Abstract
The emergence of Food Delivery Applications (FDAs) significantly reshaped the food industry, revolutionizing how people order and enjoy their meals. Driven by the rapid expansion of internet access and the widespread use of smartphones, platforms like Uber Eats and Mr D Food became key players in the online food delivery space. Continuous research into the online food delivery market was important to ensure success and longevity by navigating the unique challenges and opportunities while leveraging technological advancements to enhance the user experience. However, there remained a lack of in-depth research on this trend within developing countries, particularly in the South African context. This study drawed on the Uses and Gratifications (U&G) theory and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) to explore the motivations and user experiences associated with FDAs in South Africa.
This study presented a conceptual model that incorporates usage factors, specifically, ease of use and convenience as key drivers, with customer satisfaction and continuance intention as resulting outcomes. Additionally, the model introduced hedonic motivation as a moderating variable that influences the link between customer satisfaction and the intention to continue using FDAs. This framework is valuable as it offered a fresh contribution to existing research and provided new insights into the food delivery app landscape.
To gather relevant data, the study employed an online survey that targeted a minimum of 300 individuals who had used FDAs within the 90 days preceding their participation. Prior to the main data collection, the survey underwent a pilot test involving 30 participants aged between 18 and 44, all of whom must have also used FDAs in the past 90 days. This pre-test helped identify and correct any potential issues in the questionnaire. The data collection method employed assisted the researcher in testing the proposed hypothesis and the evaluation of consumers’ attitudes towards FDAs and whether the constructs developed had any influence on their satisfaction and continuance intention levels.
The results of the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) analysis revealed that customer satisfaction was the strongest predictor of continuance intention, indicating that when users are satisfied, they are more likely to continue using FDAs. Ease of use, convenience, time-saving, and listing of restaurants significantly enhanced customer satisfaction as these functional aspects lead to a positive user experience. However, some usage factors did not directly influence continuance intention. Their effect was indirect and only operated through
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customer satisfaction. Hedonic motivation was found to have a negative effect on continuance intention which suggested that pleasure-driven users may switch platforms more frequently. Lastly, the conceptual model effectively integrated functional and emotional drivers to explain continued FDA usage in a developing country context by providing fresh insights for both academic research and industry application.