Using Mobile Food Delivery Applications during COVID-19 Pandemic: An Extended Model of Planned Behavior

ABSTRACT

The purpose of this study was to identify the factors influencing consumers’ behavioral and continuance intention to use mobile food delivery applications (MFDAs) during COVID-19 pandemic. Based on the theory of Planned Behavior, we examined the impact of social isolation, food safety, delivery hygiene, subjective norms, dining attitudes, and behavioral control on behavioral and continuous intention to use MFDAs. Data were collected from 432 users and analyzed using Structured Equation Modeling. The results showed that delivery hygiene, subjective norms, attitudes, and behavioral control were related to both behavioral and continuance intention to use MFDAs, whereas perceived food safety was related to behavioral intention and social isolation was related to continuance intention. Moreover, behavioral intention mediated the impact of perceived food safety, delivery hygiene, attitudes, and behavioral control on continuance intention. This study incorporated situational factors into theory of Planned Behavior, which might guide the practitioners to use MFDAs during COVID-19.

KEYWORDS:

• Mobile food delivery applications
• covid-19
• social isolation
• food delivery hygiene
• perceived food safety

Declaration of interests

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.

Summary Statement of Contribution

The current study developed and examined a conceptual model by extending the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) along with three new dimensions (i.e., SI, PSF and FDH) being distinctive in the extent of literature as to date, no such similar combination of theoretical framework has been developed yet to determine the underlying factors influencing customers’ the MFDA’s continuance behavior during the outbreak of coronavirus. Moreover, the current research expands the existing literature focusing on safety knowledge (i.e., Perception of Food Safety and Food Delivery Hygiene) and social isolation in the COVID-19 pandemic as new dimensions in the context of MFDAs.

Correction Statement

This article has been republished with minor changes. These changes do not impact the academic content of the article.