2013 ). With more and more retailers and restaurants adopting these technologies, the modern consumer is willing to place fewer delivery and pickup orders through their phones. Instead, they are now opting to utilize mobile apps. Studies aimed at exploring the implications of food delivery apps help in establishing whether it is hurting or assisting the business. Thus, as a restaurant owner, one has to be careful with regards to utilizing third-party services to do business. For instance, apps such as Uber Eats have endless possibilities as they make delivery faster, for both the customers and the business. However, future studies must examine the potential disadvantages to using such third-party services. Firstly, the added cost of a food delivery app may be prohibitive to most customers. For example, the cost of using services like Uber Eats changes how businesses price their meals. In the end, customers are likely to end up paying more. Thus, future studies have to consider this fact when developing recommendations on how businesses can use food delivery apps without undermining their financial positions. Also, these studies will help show how customers are likely to react to a price surges.

Subsequent studies on the implications of ordering food through mobile apps should also focus on the issues relating to control and accountability. Cecchi and Cavinato (2019) note that some customers have complained about being unable to control the food ordering process. For example, once the customer’s food is in the possession of the Uber driver, there is little left for them to do, which is perceived as a bad thing. Also, Isoni Auad et al. (2018) note that customers lack control over how their drivers handle their food. One of the consequences of being unable to control the process is that when a customer’s food is mishandled or ends up late, the restaurant is the one that is held accountable. Finally, with regards to the implications, future studies must monitor their third party service to safeguard their brand’s reputation. As such, subsequent studies need to ensure that they highlight the importance of maintaining an effective brand image. Mao et al. (2018) recommend online food businesses to monitor how long it takes their delivery people to transport their customers’ food to establish whether it is being handled with the necessary care it deserves. However, more studies are required to highlight the customer’s grievance which can easily fall on the businesses when the delivery issues are ignored.

Despite the various implications of using mobile apps to order food online, there are numerous benefits associated with online models. As such, as the growth of online applications continues, the subsequent studies need to add to the existing literature on the benefits businesses are likely to accrue from adopting such technologies. According to Li et al. (2020) , this trend is a result of the numerous benefits associated with using the apps compared to the conventional methods of shopping over the phone or waiting in line. These benefits are 2-fold, they include benefits to the consumer and the restaurants. Firstly, there are numerous consumer benefits of using mobile ordering apps to purchase food.

Consumers across the world are downloading mobile ordering apps at lightning speed. For example, When Chick-fil-A, one of the largest American fast food restaurant chains, released its first official app, it reached first place in the app store in only 3 days after it was launched. Mayordomo-Martínez et al. (2019) note that these apps are popular for four main reasons. Firstly, customers feel that no one is waiting in line or getting put on hold. Secondly, customers can pick up food on the go. Thirdly, customers get the whole menu right at their fingertips, including items they may not have known existed. Finally, most restaurants award patrons’ loyalty reward points. In most cases, these points are easy to track directly through applications and lead to big savings if the customer order frequently.

The restaurant benefits from the mobile ordering apps too. While these apps may be created for the customer, they achieve some important objectives that can greatly help out the restaurant or retail store as well ( Ferguson and Solo-Gabriele, 2016 ). For example, they can handle more orders as is the case with Chipotle, an American chain of fast-casual restaurants, which claims that it is capable of processing six additional orders every hour when placed through a mobile app ( Ferguson and Solo-Gabriele, 2016 ). Moreover, customers are more likely to spend more through an ordering app than in person because they have more time to decide since the entire menu is in front of them and they typically want to score more reward points. Based on the discussion above, this article made the propositions as follow.

Proposition 2: A better fit between technologies’ and food businesses’ natures could generate better applications for online food shopping.

New Business Models and Finance Systems

Although numerous studies have highlighted the various emerging trends in buying food online, most were conducted before the COVID-19 pandemic. As such, future studies need to capture how the pandemic has affected the online ordering industry. Such studies will provide the insights necessary to help the business withstand emerging competition as well as keep up with the ever-changing customer demands and the latest trends and technological advancements. Wang et al. (2020) note that the various responses to the COVID-19 global pandemic will shape the online food delivery industry in 2020 and beyond. Thus, future studies need to identify and critically examine the top online food shopping trends that customers and businesses must remain aware of.

For the better part of the year 2020, global cities have become deserted and shopping malls closed. The restaurant sector is one of the most affected as people are recommended to maintain social distancing and remain at home. As the Coronavirus continue spreading across the world, the pandemic is projected to have more economic implications than undermine global health. Thus, future studies must offer people a glimpse of how lockdowns will affect the online food industry, which is hailed as the future in the restaurant sector. However, even at the current stage of the Covid-19 pandemic lifecycle, several lessons are already emerging from China with regards to how people can cope with the commercial and social disruptions. For example, the pandemic is a key driver for digital technologies.

There are three areas that future studies need to focus on. They include the emergence of digitally enabled delivery systems and consumer comfort with the online food sector. Firstly, the prevalence of digitally enabled delivery systems is expected to grow in the coming years. As such, studies are needed to develop a better understanding of how these online delivery systems will affect the food industry. For example, since the COVID-19 pandemic began, more people than ever before purchase their groceries and other food items online ( Hua and Shaw, 2020 ; Zhang and Ma, 2020 ). This is mainly a result of the growing deployment of digital technologies across the country in an attempt to limit interactions among people and mitigate the spread of the virus. Secondly, subsequent studies must examine the factors affecting consumer comfort within the online world. It is projected that in the next decade, online platforms will transform people’s purchasing behaviors, especially with regards to acquiring food items. Thus, studies are needed to help businesses identify the existing opportunities and mitigate the main threats likely to undermine growth within the online food ordering business. Last but not least, more detailed academic investigation and practical development of payment mechanisms are needed. By its nature, payment mechanisms deal with technological development of payment methods and techniques that constantly try to improve user convenience and experiences of payments. Hence, existing discussions/examinations relied heavily on technical aspects of payment mechanisms (or schemes). However, technologies in business world can generate implications beyond technical dimension, but also in the social, cultural, psychological, and/or even political dimensions (e.g., Yang et al., 2012 ; Koenig-Lewis et al., 2015 ; Nelms et al., 2017 ; Verhoef et al., 2019 ). Hence, interdisciplinary works, either conceptual or empirical, can contribute to the literature for analyzing on more complex dynamics of online payment – not just about the technology/system per se , but also about the ecosystem composed of human, system, and knowledge in it. In sum, the discussions in this section emphasize the importance of business models with high-quality finance (e.g., payment) systems. This article makes the following proposition.

Proposition 3: A business model with sound finance systems becomes the core of a healthy online food ecosystem.

Online-Offline Interactions and Transformations

Shopping food online is viewed by most researchers as one of the biggest disruptions in the supermarket and grocery business models. From smaller stores to fewer discounts and more service and robots, these are just a few of the changes brought about by online platforms ( Kuss and Griffiths, 2011 ). The problem is that few studies are examining whether new disruptions will continue emerging or whether the online food sector has reached maturity. Such studies are necessary because they will help manufacturers and retailers react accordingly. These studies can focus on trying to understand how consumers can purchase food in the future, which can be online or in physical stores or from larger or smaller stores. Some of the research questions can focus on establishing whether future customers will continue buying to take dine at home or consume right on the spot.

Despite the numerous uncertainties, with regards to brick-and-mortar stores, Burgoine et al. (2017) note that they may survive even with the growth and prevalence of online businesses. As such, future studies must explore how changes in e-commerce will affect shoppers and online businesses. Such studies are essential because the current findings on consumer behavior seem to suggest that customers prefer interacting at a physical store by seeing, smelling, and even touching products they find there. Moreover, there is an immediate satisfaction when a customer picks up something. The insights generated from such studies can help retailers establish the inherent need to focus their attention on emotional elements as well as create unique experiences.

Studies focused on making future forecasting will help in understanding how online food platforms can achieve the social roles enjoyed by supermarkets. Otten et al. (2017) note that supermarkets increasingly place their shopper firsts and tap into their individual needs in an attempt to mitigate the rising competition from online shopping. As such, studies must thoroughly analyze the existing demographic data to make future predictions on whether the online food ordering platforms can ever enjoy the same social roles which are currently the precincts of supermarkets. Finally, a sufficient number of studies have predicted that artificial intelligence and robots are likely to take over the responsibilities of human beings within the online food sector. However, while most of these studies make future predictions, they do not take into account how automation and artificial intelligence will help online supermarkets to become more efficient. Thus, subsequent studies should establish a balance between human interaction and automation. This article makes the following proposition according to the discussions here.

Proposition 4: The interaction and transformation between online (virtual) and offline (virtual) food businesses determines the dynamic development of future food shopping.

The majority of studies examining online food shopping have provided sufficient evidence highlighting both the implications and benefits of e-commerce. However, most of these studies generalize all forms of online shopping and ignore the fact that shopping foods online is inherently different from buying other commodities. As such, the comprehensive academic review conducted helps at explicating the significant themes within the current literature. Hence, the critical propositions that reflected from these studies help in proposing the following four future research directions. They include conducting studies to highlight the customer and business’ perspectives, making future predictions, understanding the implications of ordering via mobile apps, and examining the emerging technologies in online food ordering. The academic review and prepositions made are significant to both researchers and online food stores as people across the world start embracing online shopping more than ever before.

Theoretical Implications

To generate theoretical implications in a more holistic and comprehensive level, this article focuses on the inter-relationships between the four propositions derived after our conceptual analysis. To recall, the four propositions are inherently about: engaging stakeholders to co-create values, in-depth understanding of technological natures, well-designed business models and finance systems, and online-offline dynamics. One suggestion for future research directions is to develop a holistic-view, often qualitative investigation of a online food shopping ecosystem that composes of interested stakeholders operating with diverse technological sets embedded in well-designed business models that simultaneously incorporate concerns of both online and offline developments of food shopping. Complexity is a point to be explored but is often oversimplified if we could not take a eco-systematic perspective and analyze for both qualitative-quantitative data sources. For a better theoretical development and practical design, the complexity of a food shopping ecosystem can help identify research questions, sketch phenomenon structures and elements, as well as specify heterogeneous interests for policy making. Following this point, another suggestion for future research directions is to address established issues/research questions through cross-disciplinary explorations. As has been discussed, complexity characterizes modern food shopping system, especially the online one. To explore in-depth knowledge of complexity, single disciplinary system of thoughts might limit the imaginations one can create. A cross-discipline approach for studies on online food shopping can both offer fresh explanations for unanswered questions or that in tension, and also help identifying unnoticed phenomenon for further exploration.

Practical Implications

For online retailers, conceptual analyses and the four resulting propositions can generate practical implications too. First, when designing a online food shopping business/system, practitioners need to adopt an ecosystem viewpoint to prevent incomplete thinking and ignorance of any stakeholder’s opinion. Second, practitioners need to take care of the interfaces between the virtual and physical sub-systems even if it is an online food shopping ecosystem. By considering the interfaces between the sub-systems, not just connection and coordination works would be cared about, but also transformation work should be articulated. For example, the transformation of values in the process flows between material (e.g., food products), informational/technological (safety labels; blockchain applications in supply chain communications; human-machines interface in online purchase procedures, etc.), financial (budgeting; pricing; payment, etc.), human (i.e., stakeholders), and other sub-systems should be implemented with a fully consistent and engaging logic.

Limitations

In nature, a conceptual analysis is done without empirical and original data collection. However, this article has tried to avoid such inherent limitation by conducting the conceptual analysis with as many practical examples as possible. Additionally, our analysis focuses on the online shopping for foods only. Future studies can also take a similar approach but discuss other characterized industries, such as online shopping for precious metals, intangible services, and so on. Also, our focus on food is limited to foods in general. Future studies can be more detailed, by characterizing more for different food categories (e.g., organic vs. non-organic foods).

Author Contributions

C-FL was the major author of this article. C-HL reviewed and revised the manuscript. Both authors contributed to the article and approved the submitted version.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

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Keywords : online food shopping, conceptual analysis, future research, propositions, theory and practice

Citation: Liu C-F and Lin C-H (2020) Online Food Shopping: A Conceptual Analysis for Research Propositions. Front. Psychol. 11:583768. doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2020.583768

Received: 15 July 2020; Accepted: 26 August 2020; Published: 16 September 2020.

Reviewed by:

Copyright © 2020 Liu and Lin. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY) . The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) and the copyright owner(s) are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.

*Correspondence: Chi-Fang Liu, [email protected]

Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.

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Innovation in online food delivery: Learnings from COVID-19

Diana gavilan.

a ESIC Business & Marketing School, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

Adela Balderas-Cejudo

b ESIC Business & Marketing School, Basque Culinary Center, Spain

Susana Fernández-Lores

Gema martinez-navarro.

c Department of Management & Marketing, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced some restaurants to shift their business models to innovative approaches in Online Food Delivery (OFD) services. This paper seeks to study the impact of innovations on OFD –new product/services– that aim to enhance the experiential value when ordering food online. Moreover, this paper analyses the willingness to order food delivery online during the COVID-19 pandemic. An experimental design survey was therefore used. The participants assessed one out of four OFD innovation options, its experiential value, and their own willingness to order it. Participants' fear of COVID-19 was measured and used as a moderator variable. A conditional process analysis was used to reveal that innovation in the OFD business can increase the experiential value for the consumer, but this effect should be examined in light of customers’ fear of COVID-19. Managerial implications and future research lines are suggested.

1. Introduction

Some restaurants are altering their business models by implementing rapid innovation in order to confront the changes and challenges of the coronavirus pandemic and to match the demands of this unprecedented scenario. Among the wide range of types of innovation ( Damanpour 1996 ), restaurants are changing their OFD offerings by improving product presentations and by providing new services and/or products.

The OFD business has emerged as a relevant channel to reach customers and provide them with higher quality services in these times ( Alalwan, 2020 ) and is playing a major role in sustaining business. The main advantage of this type of service is that, besides simplifying the ordering process for both the consumer and the restaurant ( Chavan et al., 2015 ) in times of social distancing, it offers restaurants alternative income, retains customers, and enhances customer experience by providing new delivery channels.

OFD has now become more than just a utilitarian alternative when it comes to food consumption. Restaurants are innovating to offer experiential OFD options. However, little is known about this challenge and the role that fear of COVID-19 contagion plays in the decision-process so as to properly understand consumer behaviour.

This paper aims to study the impact of OFD innovation on new products and services, which aim to enhance the experiential value of OFD and the consumers' willingness to order during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the level of meal preparation ( Costa et al., 2007 ) and according to the trends observed in the OFD business ( Keeble et al., 2020 ), three options of innovation in OFD were suggested by a panel of hospitality experts. Each meal option innovates in the product/service to address the challenges posed by the coronavirus pandemic by increasing consumers’ experiential value. This issue is addressed in a survey experiment with four experimental delivery conditions.

This paper is divided into four parts. First, a literature review of the current state of OFD, the experiential value of OFD and the influence of COVID-19 on consumer behaviour, are explored, leading to the formulation of the hypotheses. Second, the methodology to verify the hypotheses is described. The results obtained are then presented. The paper ends with a discussion of the results, the theoretical and professional implications, the limitations of the study, and future research prospects in the field are provided.

2. Literature review of online food delivery in the COVID-19 era

In the sector today, OFD practices include a wider range of products and services: from ready-to-eat meals to raw ingredients that the consumer receives along with the recipe to cook the meal at home ( Forbes, 2020 ).

Literature in OFD has focused on the study of attitudes and perceptions ( Jang et al., 2011 ; Kang and Namkung, 2019 ; Kimes, 2011 ), and the consumer experience, satisfaction, and loyalty generated when the offering exceeds the customer's expectation ( Suhartanto et al., 2019 ; Yeo et al., 2017 ).

OFD services offer advantages to both the business owners and their customers ( See-Kwong et al., 2017 ). OFD services grant consumers easy and effective access to food from a wide range of restaurants at different times and various locations ( Chai and Yat, 2019 ; Gupta and Paul, 2016 ; Yeo et al., 2017 ). Moreover, it provides customers with more comprehensive, up-to-date, and accurate information regarding restaurants, menu options, customers’ prior experiences through online reviews and online rating, or even monitors their orders and the progress of those orders ( Alalwan, 2020 ). The availability of online delivery service technology enables the restaurant industry to improve order accuracy, increase productivity, enhance customer relationship ( Kimes, 2011 ), and expand their market ( See-Kwong et al., 2017 ; Yeo et al., 2017 ). Thus, the ubiquitous use of the internet and mobile phones has triggered a flourishing OFD business, which is still on the rise ( Cho et al., 2019 ; Jang et al., 2011 ; Kang and Namkung, 2019 ). Nevertheless, some authors have warned about disadvantages of OFD such as increased expense, share sales revenue with delivery providers or packaging delivery defect ( Chai and Yat, 2019 ).

2.1. Experiential value in the context of OFD

Holbrook and Hirschman (1982) stressed that consumption has an experiential dimension. Consumers are looking for sensory stimulation; they want to have fun and a memorable experience. Experiential value refers to the aesthetic and experience-based enjoyment that results from the entire purchase decision-process, from need recognition, shopping, consumption, to post-purchase behaviour ( Mort and Rose, 2004 ). The experiential value does not replace the traditional utilitarian perspective. Rather, it works as an extension of the latter.

Prior research on OFD has shown that the enjoyment of the process of buying standard online food provides emotional arousal and experiential value ( Suhartanto et al., 2019 ; Yeo et al., 2017 ). Thus, experiential value results from the process and not from the act of consumption. Nevertheless, in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are considering OFD from a new perspective. Apart from the utilitarian criteria of comfort, ease, and convenience, which remain important, consumers are seeking the experience that they are afraid to enjoy in a restaurant. Innovation should be aimed at deepening the experiential value of OFD in order to fulfil these new restaurant consumers’ needs.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, OFD consumers who were already a fan of experiences are being seduced by premium offers. They expect sensory stimulation and are looking for emotional arousal ( Nielsen, 2020 ). Shifting restaurant consumption to OFD in the home environment needs, now more than ever before, to be a memorable experience.

Innovation to raise the experiential value in the context of OFD can focus on emotions, such as the surprise triggered by the sophisticated packaging of a quality meal and its unboxing; the pleasure elicited by the immersive experience of recreating a restaurant at the host's house, or the praise levied on the host by guests for a delicious meal, resulting in the feeling of pride over a meal that is effortlessly prepared with the delivery of and the recipe for cooking the ingredients.

Thus, when OFD provides a seamless culinary experience, customers are more willing to order online delivery food. Accordingly, the following mediation hypothesis is proposed:

The impact of innovation on the willingness to order online delivery food is mediated by the perceived experiential value.

2.2. Fear of COVID-19 and OFD

Lockdown measures, prompted by health crises and the associated economic damage, can provoke a sense of collective hysteria, fear, anxiety, and uncertainty and reduce social contact among consumers ( Ahmed et al., 2020 ).

While the COVID-19 pandemic ensues, the future is uncertain and concerns over what will happen next are plaguing everyone. New habits learnt during lockdown will remain afterwards. These include a preference for isolation, the choice to have a smaller, more intimate circle of friends, greater awareness of the presence of germs in public areas, and more home entertainment. However, consumers are also looking forward to regaining certain rewarding aspects of their lives. At this time, consumers miss socialization and contact with friends and family that usually takes place over food. For instance, consumers in Spain stand out for their intense contact with friends and family (76%) and for their desire to regain physical contact (51%) ( Mindshare, 2020 ).

Meeting peers around a table of food goes beyond the mere act of satiating one's appetite and acquires a socializing dimension. Eating is an experience that transcends food. We eat to enjoy the company, strengthen our social bonds and obtain gratification by sharing moments and experiences with others. Convivial is used to describe this ( Phull et al., 2015 ). Going to a restaurant makes for an exciting experience ( Dixit, 2020 ), filled with pleasure, and which provides a sense of personal well-being. This is especially visible in cultures such as the Mediterranean one ( Poole and Blades, 2013 ).

Despite the fact that restaurants have become the core of social life ( Gustafsson et al., 2006 ), customers have begun to experience mixed feelings in that regard as the COVID-19 pandemic continues. 67% of consumers feel that they would be more likely to meet at home or virtually rather than at a bar, and 65% say they are more likely to order food online from a restaurant than to dine there ( WWD Business News, 2020 ).

The fear of COVID-19 may influence the way consumers enjoy restaurants ( Zwanka and Buff, 2020 ), as they are more concerned about safety in terms of health and hygiene and awareness of which ingredients are used in dishes, where they come from, how they are prepared, and who prepares them. The OFD service is therefore used to shift consumption to safer, more controlled environments, such as the home ( Rabobank, 2020 ). Thus, based on previous research, we have formulated the following moderation hypothesis:

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fear of COVID-19 moderates the willingness to order online delivery food.

Fig. 1 represents the research model proposed.

Fig. 1

Research model.

3. Methodology

Based on the level of meal preparation ( Costa et al., 2007 ) and according to the trends observed in the OFD sector ( Keeble et al., 2020 ), a panel of experts in hospitality, restaurants and OFD — four restaurant owners, four academics, and three consultants – suggested three innovative OFD options that could increase consumers’ experiential value. First, a sophisticated box with a gourmet menu featuring high-quality ingredients based on the Spanish Coquettogo from Coquettobar (coquettobar.com/delivery.php) would be used. The delivery box would include a letter alongside the instructions to end-cook the recipe. Every item of food would be carefully packed and, thus, the client would enjoy the surprise of unboxing a luxury experience. We will refer to this option as unboxing. The second was catering for small dinners at home, staffed by a chef with the British Dineindulge ( www.dineindulge.co.uk/ ), a go-to destination concept. This would provide an immersive experience at home. We will refer to this option as home chef. The third innovative proposal was inspired by the Mexican restaurant Bello Puerto that delivers the ingredients sealed and refrigerated, along with instructions from the chef ( www.bellopuertoencasa.com/ ). This option comprised a meal box with fresh, high-quality ingredients, delivered with the recipe to prepare a dinner for the number of guests. The host would feel pride in providing them an excellent dinner in a controlled setting. We will refer to this option as a DIY meal kit. In addition, we selected a standard delivery option as the control condition consisting of an Asian meal with no innovation in either the food or the service. We conducted a between-subjects design survey to compare each of the three innovative delivery options (unboxing, home chef, and DIY meal kit) with a standard delivery option to test the influence of innovation in OFD on experiential value at the consumption stage and its further effect on the willingness to order online delivery food during the COVID-19 pandemic.

3.2. Questionnaire design and data collection

The questionnaire had three sections: contextualization, scales to rate the stimulus and the general data of participants.

Participants were initially informed that the study was to research OFD during the COVID-19 pandemic. The participants were asked to read a brief description to set the study in context: they were supposedly hosting a dinner party at home with friends after the COVID-19 lockdown. After thinking about what their friends would like to eat and searching the Internet, they would receive the food they had ordered (stimulus) at home at the appointed time. See Appendix I .

A professional photographer designed the layout of the pictures depicting the four stimuli to help the participants understand the delivery option they were supposed to enjoy. This helped us to provide very realistic pictures, presenting the food delivery option and with a brief description of the offering.

Participants were allowed to view the picture for as long as they wanted. Each participant had to then answer several questions about the innovativeness of the delivery option, the utilitarian and experiential value they perceived in the delivery option, and their willingness to order this online delivery food. Finally, participants answered questions related to their fear of COVID-19, psycho-sociodemographic data and past behaviour.

The questionnaire was examined by a panel of experts to ensure content validity. It was further tested in a group of 20 target participants to verify the clarity of the questions and gain feedback on the length of the questionnaire.

Data collection took place from May 25th to June 3rd. Filling in the questionnaire required between 5 and 8 min. The task was self-paced.

3.3. Measurement scales

The measurement scales were selected and adapted after a thorough review of the literature. The independent variable comprised the four online delivery service options described (standard delivery, unboxing, home chef, and DIY meal kit). The mediator variable was the experiential value of the delivery option, measured using 4-items adapted from Otto and Ritchie (1996) . Fear of COVID-19 was included in the model as a moderator variable, measured using 4-items adapted from Ahorsu et al. (2020) . The dependent variable was the willingness to order the specific online delivery food showed when inviting friends over for dinner, measured using 3-items adapted from Han et al. (2019) . Finally, two variables were included to check the manipulation of the independent variable. The first was the perceived innovation of the delivery food showed, measured using 2-items adapted from Zhao et al. (2009) , and the second was the utilitarian value of the delivery option, measured using 3-items adapted from Ryu et al. (2010) . All responses were measured using a 5-point Likert scale, ranging from “strongly disagree = 1” to “strongly agree = 5”. All scales displayed acceptable reliability levels ( Nunnally, 1978 ) (See Table 1 ).

Variables, items, and scales used.

3.4. Sample

The participants in the experiment were a convenience sample recruited from social media sites ( Mullinix et al., 2015 ) of Spanish subjects (N = 207), aged between 18 and 70 (mean age: 48 years old). Participants were randomly assigned to one of the four experimental conditions (standard delivery, unboxing, home chef, and DIY meal kit). Cell sizes ranged from 50 to 54. The study was conducted through a web survey ( Schonlau et al., 2002 ) (See Table 2 ).

Sample profile.

The participants were looking forward to meeting their friends and relatives, since lockdown had been a sad and lonely experience for everyone. Spanish customers love visiting restaurants (8.3 over 10) and prefer them over OFD (5.5 over 10). Moreover, their willingness to spend money when going to a restaurant is greater than when ordering online food.

4. Data analysis and results

The 16 items of the scales were subjected to a principal component analysis (PCA). The KMO value was 0.853, and Bartlett's Test of Sphericity was significant ( p  < .000). The number of extracted factors with eigenvalues equal to or greater than one was five. All the items were assessed on the appropriate factor, with factor loadings higher than 0.6. Reliability was measured with Cronbach's alpha = .851 ( Nunnally, 1978 ). The scales were summed and averaged to form several indices according to their dimensions (EXPERIENTIAL_V, W_ORDER, F_COVID, INNOVATION, and UTILITARIAN_V).

4.1. Manipulation check

Prior to the analysis, a manipulation check of the independent variable was conducted in order to prove that the alleged innovation of the delivery options was perceived in that way. Additionally, we tested that the innovation of the delivery options added experiential value while preserving the utilitarian value. Finally, we tested that there were no significant differences between groups based on their level of fear of COVID-19.

A multivariate general linear model (GLM) was run on INNOVATION, UTILITARIAN_V, and F_COVID in order to check the manipulations of the independent variable. The participants exposed to any of the innovative delivery options rated its perceived innovation significantly higher (M unboxing  = 3.74, SD = 0.85; M home chef  = 3.85, SD = 1.11; M DIY meal kit  = 3.57, SD = 1.04) compared to those exposed to the standard delivery option (M = 2.95, SD = 1.02) ( F (3,203) = 8.008, p  < .000). We used Sidak's test for pairwise comparison. The perceived innovation of standard delivery was significantly different from every innovative delivery option used in the experiment: unboxing ( p  < .00), home chef ( p  < .000), and DIY meal kit ( p  < .05). However, there were no significant differences among the innovative delivery options ( p  > .05 in all conditions).

The utilitarian value of each experimental condition (M unboxing  = 3.97, SD = 0.79; M home chef  = 3.73, SD = 0.94; M DIY meal kit  = 3.53, SD = 1.03; M standard  = 4.04, SD = 0.78, F (3,203) = 3.458, p  < 0.05) revealed significant main effect of the utilitarian value. However, Sidak's test for pairwise comparison showed that the difference to be only significant between the DIY meal kit and standard delivery ( p  < .05). This could be explained by the fact that the need for cooking requires an extra amount of effort.

Regarding fear of COVID-19, there was no significant difference among the groups ( F (3,203) = 1.392, p  > .05). Fig. 2 provides a summary of this initial result.

Fig. 2

Means of the variables to check experimental conditions.

4.2. Conditional process analysis

We tested H1 and H2 using SPSS version 22.0 with Model 5 in the PROCESS v3 macro ( Hayes, 2018 ). The mediation analysis was based on 5000 bootstrap samples, with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

The independent variable was the online delivery option. This variable was multicategorical and coded whether the option in OFD was (1) the control condition (standard delivery), (2) the unboxing condition, (3) the home chef condition, or (4) the DIY meal kit condition. We used an indicator coding system to dummy code the independent variable; therefore, the control condition acts as the baseline group. Three dummy variables were constructed to code the experimental condition (X). D1 captured the effect of condition 2 vs condition 1. D2 captured the effect of condition 3 vs condition 1, and D3 captured the effect of condition 4 vs condition 1. Experiential value was used as a mediator variable; the willingness to order food online was the dependent variable, and fear of Covid-19 was the moderator variable.

Mediation analysis

H1 proposed a mediation effect of the customers’ perceived experiential value in the relationship between the different options of delivery and the willingness to order online delivery food when inviting friends over for dinner.

The results showed that the independent variable—the delivery options—had a significant relative positive effect on the perceived experiential values ( a 1 , a 2, and a 3; p  < .05). The individuals assigned to the more innovative delivery conditions showed higher perceived experiential values than those assigned to a standard delivery offer, with the DIY option (4) being the option that exerted a stronger influence. See Table 3 .

Coefficients for the mediation model.

The perceived experiential value, in turn, had a significant positive effect on the willingness to order online food when inviting friends over for dinner ( b  = 0.531, p  < .000). This result suggests that when perceived experiential value increases, consumers tend to show a higher willingness to order food to have dinner at home when inviting friends over.

The relative direct effect between the independent variable and the willingness to order online food, not attributable to the perceived experiential values, was also significant.

Finally, the relative indirect effects of the catering service option on the willingness to order food via the mediator were also significant. See Table 4 .

Coefficients of the relative indirect effects of the mediation model.

When taken together, the mediation model indicates that the effect of all different delivery services options on the willingness to order food is mediated by the perceived experiential value. Based on these results, H1 is supported.

Moderation analysis

In H2 , we predicted that the fear of COVID-19 moderates the influence of the different delivery options on the intention of ordering online food when inviting friends over for dinner.

Prior to conducting the moderation analysis, the moderator variable was mean-centred. Table 5 shows the coefficient of the relative conditional effects, standard errors, p -values, and other model summary information referring to the moderation effect.

Model coefficients for the relative moderation analysis.

D1, D2, D3, and W represent the relative conditional direct effects of the delivery options on the intention to order food.

The results depicted in Table 4 show that not all delivery options behave similarly in terms of intention to order food online, depending on the participants’ fear of COVID-19.

Unboxing vs. standard delivery option: Customers offered the unboxing option as compared to those who were offered the standard delivery option (D1) were more willing to order food online from a catering service. Yet, this effect was marginally significant ( p  = .050). However, as consumers reported more fear of COVID-19, the willingness to order the unboxing option increased significantly ( p  = .004) compared to the standard delivery option. This result suggests that the direct effect of being offered the unboxing delivery option vs. the standard one is dependent on the fear of COVID-19. See Fig. 3 .

Fig. 3

Relative conditional effect of D1 (unboxing vs. control) × Fear of COVID-19 on the willingness to order.

Home chef vs. standard delivery option : When comparing the delivery options of home chef vs. the standard delivery option (D2), we found that there was a significant difference in the willingness to order food online when consumers’ fear of COVID-19 is low ( p  = .228).

However, when comparing the willingness to order between the home chef condition and the standard delivery condition among customers with high fear of COVID-19, the difference was not significant ( p  = .004). Therefore, the moderating effect of the fear of COVID-19 in this situation exerts the opposite influence to that of the unboxing option. See Fig. 4 .

Fig. 4

Relative conditional effect of D2 (home chef vs. control) × Fear of COVID-19 on the willingness to order.

DIY home kit: Interestingly, customers were more willing to order a DIY meal kit than a standard delivery condition; however, the fear of COVID-19 did not exert a moderation effect in this condition.

Furthermore, when comparing the delivery options of DIY meal kit vs . the standard delivery option (D3), results showed that the fear of COVID-19 did not exert a moderating effect. See Fig. 5 .

Fig. 5

Relative conditional effect of D3 (DIY meal kit vs. control) × Fear of COVID-19 on the willingness to order.

Based on the results, H2 was partially supported. Fear of COVID-19 exerted a moderation influence on consumers’ willingness to order innovative online delivery food.

5. Discussion, implications, and limitations

The COVID-19 pandemic has adversely impacted the restaurant industry and the industry is pivoting to stay afloat during this pandemic.

This research examined the effect of innovation in OFD aimed at increasing the perceived experiential value on the willingness to order innovative online delivery food, together with as the moderating role that fear of COVID-19 can play on the willingness to order these innovative options. The results show that OFD is a broad category that is not restricted to the convenience segment of ready-to-eat food. Innovation in OFD can increase the experiential value evolving toward a ready-to-enjoy concept, thereby influencing consumers' purchasing decisions. The impact of COVID-19 on society influences users’ willingness to order.

The findings of this study show that while innovation may increase the experiential value of a delivery option, the fear of COVID-19 will still influence consumers’ decision in various ways. Fear can be seen to favour choice in the case of the unboxing option. Although consumers may prefer to dine with friends in a restaurant rather than at home, such an attractive option becomes even more attractive when fear of COVID-19 increases.

In contrast, the influence of fear is reversed in the case of home chef, which has a high experiential value. The results suggest that the fear of contagion may extend to the fear of allowing strangers into one's home (despite following rigorous safety, cleaning, and sanitation protocols). Thus, in this situation, fear discourages the intention to order.

The DIY meal kit condition is the only option for which the experiential value increases with respect to the standard delivery, but the utility value decreases. The increase in the experiential value favours the decision to buy, but the fear of the COVID-19 does not exert a significant influence with respect to this option. It seems that other factors, which are perhaps related to the perception of the utilitarian value, would provide a deeper explanation of the intention to opt for this option.

This research has several academic implications. First, this study helps to demonstrate how innovation brings experiential value to OFD. Furthermore, it sheds some light and broadens knowledge on COVID-19 when it comes to consumer decisions. Thus, it shows that the level of fear experienced by consumers significantly affects their decisions. Consumer behaviour, which is always dynamic, can be even more so, depending on the severity perceived at different times of the pandemic. COVID-19, in a way, forces us to learn from the consumer, as something that could be very attractive under normal conditions (outside the COVID-19 pandemic) ceases to be so in times of COVID-19 due to fear. In the medium and long term, these results could help understand consumer behaviour in the face of an upsurge in the disease, which would consequently raise the level of fear of COVID-19.

Moreover, there are several practical implications from this research. Perceived innovativeness has a profound effect on the profitability of a company ( Hwang et al., 2019 ). This experiment shows that participants’ perceived innovation in every option of OFD tested. This could help restaurants to understand how consumers perceive innovativeness from their products/services.

Innovation has so far been directed at the moment of purchase and was essentially technological. However, the findings of this study have shown that innovation in consumption experience is worth paying attention to as well.

It is important to be aware that today's consumer is a fan of an experience demanding enjoyment as well as emotional stimulation ( Nielsen, 2020 ). However, for the experience to be a real factor influencing decision-making, it must also ensure the complete safety of the customer, who is very sensitive to the fear of contagion. Many of the changes we have incorporated in our personal interactions to avoid contagion (preference for isolation, choice to maintain a smaller, more intimate circle of friends, greater awareness of the presence of germs in public areas, more home entertainment) are likely to remain long after the pandemic ends ( Veeck and Xie, 2020 ).

Regarding limitations, data collection is based on a convenience sample. There is a common concern that the features of a given convenience sample may diverge from a representative population sample. However, Mullinix et al. (2015) provided evidences that convenience samples can produce treatment effect estimates similar to population-based samples in terms of direction and significance.

Future researchers could examine the effect of these types of innovations in different countries and also in the post-COVID-19 era. COVID-19 is pushing the food and the restaurant industry to anticipate customer concerns, needs and fears, to pivot, to redesign, and to innovate. Once the pandemic has ended, the new habit of working from home may create new opportunities, such as OFD breakfasts, to be investigated.

Innovation will have to respond to the growing demand for OFD. Research is needed to create products that travel well and to develop packaging that preserve food quality.

Cooking at home has increased as a result of the pandemic and consumers are likely to continue doing so post-pandemic. Therefore, DIY meal kits could be a future meal trend to be researched.

6. Conclusion

This paper highlights the importance of exploiting the possibilities offered by rapid innovation that seeks to make the consumption of OFD more experiential. For restaurants, and restaurateurs, modifying, updating, pivoting, and innovating their operations in an attempt to meet the current needs of a changing customer and adapting customer experience in the time of COVID-19 and the future will be crucial.

Implications for gastronomy

First, this study helps to demonstrate how innovation brings experiential value to OFD. While OFD has traditionally been a utilitarian alternative to solve the need for effortless eating, evidence is provided that experiential value is possible by innovating in both product and service. The experiment conducted shows that participants perceive innovation in all OFD options tested. This could help restaurants to understand how consumers perceive innovation in their products/services. Secondly, increasing the experiential value of OFD means broadening and extending the offer beyond popular Italian, American and Chinese dishes. This, in turn, implies the need to develop packaging that travels well and preserves the quality of the food. Covid-19 has a strong impact on consumption habits. Here we show the moderating role of fear in consumer choice. However, in the aftermath of the pandemic, consumption of food at home has increased and consumers are likely to continue to do so after the pandemic. Therefore, DIY meal kits could be a future food trend to investigate.

Author statement

Diana Gavilan, Ph.D. : Conceptualization, Methodology, Formal Analysis, Writing - Original Draft, Supervision. Adela Balderas-Cejudo, Ph.D. : Conceptualization, Investigation, Writing - Review & Editing, Data Curation. Susana Fernández-Lores, Ph.D. : Resources, Investigation, Writing - Original Draft. Gema Martinez-Navarro, Ph.D. : Project administration, Resources, Writing - Original Draft.

Declaration of competing interest

The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper.

Appendix I. Visual stimulus used in the questionnaire

Image 1

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DESIGN AND IMPLEMENTATION OF ONLINE FOOD ORDERING SYSTEM

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