JACKSONVILLE, Fla., October 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — We’ve all had days when we don’t feel like going out to dinner, so we put away our cellphones and place an order on DoorDash or another third-party grocery app, an online food delivery industry designed to 1.02 trillion dollars just last year.
two Jacksonville University Davis College of Business and Technology marketing professors, Dr. Irina Toteva AND Selene Savas-Hallfound in their new research that consumers will feel a stronger connection to a company or brand if they make the effort to create something with that company or brand through a third-party app.
The marketing duo recently had their research, “Perceived Effort in E-Service Co-Creation and the Impact on Brand Loyalty: The Case of Food Ordering Apps,” published in Marketing Services Quarterly.
“This is the first research to investigate the role of perceived effort in e-services and the impact on brand loyalty,” said Toteva, an assistant professor of marketing at JU. “Our research explains the mechanism of brand loyalty, which is partly due to the work-to-love effect, where the effort is translated into the item.”
Another interesting finding of this study is that the risk involved in using a technology can also be seen as effort. of Davis College professors showed that when consumers perceive higher risk using a third-party application, they show higher brand loyalty to the service provider.
Perceived risk refers to the uncertainty or potential negative outcomes associated with purchasing and using a product or service. In the case of food ordering apps, consumers may view the use of technology as risky, fearing issues such as privacy breaches or service failures.
“Our study finds that perceived risk can increase brand loyalty,” Toteva said. “When consumers take on this risk and it turns out positively (eg, the food is successfully delivered), they feel more loyal to the brand as a result of overcoming this uncertainty. This mitigation of risk further strengthens their bond with the brand. “
Toteva got the idea for the research while scrolling through Instagram on her phone.
“I clicked on a promoted post that took me to a clothing brand’s sales page. I started adding a few items to my shopping cart and it occurred to me that this was an effort on my part—I was using my time and energy to to rate items and decide if I wanted to add any of them to my cart,” she recalls. “I became curious if this ‘labor of love’ effect might be applicable to consumers using apps to order products or services. like food.”
The study explores how consumers who order food on an app (such as Uber Eats or Door Dash) perceive the level of effort they contribute to the order and how this perceived effort affects their relationship with the restaurant provider.
“We show that those consumers who feel they have made an effort to order their food are more likely to feel they are continuing to build a relationship with the restaurant provider, and as a result are more loyal to that service provider, compared with consumers perceiving less of an effort,” said Savas-Hall, a JU associate professor of marketing and international business.
While the use of technology (such as food ordering apps) in the service ordering process may be perceived as automatic and effortless, some consumers perceive the process as laborious and therefore, they are more aware that they are co-creating the service. with the restaurant provider.
“When consumers feel like they co-create the service with the food service provider, it indicates their willingness to invest resources in their relationship with the food service provider,” explained Toteva. “At the same time, by using the app and putting effort into the order, consumers feel improved self-efficacy (ie, their confidence in their ability to complete tasks) as they are able to achieve their goals through effort, compared to consumers who perceive no effort in the ordering process.”
The findings of this research are relevant to consumers and service industries, such as food, nutrition and fashion, where companies co-create different offers with their customers.
“This study is applicable to any company that provides technological tools to its customers to assist them in the service ordering process. For example, scheduling a service through an app such as a haircut appointment or a fitness class, or using a food ordering app. ordering groceries or using a rideshare app for transportation are all efforts on the part of consumers,” Savas-Hall said.
This study shows that if consumers are made aware that they contribute to the service, then this perceived effort can turn into a ‘love’ and later into brand loyalty towards the service provider. As a result, emphasizing the effort made by consumers may well be received as positive reinforcement and may create a special bond with the service provider. Co-researchers say this study also shows that effort doesn’t have to be entirely physical, and that mental effort also matters.
you Davis College of Business and Technology is the only triple-accredited private college in the world North Florida AND South Georgiawith AACSB, ABET and AABI accredited programs. Its mission is to empower students to achieve lasting career success with a quality, relevant and applied educational experience delivered by faculty dedicated to advancing each student’s individual development.
Media contact:
Joanna NorrisPR/Marketing Director
(904) 534-6926
Jnorris11@ju.edu
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SOURCE Jacksonville University