“Determinants of consumer motivation to use online food delivery apps: An empirical investigation of Bangladesh”

This study aims to investigate the influencing elements of consumers’ behavioral intention to use online food delivery apps in Bangladesh. MS Excel and SPSS were used to calculate the relevant information. The targeted population of this study is the current users of online food delivery apps in Bangladesh. The final sample size is 368, with a response rate of 92%. The information was gathered from the respondents through a web-based survey in Google Forms. Due to the nature of the study object, the purposeful sampling method has been used and is quantitative and exploratory. The results show that five predictors affect consumers’ intention to use food delivery apps. The findings demonstrate that social influence, perceived trust, perceived safety, performance expectancy, and effort expectancy significantly affect the consumers’ usage intention of food delivery apps. The study also found that perceived trust is the strongest predictor of usage intention among five intention predictors. However, following an extensive literature review, only a few studies have been conducted in this context, so there is a deficiency in investigating key influencing factors of users’ motivation to adopt online food delivery apps in Bangladesh. Therefore, this study could be indispensable for app delivery operators, governmental and non-governmental organizations, businesses, and researchers to make policies and strategies to create intention among consumers to use online food delivery apps.


INTRODUCTION
Globally, online food delivery apps have revolutionized people's ordering and food-eating habits. These apps have rendered ordering food simple, easy, and readily available to a wide range of individuals. The accessibility that online food delivery apps offer represents one of their most significant benefits (Poon & Tung, 2023). Individuals are more linked than ever due to the rise of technology and the enhanced utilization of smartphone technology. Customers can effortlessly and smoothly order their desired meals from the convenience of their homes, eliminating the necessity to travel to a restaurant (Mehrolia et al., 2021).
Apps-based services are especially beneficial for those individuals who have a hectic work schedule or live in locations with minimal access to eateries nearby (Shankar et al., 2022). Also, food delivery apps let consumer store their preferred and regularly ordered meals, allowing them to submit an order even quicker and painlessly. The opportunity to view menus, customer feedback, and ratings are the decisive features of online food delivery apps, allowing customers to generate sensible selections regarding where and what to order. Furthermore, by looking at online menu cards and testimonials, general people can discover new and fascinating cuisine options that they might not have tasted yet (Troise et al., 2021).
Many delivery apps provide the flexibility to pay with a digital wallet, transforming the mechanism into even more time-saving and sleek (Yeo et al., 2017). This also eliminates the need to bear any cash money or wait for any physical bill copy. As a result, restaurant and food business owners who collaborate with these technology providers could engage a larger number of clients and increase their current customer base. Furthermore, mobile apps can enhance the effectiveness of restaurant operations by shortening wait times and providing options for improved food stock administration. This might enhance customer contentment and happiness, leading to repeated online orders (Gupta & Duggal, 2021).
Due to the country's ongoing digitalization trend, online technological applications are becoming increasingly common daily in Bangladesh Rahaman et al., 2022). Following the widespread use of technology devices and web services, more customers are turning to mobile application technology as a streamlined and practical root for ordering foods. Most house households in Bangladesh now became active users of smartphones due to the growing popularity of the Internet. This change generated a vast customer demand for online food delivery apps, which offer a smooth and trustworthy way to order food using a smartphone (Saad, 2021). The ease and secured payment mode offered by these food delivery apps and their positive impact on the food and hospitality sector make them an essential daily technology element for the general population in Bangladesh.
Overall, there are numerous apps for customers' online transactions; however, there have been few academic studies regarding online food delivery apps (FDAs) (Lee et al., 2017;Okumus et al., 2018). Therefore, FDAs are a platform that directly influences customers to conduct online transactions using new technology and systems. Moreover, food suppliers and consumers can interact with one another worldwide due to the growth of food delivery platforms and applications, which is efficient and convenient for ordering online and delivery of offline goods and services (Zhao & Bacao, 2020). However, the demand for food delivery apps (FDAs) is growing due to cashless transactions, food transparency, delivery of products at any place and time, hustle free payment of the consumers that create the behavioral intention to adopt online food delivery apps for the online transactions (Pop et al., 2022).
All stakeholders need to understand and identify the influencing factors of consumers adopting food delivery apps (FDAs) for online transactions. Quite a few studies have been conducted to explore some manipulating factors of behavioral intention to use food delivery apps (FDAs) among customers. Therefore, organizations need to determine crucial determinants to inspire customers to use online food delivery apps (FDAs) for online transactions in Bangladesh.

LITERATURE REVIEW
A popular model in technology adoption, the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT), seeks to comprehend the variables that affect people's intention to use new technologies. It adopts this model to conduct the literature review.
Performance expectancy is an individual's beliefs that assist in creating motivation among consumers to buy online food by using new technology (Lee et al., 2019). Besides, it is an essential perception of adopting new technology to the customers that will enrich job performance in particular tasks or activities; it depends on the user's likeliness (Venkatesh et al., 2012). Conversely, this crucial indicator of customers' behavioral intention inspires them to accept new technology and products from online food delivery services (San Martín & Herrero, 2012). However, the users' performance expectancy increases the motivation to use online food delivery apps through new tech- nologies for new goods and services from the online market (Wei et al., 2021). Moreover, online food delivery apps are used to get expected food to the doorsteps at any place and time with reasonable pricing and transparency (Alalwan et al., 2018). Venkatesh et al. (2003) also postulate that performance expectancy enhances the tendency or motivation to use online food apps, which have a positive and significant attitude toward using FDAs.
Effort expectancy is defined as the more substantial perception of easiness which leads to greater intention to use the new information technology or systems, whether simple or complicated (Venkatesh et al., 2003). Also, effort expectancy refers to a new system or technology willing to achieve that effort's rewards and performance (Ghalandari, 2012). On the one hand, effort expectancy is the crucial factor in using new technology based on the easiness of users' perception that generates motivation to adopt online food apps (Zhao & Bacao, 2020). Furthermore, food delivery apps are elementary to operate for consumers and have some steps of offers and payments that have a positive connection between effort expectancy and motivation to use food apps of users (Venkatesh et al., 2012). Kang and Namkung (2019) also said that users generally adopt and accept user-friendly technology that provides ease of use, usefulness, and flexibility and creates intention among customers to adopt online food delivery apps. On the other hand, Chopdar and Sivakumar (2019) explained that effort expectancy is an essential factor that significantly influences users' continuance intention to adopt online food delivery apps.
Social influence is an alternative determinant of adopting online food delivery apps uninterruptedly, which is influenced by the views of peers (Lee et al., 2019). On the other hand, it reflects users' willingness to attempt new information technology or systems from families, friends, and colleagues (Sathye et al., 2018). However, consumers are influenced to use new technology or adopt online food delivery apps through other intentions that motivate them to buy online goods and services (Sair & Danish, 2018). Moreover, social influence on using new technologies or devices has increased by the expanding number of mobile social networks, which positively affects consumers' satisfaction with adopting FDAs (Alaimo et al., 2020). Roh and Park (2019) also suggested that social influence has been validated as significantly persuading users' behavioral intentions for new systems, services, products and technology. Additionally, it is a paramount factor that not only directly determines users' persistent intention of adopting FDAs but also indirectly influences using new information technology regarding their satisfaction (Hsiao et al., 2016). Venkatesh et al. (2003) also said that social influence brings happiness among users regarding using new technology inspired by parents, classmates, peers, friends, colleagues, workmates, teachers, and employers. Perceived safety is defined as being free from danger or harm, which is extensively highlighted when customers adopt or use new devices or technologies (Teo & Zhou, 2014;Rashid et al., 2017). It is a vital element of adopting food delivery apps by consumers, where it is considered customers' anxiety regarding the quality of food, maintaining process, food processing, hold hygiene regarding food production, and food preservative (Hsu et al., 2016). Moreover, customers are highly prudent regarding food delivery apps, so perceived safety is essential, including packaging, pricing, processing, and delivering food within a specified time. This encourages consumers to adopt food delivery apps for online ordering and offline delivery (Duda-Chodak et al., 2020). Therefore, every organization ensures safety in delivering food by using virus safety gear by food workers, maintaining social distancing, and washing hands before and after the shifts in an organization (Siddiqui & Siddiqui, 2021).
By contrast, perceived safety increases behavioral intention and attitudes toward accepting new technology based on the users' abilities to use online food delivery apps effectively and efficiently (Muangmee et al., 2021). On the other hand, online food delivery systems maintain safety regarding social distancing, cashless transactions, and hygiene practices through regular sanitization. They also develop user safety by inspiring contactless deliveries among users. Ponte et al. (2015) postulate that perceived safety creates intention among consumers to adopt new technology regarding using online food delivery apps constantly.

AIMS AND HYPOTHESES
This study's primary goal is to identify Bangladeshi consumers' motives for using online food delivery services. The study found five antecedents of online food delivery services based on the extensive literature review: (i) performance expectancy, (ii) effort expectancy, (iii) social influence, (iv) perceived trust, and (v) perceived safety. Furthermore, using a thorough examination of the literature, this study brought up the following hypotheses (Fig ure 1):

H1: A positive interconnectivity exists between
performance expectancy and motivation to use food apps.
H2: A positive interconnectivity exists between effort expectancy and motivation to use food apps.
H3: A positive interconnectivity exists between social influence and motivation to use food apps.
H4: A positive interconnectivity exists between perceived trust and motivation to use food apps.
H5: A positive interconnectivity exists between perceived safety and motivation to use food apps.

METHODOLOGY
The targeted population of this study is the current users of online food delivery apps in Bangladesh.
Due to the nature of the research aim, purposeful sampling was employed. First, the participants were asked to share their experience with online food delivery services. Then, further invitations to participate in the study were extended to those who responded positively. The participation was entirely optional and also self-administered in nature.
Note: PEREX -performance expectancy; EFFEX -effort expectancy; SOCIN -social influence; PERTR -perceived trust; PERSA -perceived safety; MOUFA -motivation to use food apps. At the initial screening stage, the non-users of online food delivery services were eliminated from the study. Then, the information was gathered through a web-based survey developed in Google Forms. Mostly closed-ended statements and ratings on a 5-point Likert scale were part of the questionnaire, with a question set on the basic demographics of the participants. 400 users of online apps were invited to participate in this study, and 368 completed the questionnaire correctly. The response rate is 92%. Measurement items of all constructs for the study were chosen after consulting with experts in the field and reviewing previous research. In order to conduct relevant calculations for the study, the consumer survey findings were examined using MS Excel and SPSS.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION
The demographic information is grouped into five factors: the participant's age and gender, education degree, the weekly number of online orders, and monthly earnings (  The fourth-largest education group is those with a school certificate (5.4%), which means 20 individuals. Finally, the smallest education group is those with an informal education certificate (2.4%), which means 9 out of 368 individuals have an informal education certificate.
Based on the number of online orders made weekly, most individuals (94.6%) place between 0 and 4 orders in one week, equating to 348 participants. Only 14 out of 368 participants order online food between 5 and 8 orders (3.8%) in one week, and 5 order 9 and 12 orders weekly. The smallest category comprises participants who submit more than 12 orders (0.3%) weekly, representing only 1 participant. Regarding income, half of the participants (51.1%) make between 20001 and 30000 BD taka, which implies that 188 get paid between 20001 and 30000 BD taka. More than 30000 BD taka earners comprise the second-largest income category (27.2%), translating to 100 participants. The lowest income group, comprising those making between 0 and 10,000 Bangladeshi taka (3.3%), consists of 12 respondents.
The next step is to explore the conceptual framework after receiving agreeable outcomes from the construct and model. Table 3 and Figure 2 demonstrate the test of hypotheses on the connection between each factor. For example, Table  3 shows that R2 = 0.41 or 41% determined the variance, which embraces five independent var-Note: PEREX -performance expectancy; EFFEX -effort expectancy; SOCIN -social influence; PERTR -perceived trust; PERSA -perceived safety; MOUFA -motivation to use food apps.

Proposed Hypotheses Decision
H1: A positive interconnectivity exists between performance expectancy and motivation to use food apps Accepted H2: A positive interconnectivity exists between effort expectancy and motivation to use food apps Accepted H3: A positive interconnectivity exists between social influence and motivation to use food apps Accepted H4: A positive interconnectivity exists between perceived trust and motivation to use food apps Accepted H5: A positive interconnectivity exists between perceived safety and motivation to use food apps Accepted iables: performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, perceived trust, and perceived safety; these are accepted at a 5% significance level.
According to regression analysis, hypothesis one (positive interconnectivity exists between performance expectancy and motivation to use food apps) is accepted at the rate of a 5% significance level (β = 0.241, p < 0.05). Wei et al. (2021) said that performance expectancy increases the motivation to use online food delivery apps by using new technologies for up-to-date goods and services from the online market.
Hypothesis 2 (positive interconnectivity exists between effort expectancy and motivation to use food apps) is accepted at a 5% significance level (β = 0.252; p < 0.05). Chopdar and Sivakumar (2019) also supposed that effort expectancy is an essential factor that significantly influences the continuance intention to adopt online food delivery apps among users.

CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS
Online food delivery platforms are a convenient system of online food transactions, expressively predisposed by e-commerce. Nowadays, suppliers and consumers can interact within a single moment without feeling hesitation due to the intensification of food delivery apps (FDAs). In addition, these online food ordering and delivery services have acquired a worldwide reputation due to the convenience of online ordering, offline delivery, cashless transaction, and transparency of products. Therefore, online-to-offline services are considered extraordinary in food-related industries, which assist in creating integration between businesses and customers through these FDAs.
Nevertheless, for getting services, customers are unwilling to stand in long queues, so these food apps have given a solution to the changing lifestyles of consumers and enriched the facilities of eating at home. Therefore, the main objective of this study was to identify the influencing factors of consumers' motivation to use online food delivery apps. The empirical result posits that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, perceived trust, and perceived safety have positive and significant effects on consumers' motivation to use online food delivery apps. Moreover, regression analysis also estimates that performance expectancy, effort expectancy, social influence, perceived trust, and perceived safety were responsible for 41% of consumers' motivation to use FDAs.