A Comparative Analysis of Factors Affecting Consumers’ Satisfaction towards Online Food Order and Delivery System

Chapter 1: Introduction

1.1 Research Background

Consumers across the world are increasingly relying on the internet to execute various activities. This has opened new opportunities to many businesses. According to Data Reportal (2020), more 65 million people in the UK are active internet users. These people spend a lot of time on the internet and are likely to purchase some of the products online. On the other hand, Statista (2020) stated that approximately 904 million people in China use the internet. The high number of the internet users in these countries has made organisations to develop strategies with the aim of converting the target population to customers. Companies have developed websites and apps from where members of the public can purchase goods and services that they may need. These platforms consist of images and details of the product or services that is offered by the seller (Kimes & Laque, 2011). They also have the prices for different products and services from where the customers can decide whether to spend their money or not. Additionally, consumers have embraced online shopping for various products. People have reduced their fear of purchasing products online. Most of them are willing to spend their money on products displayed online hoping that high quality products would be delivered to them. Furthermore, the consumers have acknowledged that online shopping saves a lot of time (Alam & Yasin, 2010). One needs to place an order through the company’s online selling platform and later wait for the product to be delivered to the consumer’s premises. Therefore, this has reduced movement to the physical location of the seller, thus saving consumers’ time and money.

Organisations in the food industry have embraced the use of the internet to increase their sales. The industry has in the past years relied on consumers to visit their premises to either take their food within the restaurants or have them packed to consume them elsewhere. In the current days, consumers have embraced ordering food products online and thus the companies have developed apps and websites where the clients can make their orders (Reddy et al., 2016). These companies enable the consumer to specify the product that they are interested in and state the location where it should be delivered. The management of the food companies packs the food ordered and organise how it should be delivered to the consumers’ premises. Some companies have their own delivery systems such as the use of motorcycles while other subcontract logistics firms to deliver on their behalf. The continuous embracement of online food purchasing is determined by the satisfaction that the consumers may have on the products. The satisfaction is influenced by the quality and quantity of the food products that are delivered to the consumers (Yeo, Goh & Rezaei, 2017). Furthermore, the time taken before the products are delivered influence customer satisfaction. The current study focuses on understanding the factors that would lead to consumers’ satisfaction towards online food ordering and delivery system in both China and the UK.

1.2 Research Rationale

Several reasons have made the current research crucial. These reasons justify the importance of carrying out a fresh research. Firstly, the use of the internet to make orders has been on the rise in the current days. Online selling and purchases have become common in the past five years and thus little literature is available concerning the issue. Additionally, online orders and delivery has been common in the electronics industry. Not much has been recorded concerning the factors influencing the online food ordering (Reddy et al., 2016). Therefore, it is justified to conduct the current study with the aim of understanding how companies that engage in online food sale can enhance customer satisfaction. Furthermore, the online food ordering trends change from time to time thus a study conducted some few years ago may not be relied to understand customers’ attitude and satisfaction (Chavan et al., 2015). It is crucial to carry out a new research so that fresh data can be collected to provide up to date information regarding online food ordering and delivery system. Moreover, the current study offers a comparison of both China and the UK on the satisfaction of the consumers linked to online food ordering and delivery system.

1.3 Research Aims and Objectives

The aim of the research is to understand the factors that influence Chinese and UK consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system. Thus, the factors will help online food companies to make improvements that would boost consumer satisfaction. The following are the objectives that guide the research.

1. To evaluate the current trends of online food ordering in both China and the UK.

2. To assess the attitude between Chinese consumers and UK consumers towards online food ordering.

3. To evaluate the factors influencing Chinese and UK consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system.

1.4 Research Structure

The research has five chapters that helps the researcher understand the satisfaction of UK and Chinese customers towards online food order and delivery system. The first chapter contains the introduction. It has the research background and rationale of the study. It also has the research aims and objectives. Chapter 2 is the literature review which has content from different scholars concerning the research topic. Chapter 3 is the research methodology which consist of the strategies used in the collection of data and its analysis. Additionally, Chapter 4 is the finding and analysis chapter. It contains an analysis of the data collected to present the ideas that each of the participants raised. This chapter also discuss the main points raised by different scholars and compares them with the literature review presented in Chapter 2. Lastly, chapter 5 contains the conclusion which has the main ideas that can be obtained from the research. It also has the research limitations and recommendations on how future research can be improved.

Chapter 2 Literature review

2.1 Introduction

In the previous chapter, a theoretical background to the present study’s topic was provided with the identification of the knowledge gap the current research will seek to bridge. Additionally, the need to conduct this study was illustrated with the identification of specific objectives that the research will achieve through data collection and analysis. To assist in the achievement of these objectives, the present chapter conducts a critical review of existing literature within the context of each objective. The chapter will conduct an overview of the nature of online food ordering in both China and UK. Comparative evaluations will also be conducted on literature findings on UK and Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering. Similar analysis will be conducted on impact of cultural orientations in both nations and how they influence satisfaction towards online food ordering and delivery systems. More specifically, the following literature review will identify research gaps in analysed studies ad illustrate how the present research will seek to address the existing theoretical gaps.

2.2 Cultural differences between China and UK

According to De Mooij and Hofstede (2011), people respond or develop specific attitude based on the unique features that define them. To study how people, behave individually and collectively as communities, Hofstede conducted a study on 71 countries and developed a set of five dimensions which have to date been modified to six elements that significantly define an individual’s or group’s culture (Hofstede, 2009). These elements are; femininity vs masculinity, collectivism vs individualism, restraint vs indulgence, short-term vs long-term orientation, uncertainty avoidance index, and power distance index (Hofstede Insights, 2020). De Mooij and Hofstede (2011) further argue that these dimensions significantly influence consumers’ behaviour and purchase intentions. In this regard, the conduction of comparative analysis between UK and Chinese attitude and satisfaction towards online food order should significantly require and understanding how the two groups relate or differ culturally. The present section conducts literature analysis of the cultural differences and similarities between Chinese and UK consumers how that influences their satisfaction with online food ordering and delivery systems. The diagram below illustrates cultural differences between China and UK based on their respective score in Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.

Figure 2-1: Hofstede cultural dimensions, Comparison of China and UK

Source: Author, Data Source: Hofstede et al. (2010)

The power index dimension gives an expression of a group’s culture attitude towards power inequality. According to Hofstede et al. (2010), China has a high power distance index of 80 compared to UK’s of 35. These variations indicate that the Chinese culture is comfortable with a section of the society enjoying power or with power inequalities. That is, the superior-subordinate power indifferences are perceived normally in the Chinese culture. On the other hand, a low power distance index in UK indicates that the society believes in equal treatment irrespective of an individual’s status in the society. The individualism dimension measures how the members of a society maintain interdependence. It’s a score of being either individualist or collectivist. China is a collective society at 20 while UK is an individualist society at 89. These scores imply that the British are naturally private and gain their happiness from personal fulfilment and focus on how their individual achievement and purpose can create an impact in the society (Ju, 2013). On the other hand, the Chinese are culturally collectivists. With this cultural orientation, members of a society work to the interest of each other more than for themselves (Huang and Lu, 2017).

The masculinity culture dimension evaluates whether a society is masculine or feminine. The former indicates that a society is driven by a value-based system where it focuses on success, achievement, and competition (Saucier et al., 2016). On the other hand, a feminine society is based on collective caring for each other and the quality of life. Both UK and China are masculine societies with equal scores of 66. On the other hand, the restraint or indulgence cultural dimension evaluates how members of a society restrain their impulses and desires based on the nature they were raised (Sun et al., 2019). The British culture is indulgent at 69 while the Chinese culture is restraint at a score of 24. With these differences, the British easily expresses their desires and impulses, use their resources to have fun and enjoy life, and have high value for leisure. On the other hand, the Chinese restrained culture limits their members’ extent of expressing their desires and impulses (Seidemann et al., 2017).

Short-term or long-term orientation dimension assesses how a society secures associations with past experiences and utilises them to overcome challenges (Hofstede Insights, 2020). A long-term oriented culture is regarded as pragmatic and members assume that time, context, and situation significantly determine the truth (Lai, 2016). Chinese stands a pragmatic culture at 87 while UK stands neutral at a score of 51. On the other hand, uncertainty avoidance dimension measures how a particular culture deals with the unknown nature of the future by either controlling the level of uncertainty of feeling threatened. Both China and the UK have low uncertainty avoidance scores at 30 and 35 respectively. This implies that the two cultures have no strong laws on future planning and that they take happiness in daily achievements (Adair and Xiong, 2018). The understanding of Chinese and UK cultural orientation as presented from the application of Hofstede’s model of cultural dimension is key in understanding their behaviour. These proceedings will be significant in the review of how each group satisfaction in online food ordering and delivery systems is influenced as presented in the following section.

2.3 The current trend of online food ordering in both China and UK

Online food and meal delivery consist of services where ready prepared foods for direct consumption ordered by different individuals are delivered to their doorsteps. There are two different delivery services for ready prepared meals which include; Platform-to-consumer delivery and Restaurant-to-Consumer delivery (Xiao, 2017). Platform-to-Consumer delivery market is where clients placing their orders are given meals from partner restaurants that do not necessarily have to provide food delivery services themselves such as the Deliveroo (Chorneukar, 2014). With the Restaurant-to-Consumer delivery segment, restaurants deliver foods and meals directly to the consumers. Various online platforms are offering such services include; Delivery hero, Just Eat or using restaurant websites such as the Domino (Deore & Shete, 2016). Online-to-Online food delivery is the most dominant market in China which is estimated to be over 38 billion USD worth (Xiao, 2017). Food delivery apps are projected to have over 350 Million users where Chinese people more than quarter order foods using their phones.

The most popular companies that offer online food delivery include, Ele.me, Meituan Dianpin, ENJOY, Daojia, and Homecook. However, Ele.me and Meituan dominate the market who is supported by internet giants such as Tencent and Alibaba Group Holding. Ele.me provides customer-to-customer food delivery and meal ordering services (Xiao, 2017). It also employs its food delivery staff and controls them based on customer locations. Consequently, Meituan provides users with a platform where they can order meals online and food delivery. The topmost cities in China involved in ordering online foods include Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang among others (Xiao, 2017). Different individuals order meals online where most of these users are primarily white-collar job workers and students. Also, these users are overwhelmingly the younger generation. Offering takeout meals is a recent trend in Great China. The number of consumers using online food ordering platforms has been on the rise by the day. Half of China's Internet users have ordered meals online using mobile apps (Alalwan, 2020). According to Chorneukar (2014), the general perception of the online food business is positive since the growth rate by the year 2020 exceeds the traditional catering industry. The trend in online food ordering has also been enhanced by the provision of a variety of food options by restaurants. Companies like Ele.me have more than 100 restaurants on their platforms which provides customers with a variety of options like Western food, vegan, low carb, non-dairy and organic food options (Xiao, 2017). This trend is also evidenced in Europe where healthy food retailers have enabled customer to order healthy meal options online at no additional cost (Deore & Shete, 2016).

As the market continues to boom, the food ordering and delivery market are growing faster than ever in the UK. As compared to restaurant visits, online meals and food delivery services are more popular (Ghiselli and Ma, 2015). The rapid rise is the main reason most companies and startups build food ordering mobile applications. Among the most popular companies that offer online meal ordering and food delivery services include; Domino’s Pizza, Just Eat Group, Deliveroo group, Hungry House, Foodhub and Uber Eats among others (Deore and Shete, 2016). However, Deliveroo is known to be the most popular according to many people in the UK since it is inevitable to locate delivery men on bikes with boxes consisting of foods. Just Eat is the biggest delivery online platform as it acts as the intermediary between restaurants and clients ordering.

White-collar job workers, students as well as different households order meals online. Among those who order foods include the young people aged 18-39 years. The most active users are consumers who order takeaway meals more than once in six months (Ghiselli and Ma, 2015). Therefore, consumers order and purchase based on the convenience of the companies offering delivery services (Chorneukar, 2014). Finally, online ordering and food delivery platforms are fast and dismiss the need to make calls. The mobile applications use device location hardware to locate the users in case the delivery man is not familiar with the location (Alalwan, 2020). It is clear that a larger percentage of people in the UK prefer online food deliveries and this has caused growth escalation of the industry (Chorneukar, 2014). The future for the market segment in the UK looks bright since the introduction of Virtual brands and dark kitchens. Therefore, the general perception for the ready to eat food delivered online for direct consumption is positive.

Another notable trend in online food purchasing, as argued by Sun (2019), is simplified ordering process. Many companies in China have adopted the trend of simplifying the ordering process to enhance customer experience. A simpler purchasing process is said to lead to better engagement. A rising trend that has been recorded in China is the use of one-click in purchasing by food ordering companies. Use of this strategy has helped the company to mitigate shopping cart abandonment through creation of a seamless buying experience for customers. This trend is also evidenced in UK food ordering apps which have been recorded to increase in customer transactions by allowing purchases with only one click. Xiao (2017) reports that UK customers have become fond of ordering food online because the seamless payment services have provided a near frictionless experience in purchasing. Particularly, it is noted that customers have reported to be shopping conveniently for food online and save on time especially when in a rush.

Ma (2015) identified that modern delivery is a fast rising trend in online food ordering given the technological developments today. Food ordering companies have integrated modern technology in food ordering to save on costs and minimise delivery times. In China, the food delivery companies have implemented modern delivery strategy such as drones. However, use of drone for food delivery is not very popular in China due to the huge financial costs required to adopt this technology as well maintenance fees which many companies cannot afford. In China, Hwang and Chloe (2019) record that only one company-Ele.me uses drones for online food delivery hence showing the minimal popularity of this technology. However, some food delivery companies have been looking to introduce food delivery robots to deliver food in more than 500 office buildings (Hwang & Chloe, 2019). In UK, some restaurants attempted to use robots for online food delivery. However, full integration of robots has been hindered by poor infrastructure in larger catchment areas. Further, robots became unpopular because they offered no convenience for customers or time savings due to ordering restrictions and long delivery hours (Ma, 2015).

2.4 Consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering

Consumer attitude towards purchase intentions is determined by varying market, product, and individual factors. These factors are responsible for variation in purchase patterns between individuals, industries, markets, and regions. However, Kumari (2019) claims that regional factors are more significant in the dictation of consumer’s attitude towards purchase intentions. This implies that consumers in a particular regional market tend to exhibit similar tendencies and behaviour when making purchase decisions. Consequently, their attitude towards purchasing a particular product or line of products can be studied collectively. In this regard, the attitude of Chinese and UK consumers towards online food ordering will be evaluated using literature findings. While online food ordering is associated with online shopping, Rudansky-Kloppers (2014) claims that the nature of factors that influence consumer attitude and/or satisfaction with food ordering varies significantly with the general online buying industry. The present review, therefore, uses product line specific literature to explore consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering in China and UK.

2.4.1 Chinese consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering

As cited by Liu et al. (2013), China has experienced a series of food poising incidences which claimed the sustainability of companies, consumers’ health and lives among other impacts. The aftermath was a turnaround of consumer sensitivity to food safety. As reported by Handford et al. (2016), the 2008 Sanlu milk scandal led to consumers losing trust in the ability of local brands to process safe foods and food products. As a result, this shifted consumer food and associated products purchasing attitude towards foreign companies. Additionally, consumers became sensitive with food quality and safety when making purchase intentions. According to research findings by Liu et al. (2013), Chinese consumers developed purchase behaviour on safe food products which they have continued to exercise in the case of online food ordering. According to the study findings, Chinese consumers were reported to prefer to pay more for safe food and food products they order online.

However, Liu et al. (2013) argues that Chinese consumers have shallow knowledge and awareness on food safety information. As much as they have a high and general preference for safe food, their ability to get necessary information on food safety is limited when ordering food online. The quest for safe food online suppliers in the Chinese market is largely sourced from word of mouth or online reviews. Consumers generally go for popular food delivery apps and websites, those they are recommended by friends, or those with positive customer feedback and reviews online. In addition to this, Chinese consumers lack knowledge on how to identify safe food, what information to seek, and what specific safety and quality labels to look for in online ordered food. Their online food buying behaviour is influenced by their attitude product name and brand unlike the expected sensitivity on product ingredients. A general attitude and behaviour is the perceived important on food expiry date and product name (Liu et al., 2013).

A study on consumer buying behaviour and attitude towards product information on purchase intentions by Ramya and Ali (2016) indicate consumer buying power as a significant determinant. Chinese consumers of online food ordering systems are mostly the working groups (Xiao, 2017). Their population negatively supplier power in the industry coupled with the availability of substitutes increases the buyer power in the Chinese online food ordering market. Nevertheless, consumer attitude and preference for lower prices shifts their focus on offers rather than utilising their power to go for quality prices. Kim Dang et al. (2018), also cites economic factors as significant contributors towards this influence and not product quality. The study also cites hygiene as the other factors that Chinese consumers would easily forego for reduced prices. Nevertheless, lack of knowledge and awareness on checking such features, as witnessed with food safety above, contributes to this pattern.

Chinese and Asian consumers have a unique attitude with online buying convenience factors. As stated by Spelich (2017), Chinese consumers prefer platforms that are easy to use and communicate through Chinese language or have an option to change into Chinese language. Additionally, sellers who provide multiple payment methods are highly preferred as much as those with outstanding delivery performance. Nevertheless, the above-analysed fails to explore and cover various aspects of Chinese consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering and systems. Kumari (2019) cites that trustworthiness of online information, company, brand or product certification for hygiene and food safety, and quality self-assessment are imperative elements that influence consumer attitude toward online food ordering. Additionally, Rudansky-Kloppers (2014) highlights information privacy, security, and value for money as significant contributors to consumer attitude towards online food ordering. To bring the identified theoretical gap, the present study will collect data whose analysis will provide results that illustrates Chinese consumers’ attitude towards these features and factors of online food ordering and delivery systems.

Nevertheless, the factors of product safety, privacy, convenience, quality, hygiene, buyer power have a significant influence on buyers’ attitude and purchase behaviour of nearly all commodities. However, the exploration of these concepts in the light of Chinese consumers is imperative in understanding their purchase behaviours as well as the value they attach to each of these factors when making purchase decisions. In the review and assessment of Chinese consumers’ satisfaction towards online food ordering and delivery systems, the understanding of their attitude towards online food buying is paramount. This will be significant in the development of data collection instruments to ensure that the analysis provide significant and specific findings on Chinese consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering. Additionally, this will bring the literature gap on Chinese consumers’ attitude on online food ordering and delivery systems as few specific and extensive studies have been conducted. Moreover, the findings will be significant in understanding their satisfaction with online food ordering and delivery systems.

2.4.2 UK consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering

Studies on UK consumers’ attitude towards online shopping and food purchasing provide an understanding of the various aspects they exhibit in their choice and perception of online food ordering and delivery systems (Ghadiyali, 2017). According to a food safety survey conducted in 2012, UK consumers have a positive attitude on food safety irrespective of whether it is prepared at home, bought in restaurants, or ordered online (Prior et al., 2013). As a result, a large percentage prefers food prepared at home and buy food outside under unavoidable circumstances. A similar observation was made by Yeo et al. (2017), where the findings obtained varying attitudes on food safety based on respondents’ demographics. According to the findings, children and women were found to be no frequent consumers of online ordered food based on their attitude that it is not always safe for their consumption. While this group present the majority of the consumer population, it implies that UK consumers have low trust and confidence with online food vendors to produce and supply safe food. This can be credited to the operation system that most food delivery service providers hire third party delivery persons who are also tasked in delivery general cargo. Lack of speciality with marketplace delivery service providers negatively their trust and confidence with UK consumers (Das, 2018).

In addition, UK consumers have great knowledge on how to find food safety and hygiene information on labels of food ordered online (Spelich, 2017). The consumers are much interested with key food details and not the brand, name, or company though there is also a significant affiliation with popular companies and those with a record of quality products and services. This attitude is influenced by their lack of trust with online provided information to trust the safety of food. Prior et al. (2013) also notes that UK consumers tend to quest for company certification with food licencing and regulatory authorities to confirm their ability to produce and deliver quality food. This includes business licenses, operation history, food safety, and quality certifications. Additionally, other food details such as date of manufacture, date of expiry, and ingredients are significant information sought by UK consumers (Ghadiyali, 2017).

On the other hand, UK consumers have little trust with online information provided by food delivery and producers and thus does not greatly influence their online food ordering behaviour (Das, 2018). According to Prior et al. (2013), they trust information provided by peers or online review information from other consumers’ experiences. This can be attributed to the rise of companies offering safe and quality food. Consequently, their attitude towards food safety with regards to online food ordering influences their disregard of food prices, but rather go for where they have trust and confidence on safe and quality food (Wu and Ozkan, 2010). Consumers have a high brand affiliation and their online food ordering attitude directs them into engaging with firms where they get value for their money. To secure their interests of quality products, UK consumers prefer stand-alone online shopping platforms than marketplaces (Spelich, 2017). This is because with such providers, they are responsible for the entire supply chain from food preparation, packaging, and delivery unlike marketplace platforms. As such, the consumers have a positive perception and preference to buying platforms where food is handled by a single entity thus easier to track on food safety and quality.

A study on UK consumers by Wang and Herrando (2019) indicates their preference in online buying platforms where they have assurance of the privacy and security of their personal and financial information. This attitude also extends to online food ordering. As observed by Alagoz and Hekimoglu (2012), most online food ordering and delivery platforms require users to create profiles with their personal details and also include their delivery addresses. Moreover, consumers usually have the option of paying online thereby providing their financial information. As much as they prefer platforms where they have variety of payment options, lack of trust in their ability to securely handle their financial details negatively influences their ordering decision. On the other hand, Prior et al. (2013) found that most consumers of online food ordering and delivery services opt for ready-to-eat food due to time limitations of going to a restaurant or preparing meals. As such, they tend to prefer providers with great delivery performance in terms of speed and delivery service.

However, literature on UK consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering fails to cover key perceptions held by consumers in their online shopping intentions. As outlined by Rudansky-Kloppers (2014), online purchase websites’ ease of use, availability of more information online, availability of product varieties, and low prices. These elements would also have an impact on consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering and delivery systems. As such, the present study, in the quest of how product, logistic, technological, and shopping factors influence consumer attitudes towards online food ordering, will consider these elements when studying UK consumers. In this regard, the study will collect information that can be analysed to provide insights on how each of the highlighted elements influence consumer attitude towards online food ordering and delivery systems in the UK.

2.4.3 A summary of similarities and differences of Chinese consumers’ attitude and UK consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering

The above analysed literature on Chinese and UK consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering presents insights on how the two groups relates in their behaviour and intentions to buy food online. From the proceedings key similarities and differences can be derived from how each group of consumers tend to behave and prioritise product and buying experience factors when making their online food ordering decisions. Both Chinese and UK consumers have relative preference for safe and quality food. The studies analysed indicated that due to consumer knowledge and experiences with effects of food poisoning instances, they are very conscious on food quality, safety, and hygiene. However, there are differences on how they approach the quest to gather information on food quality, safety, and hygiene. Chinese consumers lack sufficient knowledge of what to look for in food labels to assess the quality. On the other hand, UK consumers generally have knowledge of what to look for in food label for safety, quality, and hygiene information.

Specifically, the analysis indicated Chinese consumers attaching significance to food expiry date, product name, and producer while UK consumers goes deep to seek producer certification, production date, and ingredients when making online food ordering. Nevertheless, they both have relative trust on online review from customer experiences to evaluate food quality and safety. Similar attitude was presented by both UK and Chinese consumers on word of mouth significance in their intentions and decisions to buy ready to eat food online. On the other hand, Chinese prefer low priced products compared to UK consumers who go for value for their money. Additionally, Chinese consumers were reported to prefer marketplace nature of online food ordering and delivery platforms unlike UK consumers who prefers stand-alone shopping platforms. This difference clearly indicates their differences in their quest for food safety. As outlined above, it is easy to maintain food safety and quality when it is handled by a single entity unlike where independent delivery services providers are contracted.

On shopping convenience, Chinese consumers were reported to prefer websites that are easy to use with key preference on those with the option to use Chinese language. On the other hand, UK consumers are more concerned on security and privacy issues as well as the available of multiple payment options. Literature analysis indicated that UK consumers are conscious with how companies handle their personal and financial data and such, will prefer platforms where they have surety of their information security and privacy. Nevertheless, both groups of consumers were reported to have keen preference to providers with great delivery performance. In the review of both groups of consumers, there was limited information on how product varieties affect their attitude to buy food online. In proceeding with this research, collected data will be suited to sufficiently address this concern and thereafter provide an analysis of attitude variations between UK and Chinese consumers.

From the analysis, it is notable that various factors significantly impacts consumers’ attitude and thus their buying behaviour. However, little has been done on the quest of how each of the identified factors influence consumer attitude towards online food ordering and delivery systems. Additionally, there lacks a study utilizing common instruments to assess and compare the impacts of such factors on Chinese and UK consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering and delivery systems. The conduction of this research, therefore, will set to bridge this research gap and present findings on how the consumer behaviour in the two countries relate.

2.5 How cultural factors cause/account for variations in Chinese and UK consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

According to Spelich (2017), Chinese find more pleasure in shopping as compared to other cultures such the British. This variation can be credited to their restrained state on matters leisure, impulses, and desires. As such they direct the energy to shopping. On the other hand, the indulgent nature of the UK culture gives its members the freedom of choice on things that bring pleasure to them (Hofstede Insights, 2020). As such, UK consumers do not shop on leisure but on need unlike the Chinese consumers who may shop for happiness. Consequently, UK consumers will tend to be unsatisfied with insignificant mistakes or errors in their order processing or delivery (Liu et al., 2013). Additionally, they will tend to explore more on a supplier’s credibility before intending to order food online with them or request for delivery.

On the other hand, Chinese consumers’ concept of quality online shopping experiences entails product availability and low prices (Xu and Wu, 2010). On the other hand, UK consumers would go for deeper convenience factors such as time saving, ease of payment, and ease of website accessibility and usage (Liu et al., 2013). On grounds of cultural differences, this variation can be related to their long-term or short-term orientation. The UK culture limits their consumers to going for products that enhance their quality daily living while the Chinese pragmatic culture values pleasure and happiness as per the situation, time, and context in question (Seidemann et a., 2017).

Another cultural difference between Chinese and UK residents with regard to online food ordering is preference to dine in and take out. On the one hand, UK residents prefer preparing meals at home because of their individualist cultural orientation. Further, Maimaiti et al. (2019) note that UK residents prefer ordering food from restaurants and eating at home or picking food at the restaurant and eating at the dining table alone or with lose family members. Therefore, Britons are more inclined to ordering food online as one of the options to get food. However, younger Britons are more likely to dine out as couples at least once a week. On the other hand, Chinese residents prefer eating out in restaurants especially with friends compared to ordering food online. Most Chinese locals prefer eating in hotels, fast-food shops or canteens rather than ordering food online (Sun, 2019). This is attributed to their collectivist nature whereby they prefer being in groups rather than alone.

Another culturally related difference is the reliance on word of mouth and online reviews by Chinese consumers compared to UK’s. China was reported to observe a collective culture where members seek the best of their counterparts (Huang and Lu, 2017). As such, they have the trust and confidence with information provided by their society members online or from their friends. They would, therefore, feel satisfied with such referrals work as recommended. On the other hand, the UK culture advocates for individualism. As such, members rely on information provided by regulatory bodies such as government certification and licencing authorities. People seek for happiness on their own and thus, consumers would gain satisfaction from their own experiences and not from recommendation (Sharma et al., 2016). Nevertheless, there exist more cultural differences that may have significant impact on consumer satisfaction with online food ordering and delivery systems. Through the foundation differences presented by Hofstede dimensions, there lacks an analysis of how these variation imply differences on consumer attitude and satisfaction with online food ordering and delivery systems. Moreover, research gap exists in the comparison of such differences with data collected using common instruments and comparing UK with Chinese consumers. The present research will seek to bridge this research gap by comparing UK and Chinese consumers’ attitude and satisfaction towards online food ordering and delivery systems. Additionally, the study will also explore how differences in Chinese and British cultures contribute to their consumers’ attitude and satisfaction with online food ordering and satisfaction systems.

2.6 Conclusion

Chinese and UK consumers have variation in their online shopping preferences and thus the nature of factors that influence their satisfaction. The present literature review embarked on analysing past studies on how Chinese and UK consumers’ attitude towards online food ordering and delivery varies. Additionally, Hofstede’s culture dimensions were used to study the cultural differences between UK and China and further analyse how such variations affects the satisfaction of their consumers. From the review conducted, it can be concluded that the UK and Chinese consumers have variations in the nature of their respective attitudes towards online food ordering and delivery systems. While Chinese consumers have the knowledge of what to look for, they use ineffective sources to gain such information and others lack the knowledge of where to obtain the information. On the other hand, UK consumers have a positive attitude on food safety, hygiene, and shopping convenience. Although Chinese consumers have substantial positive attitude in these features, their collection of factors that impact their attitude as well as the perceived value or benefit varies significantly with UK consumers.

On the other hand, UK and Chinese cultures were reported to have significant differences on dimensions of power distance, indulgence, long-term orientation, and individualism. Consequently, there are significant differences in their satisfaction with online food ordering and ordering systems. Additionally, their respective cultural orientation can be credited to the individual attitude towards online food ordering and delivery systems. However, there lacks specific studies exploring the online food ordering and delivery market as well as comparing both the Chinese and UK market. Therefore, through the evaluation of variations in consumer attitude and satisfaction in UK and China based on their cultural orientation, the current research will help in bridging the research gap.

Chapter 3: Research Methodology

3.1 Introduction

The chapter focus on the data collection and analysis processes that are used in the study. It begins with the research philosophy that is applied in developing knowledge which guides the understanding the research phenomenon. The chapter also provides the research approach that is used in the study which include either deductive or inductive. Also, it presents research strategy and choices which facilitate effective collection of data and involvement of appropriate participants. Furthermore, it provides sampling techniques that are used in the selection of the individuals who are used in the study. Moreover, it provides the data collection and analysis methods which are used in the study. Finally, the chapter offers the research ethics that were followed to ensure that the research process runs smoothly.

3.2 Research Philosophy

Research philosophy is the development of knowledge which acts as guidance on how a phenomenon is the study should be studied and analysed to obtain a reliable conclusion (Saunders, Lewis & Thornhill, 2012). The main research philosophies are the interpretivism and positivism. Interpretivism philosophy encourages the use of the participants’ experiences, emotions and argument to understand the research topic (Leitch, Hill & Harrison, 2010). The philosophy believes that answers to the research questions can only be obtained if the participants are allowed to be open and address the research topic in detail. On the other hand, positivism research philosophy entails the use of scientific methods to collect and analyse data that may be used in research. The philosophy involves examination and experimentation of data presented in the research to acquire a reliable conclusion (Lane, 1996). The philosophy majorly depends on facts to understand the research phenomenon. The current study uses the positivism research philosophy which collects data and analyse it using scientific methods. The research is quantitative and thus the participants are limited from providing detailed information concerning the research topic. Also, it involves large number of participants who may consume a lot of time if interpretivism research philosophy is applied. However, the limitation of the use of emotions and experience limits the collection of extensive data needed in the study.

3.3 Research Approach

Research approach refers to the procedure that is followed in the collection and analysis of data. It can be categorised into either deductive or inductive approach (Saunders et al., 2012). Deductive approach refers the approach of testing various hypothesis based on existing theories. The approach aims at proving whether the argument presented by the existing theory is true or not (Marei et al., 2017). Thus, the researcher collects data to evaluate the authenticity of the theory and whether it can be continuously in the study. The approach begins with an existing theory which is followed by the data collection to prove its truthfulness. On the other hand, inductive approach do not test any hypothesis. The research focuses on developing a new theory rather than evaluating the truthfulness of the existing theory (Beyazli et al., 2017). Therefore, inductive approach begins with the collection of data which facilitates the development of a theory. The current study uses the deductive approach. It focuses on collecting data that would test the truthfulness of the theories that have been presented in chapter 2. The study is focused on evaluating customer satisfaction towards online food ordering apps in relation to the factors that have been outlined in the literature review. The approach enables an analysis to evaluate the truthfulness of the theories that explain customer satisfaction in online food ordering and delivery system.

3.4 Research Strategy

Research strategy entails the platforms that are used to facilitate the collection of data. It the process that is used to enable the researcher obtain relevant information that may be required in a study (Saunders et al., 2012). The main research strategies include experiments, case studies, ethnography and surveys. The selection of the research strategy is dependent on the participants involved and the data that is intended to be collected. Experiments involves a strategy where scientific research is used to collect and analyse data to obtain a precise conclusion. The strategy is mainly applicable on studies linked to natural sciences. Case study strategy focus on a specific event or company to obtain data regarding a research topic (Idowu, 2016). The participants selected are directly linked to the event or the targeted company. Ethnography strategy assesses the culture, behaviour and customs of the people in a certain society. Lastly, survey involves the collection of data from a large group of people among the target population (Hughes & Lin, 2018). The high number of people help the researcher to broadly understand the research topic. The current study uses survey to obtain data required in the research. It enables the research to have a large number of participants thus avoiding bias in the study. Also, a reliable conclusion is obtained because the researcher is able to identify the most common opinion among the participants. Therefore, survey suits the collection of data on customer satisfaction towards Eleme and Just Eat.

3.5 Research Method Choice

Research choice refers to the method selected with the aim of acquiring data that is needed in a research. Research choices include mono-method, mixed method and multi method. Mono-method involves the use of a single research process in the collection of data (Saunders et al., 2012). For instance, the research may only use qualitative research method without using any other method. Mixed method involved the combination of both the qualitative and quantitative research concurrently as the research continues. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods such as interviews and questionnaires are combined to provide a reliable conclusion (Ojebode et al., 2018). On the other hand, multi-methods involve the use of two qualitative or two quantitative research methods (Goertz, 2017). For example, the research may use qualitative methods such as interviews combined with observations. The current study uses the mono-method because data is collected only through quantitative method. The use of a single method makes the research process fast and cheap. It also eliminates confusion that comes with the combination of various research methods. However, mixed and multi methods have a highly reliable data because of the application various techniques.

3.6 Sampling Technique

Sampling techniques are categorised into probabilistic and non-probabilistic. In probabilistic sampling, all samples have equal chance to be selected while in non-probabilistic samples have unequal chances (Sharma, 2017). The current study uses probabilistic sampling specifically simple random sampling technique. The researcher selected the participants randomly from the social media platforms that are owned by the online food ordering apps. The participants were sampled from popular social media sites of food ordering apps including Facebook and WeChat. The researcher randomly sent private message to potential participants with details of the study. Any interested person who replied to the message comprised the participants who were used in the study.

3.7 Data Collection

Data collection process in the research is carried out using questionnaires. Questionnaires are the most appropriate considering the large sample size that is involved in the study (Saunders et al., 2012). The selected participants were sent the links where they would fill the questionnaire form through private messages. The data collection process is cheap since the researcher does not have to physically meet the participants in the study. It is also fast because all the participants can fill the research questionnaires at the same time without the involvement of the researcher. Nevertheless, the use of questionnaire is challenging because the researcher may not observe the body language of the participants (Kazi & Khalid, 2012). They cannot also seek clarification on points that are not clear. Furthermore, the use of questionnaires limits detailed explanations based on participants experience and emotions. The research in total collected 197 valid questions (99 from Chinese consumers, and 98 from UK consumers). These participants include Chinese and UK consumers who use popular food ordering apps in the UK and China such as Just Eat, UberEats and Eleme.com, Meituanwaimai, etc. The researcher logged in to the social media pages of food ordering apps such as Facebook, twitter and Sinaweibo, and sent private messages to fans of these apps and asked for their permission to take part in the study. In the sampling, the researcher only involved participants who are Chinese people and UK people of the age of 18 years old. The participants who agreed to participate were sent a link directing them to the online survey site. The filled questionnaires were returned through the same online sites for easy retrieval.

3.8 Data Analysis

Data collected is analysed using statistical method. It is the most appropriate method considering that that data was collected using questionnaires (Saunders et al., 2012). The statistical data analysis methods used include frequency and descriptive analyses. Frequency analysis is used to analyse data regarding to general questions and demographic information. Descriptive analysis is used to evaluate the current trend of online food ordering in UK, the attitude between Chinese consumers and UK consumers towards online food ordering and factors influencing Chinese and UK consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system.

3.9 Research Ethics

The research enhanced various moral consideration in the data collection process to avoid conflicts and ensure a successful procedure. Firstly, the research ensure that the participants have informed consent. They were issued with a participant’s information sheet which contained the details of the research and the reason why it was being conducted (Fujii, 2012). Secondly, the research was voluntary, and the participants would engage in the study at will. They had the right to decline taking part in the research without explaining to the research the reason why they made such a decision. Also, they were informed that they had the right to quit the study at any point. The participants were also not to be questioned for declining or skipping some of the questions listed in the questionnaire. Thirdly, the research enhance confidentiality (Beaulieu & Estalella, 2012). The participants were not required to disclose their names or any details that may reveal their identity. Thus, no response would be linked to any of the participants. The privacy of the participants makes many participant to be willing to take part in the study since no one would recognise their response. Additionally, the research ensured that the data collected was used for the purpose of the current research only. The information obtained from the participants would not be used in any other study. Finally, unauthorised persons are not given access to the data collected. The questionnaires are only shared with people who are part of the research. Moreover, the data is stored in a computer where only the researcher has the password and thus no other person can access the data.

3.10 Chapter Summary

The chapter has demonstrated various research methodologies that were applied in the study. The research applied the positivism philosophy which depend on scientific methods to collect and analyse data. Additionally, deductive research approach was used to test the truthfulness of the information presented in the literature review. Also, mono-method research choice was applied where only quantitative research was applied. The research strategy that was applied in the study is survey because of the high number participants needed. Furthermore, simple random sampling technique was used to select the participants used in the study. Data was collected using questionnaires and later analysed using statistical methods. Finally, research ethics of confidentiality, informed consent, seeking permission and protection of the data were enhanced in the study.

Chapter 4: Data Analysis and Findings

4.1 Introduction

This chapter provides an overview of the data collected using the research methods outlined in chapter 3. The main focus is interpretation and discussion of the findings of the research based on the research objectives. The first part presents the major findings drawn from demographic information, warm-up questions and descriptive statistical analysis. The second section focuses on discussion of the findings by comparing with previous studies.

4.2 Major findings

4.2.1 Findings of demographic information

Demographics

Sample from China

Sample from UK

Percent (%)

Percent (%)

Gender

Male

52.5

49.0

Female

47.5

51.0

Age

18-24

21.2

25.5

25-30

40.4

45.9

31-40

19.2

15.3

41 and over

19.2

13.3

Education level

High school and below

6.1

11.2

Junior college

26.3

13.3

Bachelors

50.5

39.8

Masters

10.1

14.3

Doctorate

7.1

21.4

Table 4-1: Demographics from Chinese respondents and UK respondents

Based on Table 4-1, it is seen that the number of male respondents is more in China while the number of female respondents is more in UK. This shows that more males in China engage in online ordering while more females in UK order food online. This is attributed to the fact that in China, more men find it convenient to order food compared to cooking which takes up a lot of time (Cheng, 2018). On the other hand, more UK females order food online because of increase in working women who have limited time to prepare home-made meals (Marcellus, 2019).

Furthermore, the table also shows that the highest number of respondents in both China and UK fall between 25-30 years, 40.4% and 49.5% respectively. This age group represents individuals who are of working age and they usually very busy during work so this age group have more inclined to online food ordering in both countries.

Furthermore, it is evident that the highest number of respondents in China hold college and bachelors’ degree, 26.3% and 50.3%. In UK, most of the respondents have Bachelors’ degree and doctorate, 39.8% and 21.4% respectively. China recorded a high of 7.5 million undergraduate degree holders and college diplomas in 2018 from public universities and colleges. Of this number, 3.87 million acquired a bachelor’s while 3.66 earned diplomas (Statista, 2020a). In UK, the number of degree graduates stood at 14 million in 2017 while doctorate graduates were 25,020 making it the third country with the highest number of people graduating with PhD (Statista, 2020a). These results indicate that the chosen sampling population conforms well to the actual education level of each country, hence ensures the validity and credibility of research findings.

4.2.2 Findings of multiple-choice questions

Figure 4-1: Frequency of ordering food online by Chinese respondents

Figure 4-2: Frequency of ordering food online by UK respondents

Figure 4-1 shows that the frequency of ordering food in China is very high since majority of the respondents ordered food online more than 50 times. Tendency to frequently order food online can be explained by the fact that the online market offers customers with a variety of food options from different restaurants which are customised to the users’ preference. Further, ordering food online is convenient and easily accessible by people hence its popularity in China.

On the other hand, from figure 4-2, the frequency of ordering food in UK is average since many of the respondent’s order food 26-50 times for 46.9% and 6-25 times at 27.6%. This behaviour is attributed to the fact that many UK residents work long hours hence beat tight deadlines with fast online deliveries from nearby restaurants. Further, many people order online to try cuisines which cannot be prepared at home. Nonetheless, a good number of UK residents still prefer making meals at home from scratch to experiment new recipes and bond with family in the process of making food. Also, cost of purchasing food online daily is another factor that limits the purchase of food by Britons online frequently.

Figure 4-3: Apps used to order food online by Chinese respondents

Figure 4-4: Apps used to order food online by UK respondents

Figure 4-3 shows that the popular apps used in China for online food ordering is Meituan and eleme.com. Meituan and eleme.com, as the most well-known two food ordering apps, are popular in China because of the avalanche of restaurants that are available on the apps. This allows customers to choose from a variety of options with ease hence customers can try out different menu options at their convenience. Also, Meituan and Eleme.com are popular in China because of the numerous discounts available in China as well as the fast delivery time offered by the delivery company.

On the other hand, figure 4-4 shows that the frequently used app used to order food online in UK is Just Eat. The popularity of this app is attributed to its ease of accessibility, visibility of processes, convenience of use and the coupons offered to repeat customers. Further, Just Eat is the most popular app in UK because of the richness in variety of 30,000+ food options offered to customers (Marcellus, 2019). However, a good number of UK residents also prefer shopping on Uber eats 33.7% and 25.5% preferred using Hungry House.

Figure 4-5: Devices used to order food online by Chinese respondents

Figure 4-6: Devices used to order food online by UK respondents

From figures 4-5 and 4-6, it is seen that most respondents in both China and UK use smartphones to order for food online, 64.5% and 44.9% respectively. This behaviour is attributed to the popularity of smartphones both in UK and in China. In China, the number of smartphone users is estimated to be at 926.84 million users in China in 2020 (Statista, 2020b) while 55.5 million people in UK use smartphones (Statista, 2020c). Increase in online food ordering using smartphones results from the portability and interactivity of smartphones that allows customers to easily access restaurant reviews, food descriptions and offers and price comparison within a short while (Harun et al., 2015). Smartphones are also conveniently available to customers especially for busy customers who are on the move. Therefore, smartphones allow people to conveniently place food orders online. Furthermore, personalised marketing tactics used by online food vendors plays a huge role since they lure customers to order food online through coupons and discounts for customer’s favourite meals. Nonetheless, 20.2% of Chinese respondents indicated that they preferred using desktop/laptops to order food online while a significant percentage of UK respondents indicated that they preferred using tablet to order food online.

Figure 4-7: Factors motivating Chinese respondents to order food online

Figure 4-8: Factors motivating UK respondents to order food online

From figure 4-7, it is seen that majority of the Chinese respondents, at 41.4%, were motivated to order food online because of convenience. Ordering food online is fast and easy and the users do not have to go through the headache of getting out of home, waiting in line or preparing meals which might be time consuming. Therefore, ordering food online saves them time which is dedicated to other activities. Apart from that, a good number about 21%, also indicated that they frequently purchase food online because of discounts, exclusive offers and rewards. These discounts help people to save more while ordering food online

Based on figure 4-8, it is evidenced that most of the respondents in UK were motivated to order food online because they were not good at cooking showing that ordering food is a way for the respondents to get good meals without worrying about preparing meals without the skills. Further, 12.2% indicated that they ordered food online to search and see recommendations and because of discounts, exclusive offers and rewards showing that some respondents buy food online out of persuasion from external influences.

4.2.3 Descriptive analysis

This section provides main findings expressed by respondents from the UK and Chinese markets on the trend of online food ordering, consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering, factors influencing consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system and satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system.

4.2.3.1 The current trend of online food ordering in your country

Figure 4-9: Trend of online food ordering in China

Figure 4-10: Trend of online food ordering in UK

Popular in big cities in both China and UK

The results in figure 4-9 and 4-10 show common similarity that online food ordering in both UK and China occur in big cities. In the case of China, this could be seen from the higher mean of the item ‘The food online ordering in more popular among the big cities in the country’, at 3.6364. Comparatively, the same trend in UK is seen from the statement ‘The food online ordering is more popular among the big cities in the country’ which has a mean value of 3.8673. The high number of food online ordering in big cities in both UK and China can be explained by the concentration of target customers in towns. These working-class people do not have time to prepare home-made food after a long day’s work hence prefer online food ordering.

Special niche in both China and UK

Another aspect that is seen to be a trend in online food ordering is “food delivery services have focused on a special niche such as vegans and organic foods.” This trend has a mean of 3.4949 in China and 3.5102 in UK.

Lack of modern delivery options in both China and UK

However, the figures above show that the means of “There are modern delivery options such as drone” are relatively low having means of 3.3939 (Chinese respondents) and 3.2041 (UK respondents). While advanced delivery options have been adopted in many countries, it is evident that the invasion of modern delivery options like drones have not been very popular. Furthermore, online shopping trend is not shaped by modern delivery options due to the expensive start-up and maintenance costs.

4.2.3.2 Consumers attitudes towards online food ordering

Figure 4-11: Chinese consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering

Figure 4-12: UK consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering

Detailed information among Chinese respondents Vs. timely delivery among UK respondents

Figures 4-11 and 4-12 shows that Chinese people consider detailed information when ordering food online while UK people consider timely delivery when ordering food online. In the case of China, this is shown by the statement ‘Detailed information is important for me when ordering food to avoid uncertainty’ which has the highest mean value of 3.7879. In the case of UK, this is shown by the statement ‘I am concerned about timely delivery when ordering food online’ which recorded the highest mean value of 3.6020.

Apps’ layout

Moreover, both UK people and Chinese people consider app characteristics such as layout during food online ordering. This is confirmed by the statements with the second highest mean at 3.5152 and 3.5306 for China and UK respectively. This implies that the layout of the app can either motivates or discourages customers from engaging in food online ordering in both countries.

Negative attitudes towards apps which offer inadequate information

On the other hand, the statements with the lowest mean in both UK and China show that consumers develop negative attitudes towards apps which offer inadequate information on food products. This is shown by the lower mean value for the statement ‘I prefer to buy food from apps that offer me with plenty of information’, which is 3.1414 in Chinese respondents and 3.1735 among UK respondents. This means that existing food online ordering apps in both China and UK should improve on the adequacy of information provided in the app customers use for food online ordering.

4.2.3.3 Factors influencing consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Figure 4-13: Factors influencing Chinese consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Figure 4-14: Factors influencing UK consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Friend’s WOM and previous users’ feedback

From the results, it is evidenced that ordering food from apps used by close friends is the highest factor motivating Chinese respondents’ customer satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system having a mean of 3.7879. Customer satisfaction of Chinese respondents is also closely influenced by “....feedback from previous users to minimise the risk of ordering food in online apps.” These means can be attributed to the fact that Chinese consumers are often influenced by the experiences and opinions of friends especially those from one’s inner circle. Therefore, Chinese consumers are more likely to engage in behaviour or do things based on the influence of their friends.

Simple payment methods and prompt delivery

In UK, customer satisfaction is enhanced by simple payment methods with has a mean of 3.7755. Another highly motivating factor for UK consumers is prompt delivery, as shown in the highest mean value of “...prompt delivery is important to me to order food online” which has a mean of 3.7551.

Colourful pictures

Nonetheless, figures 4-14 and 4-15 show that customer satisfaction is least influenced by apps that have many colourful pictures, having a mean of 3.1414 in China and 3.1735 in UK. The research therefore argues that customers are aware of knowledge gap which might be fuelled by over advertisement using colourful pictures. This can also be viewed from the perspective that customers are cautious that the pictures do not equate to the quality of service received hence focus on more objective elements to assess service providers.

4.2.3.4 Satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Figure 4-15: Chinese customers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Figure 4-16: UK customers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Overall satisfaction with online food order and delivery system

Figures 4-15 and 4-16 reveal that in both groups, “In general, I am satisfied with the online food order and delivery system” are relatively high means of 3.8081 and 3.7551 respectively. This indicates that online food order and delivery system has led to satisfaction of customers in both China and UK. This research perceives that customers are satisfied with online food order and delivery systems because it offers them convenience and enables them to save on time that would have otherwise been spent cooking or at a restaurant.

Priority in buying food online

However, the two figures show that the means of “I make it a priority to buy food from online” are low having percentages of 3.0202 and 3.1122 in China and UK respectively. Online food ordering not being a priority can be said to be influenced by the preference of the respondents to have homemade meals. This can be explained by the fact that homemade foods can be prepared with healthier ingredients as opposed to online food ordering which may be made with some unhealthy ingredients. Also, eating homemade foods is relatively cheaper compared to online food ordering which may turn out to be very expensive.

4.3 Discussion of findings

4.3.1 Trend of online food ordering in your country

A key trend in both UK and China is that online food ordering is popular among the big cities in the country. This study argues that big cities in UK and China attract many working-class people who have little time to engage in home-made food preparation. Most daytime hours are spent at work hence online food ordering offers the best option to meet the body’s nutritional needs. This research also argues that the rise in online food ordering and delivery in big cities in UK is based on the rising culture of eating out. Th rising number of working class in big UK and Chinese cities has led to the rising culture of taking meals outside home either as a family during outings or individually when at work. This explains the current trend of online food ordering in the two countries. People in these two countries seek new experiences outside the normal home-made foods hence leading to the rising culture of eating out.

These findings agree with the assertions of Xiao (2017) that topmost cities in China such as Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang are leading in terms of online food ordering. From these cities, the people who frequently order meals online are white-collar job workers and students especially from the younger generation. The findings also concur with the arguments of Alalwan (2020) who found that London, Birmingham and Manchester are the leading cities in terms of online food ordering in UK. This research argues that online food retailing brands can focus on attracting consumers working in larger towns in UK and China. Also, the young working class should be the main niche market to target since they are more enthusiastic about online food ordering.

However, the results show that the least trend is use of modern delivery options such as drones in both China and UK. These results are in line with the thoughts of Ma (2015) who identified that modern delivery is a fast-rising trend in online food ordering as food ordering companies have integrated modern technology to save on costs and minimise delivery times. In China, the food delivery companies have implemented modern delivery strategy such as drones which involves delivery of food from customer to customer. However, use of drone for food delivery is not very popular in China due to the huge financial costs required to adopt this technology as well maintenance fees which many companies cannot afford (Hwang & Chloe, 2019). In UK, some restaurants attempted to use robots for online food delivery. However, full integration of robots has been hindered by poor infrastructure in larger catchment areas.

Focus on special niche such as vegans and organic foods is a popular trend in food ordering in China and UK. This research argues that vegans and organic foods are deemed to be healthier compared to the ordinary foods. Some consumers are becoming more health conscious hence consumption of vegans and organic foods is seen as a way of adopting a healthy lifestyle. In cognition of this consumer trend, several online food brands have integrated vegans and organic foods as part of the food options consumers can choose. These findings add to the assertions of Xiao (2017) who reasons that consumers have been provided with an array of meal options to choose from. For instance, Ele.me has more than 100 restaurants on their platform which provides customers with a variety of options like Western food, vegan, low carb, non-dairy and organic food options (Xiao, 2017). In UK, customers are able to order from healthy food retailers at no additional cost (Deore & Shete, 2016).

Past studies such as Xiao (2017); Deore and Shete (2016) mainly focus on highlighting the high rate of online food ordering in big cities in China and UK respectively but do not offer further explanations to explain this trend. This study offers new insights such as the rising demand for organic and vegan foods as many consumers become more health conscious. Also, this study delves into the technological options which can be used to enhance food delivery in online food ordering and the need to implement a focused approach by targeting emerging niche markets. This means that this study has gone beyond mere identification of issues in online food ordering to highlight new targeting strategies and niche markets which online food brands should give attention to.

4.3.2 Consumers attitudes towards online food ordering

The findings in this study show that Chinese people consider detailed information when ordering food online while UK people consider timely delivery when ordering food online. Chinese consumers tend to have positive attitudes towards apps which offer detailed information during the process of online food ordering. Detailed information on online foods easily facilitate decision making regarding the specific foods to order. This makes it easy for consumers to arrive at informed decisions based on the knowledge received from the detailed information provided on the app. This research further argues that the collectivist culture in China increases the value of online word of mouth because people prefer to maintain closely knight system. People are focused on maintaining and promoting issues which bind them together. This means that information in terms of recommendations from other members are highly regarded. Decision making tend to follow the existing norms, beliefs and perceptions regarding how each individual should behave.

On the other hand, UK consumers tend to value time more than any other thing. Timely delivery increases the convenience of using online food delivery systems among the UK people. It helps save time and increases the intention to engage in online purchase of food. This means that apps which take relatively long time to deliver food receive less preference among UK consumers. This difference exhibited in the attitudes of Chinese and UK consumers can be explained by the existing cultural differences. While UK people exhibit individuality in decision making, Chinese people tend to consider information from the app and also from friends in order to arrive at effective decisions based on their collectivist culture. As such, information processing in regards to online food ordering in China exhibits a collectivist orientation. These findings extend those of Hwang and Chloe (2019) who found that the recent cases of food poisoning in China has made many consumers to be very keen when ordering food online. Consumers seek assurance on the contents of the food, its preparation process and nutritional value. This means that the information provided about the food informs the attitude towards the purchase in China. The findings also add to the arguments of Huang and Lu (2017) who found that Chinese people have the trust and confidence with information provided by their society members online or from their friends. However, this study did not explain this observation in the context of online food ordering and delivery in China. This means that this study provides insightful information which links culture to the current trends of online food ordering and delivery.

The findings also extend the arguments of Ghadiyali (2017) who found that UK consumers tend to have similar attitudes towards food irrespective of whether the food is from a restaurant or home. Majority of consumers have developed an attitude that food offered online is generally safe based on low cases of food-related issues. Additionally, this study argues that the individuality culture in UK encourages UK consumers to be independent in their thinking. Information processing is done individually with very little consideration of what other consumers say. Most consumers tend to process information from legally acknowledged institutions such as regulatory bodies. People desire to seek individual happiness hence do not bother much on what other consumers say about online food ordering and delivery. Consumers in UK focus only on achieving individual happiness and experiences when ordering food online. Therefore, the cultural differences between the UK and China explains the differences in the attitudes towards online food ordering and delivery. Regarding the identified differences, this study yields new insights on the attitudes of both UK and Chinese consumers regarding online food ordering. This research goes beyond the assertions of Ghadiyali (2017) and Spelich (2017) which mainly discussed online food ordering in UK but did not take into account the online food ordering and delivery in China.

4.3.3 Factors influencing consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

Ordering food from apps used by close friends is the highest factor motivating Chinese respondents’ customer satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system. These findings are mirrored in the research by Liu et al. (2013) who found that consumers generally go for popular food delivery apps and websites which are recommended by friends. Prior et al. (2013) supports this view and reason that customers believe information provided by peers or online review information from other consumers’ experiences. Huang and Lu (2017) provide a different perspective of this finding. The researcher argue that cultural differences influence reliance on word of mouth and online reviews by Chinese consumers compared to UK’s. This is because China is a collective culture therefore members seek the opinions of their counterparts and have the trust and confidence with information provided by their society members online or from their friends. Chinese also have a high likelihood of feeling satisfied with such referrals work as recommended.

The second factor found to have a high influence on customer satisfaction of Chinese respondents is feedback from previous users to minimise the risk of ordering food in online apps. This finding agrees with the study conducted by Liu et al. (2013) which found that online food ordering especially for safe food is sourced from word of mouth or online reviews. As such, customers have a high inclination towards popular food delivery apps and websites especially those with positive customer feedback and reviews online. This argument is also echoed by Prior et al. (2013) who offers that demand for safe food online suppliers in the Chinese market is largely sourced from word of mouth or online reviews. This research holds that Chinese consumers desire to maintain close connectedness in line with the collectivist nature of China. In this case, consumers always seek opinion of friends who have used the online delivery apps. Positive feedback increases the intention to use the specific apps. However, apps with negative feedback discourage Chinese consumers from using specific apps. As such, the motivation to maintain close connectedness encourages the consideration of the feedback from previous users in the case of online food ordering and delivery. Yeo et al. (2017) acknowledges the influence of culture in online food ordering process in China but do not explain how this influence manifests itself. This means that this study provides new insights into online food ordering and delivery in UK.

On the contrary, this research argues that UK consumers consider delivery time when ordering food online because people tend to value individual preferences which may not necessarily reflect the preferences of others. The individualism culture explains this observation. UK consumers desire to reduce uncertainties by seeking assurance on delivery time of food ordered online. However, the Chinese consumers seek to reduce uncertainties by using apps which other friends use. These findings extend the arguments of Das (2018) who found that convenience of the online food ordering systems is the key factor which attract many UK people to order food online. However, this study does not link this observation to the dominant culture in UK. This means that this research fills the existing literature gaps by explaining online food ordering system in UK and China in the context of cultural differences.

The results of the study also found that customer satisfaction in UK is enhanced by simple payment methods. This research holds that the individualism culture in the UK promote independence among the UK consumers. Consumers value individual experiences such as convenience when making payments on the online food ordering app. Moreover, the simple payment methods allow UK consumers to have better knowledge of security and privacy of the financial information. Complex process increases the individuality of understanding of the security level of online food ordering apps. The simpler the payment methods are, the greater the attitudes and intention to engage in online food ordering activities. Agreeing with this finding is Spelich (2017) who reasons that customer satisfaction is influenced by convenience factors like availability of multiple payment methods are highly preferred as much as those with outstanding delivery performance.

Finally, prompt delivery is seen as a factor that highly influencing consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system. Prior et al. (2013) agree with this view by stating that many consumers of online food ordering and delivery services prefer for ready-to-eat food due to time restrictions. Therefore, consumers have a high preference for online food service providers with great delivery performance in terms of speed and delivery service. Another perspective is offered by Seidemann et al. (2017) that the UK culture limits their consumers from going for products that enhance their quality daily living while the Chinese pragmatic culture values pleasure and happiness as per the situation, time, and context in question.

4.4 Conclusion

From the analysis, the results show that online food ordering is popular among big cities in both UK and China. Focus is on special niche such as vegans and organic foods in both countries. However, the results show that modern delivery options such as drones is least used in both countries. With regard to consumers’ attitudes towards online food ordering, the research finds that Chinese consumers have a positive attitude towards detailed information when ordering food to avoid uncertainty while UK people value speed of delivery. In China, consumers order food from apps used by close friends and also hold in high regard feedback from previous users to minimise the risk of ordering food in online apps. However, UK consumers prefer simpler payment methods. These findings are explained by the cultural differences between China and UK for instance, China is a collective culture, which means that Chinese people values more the collectivist ideas from their friends and previous users. However, UK is an individualised country, which makes UK people to pay more attention to their individualised online ordering experience, rather than relying others’ overall evaluation towards the app.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Recommendations

5.1 Introduction

This chapter focuses on providing conclusions of the research based on the research objectives discussed in Chapter 1. This section identifies the factors affecting consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system among Chinese and UK consumers. Recommendations on how customer satisfaction can be improved in online food order and delivery system are also provided. Finally, the limitations and recommendations for future research are discussed.

5.2 Conclusions

5.2.1 The current trend of online food ordering in your country

Food ordering is seen to be popular in big cities in the country. In China, the topmost cities in China involved in ordering online foods include Beijing, Shanghai, Hangzhou, Guangzhou, and Zhejiang among others. In UK, customers order from online food providers in major cities such as London and Birmingham. The research also concludes that modern delivery option is the not famous in online food delivery. Only one company in China uses this and none in UK hence the trend is low. Use of drone for food delivery is not very popular due to the huge financial costs required to adopt this technology as well maintenance fees which many companies cannot afford. In UK, some restaurants attempted to use robots for online food delivery but this has been hindered by poor infrastructure in larger catchment areas. Therefore, modern delivery options are not a widespread trend in food delivery. Finally, the research finds that focus on special niche such as vegans and organic foods is a popular trend in food ordering. This is because food ordering apps have provided customers with an array of meal options to choose from like vegan, low carb, non-dairy and organic food options at no additional cost. These findings add to the arguments of Xu and Wu (2010) who found that the working class in Chinese big cities show strong preference towards online food ordering. Maimaiti et al. (2019) also found that the culture of ordering food online among UK people has been on the rise.

5.2.2 Consumers attitudes towards online food ordering

The research concludes that Chinese customers have a positive attitude towards detailed information when ordering food to avoid uncertainty. Consumers are seen to have comprehensive knowledge on how to find food safety and hygiene information on labels of food ordered online. Therefore, this motivates them to find out key food details and not the brand, name, or company. Some of the information requested includes quality certifications, operation history, business licenses, and food safety and food details like ingredients, date of manufacture and expiry dates date. Further, demand for detailed information results from the series of food poising incidences leading to consumer sensitivity to food safety. UK consumers also have a positive attitude towards timely delivery because of convenience. Consequently, customers have a positive attitude towards standard layout of food ordering apps. Specifically, customers prefer platforms that are easy to use and communicate. These findings echo the sentiments of Spelich (2017) who found that the individualistic culture of the UK gives them space to make decisions which pleases them during online food ordering compared to Chinese culture where individual decisions must reflect the collectivist nature of China.

5.2.3 Factors influencing consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system

The research concludes that the highest factor influencing Chinese consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system is ordering food from apps used by close friends. Chinese consumers generally go for popular food delivery apps and websites which are recommended by friends since they believe information provided by peers or sometimes online review information from other consumers’ experiences. This is very popular in China since their collectivist culture influences them members seek the opinions of their counterparts and have the trust and confidence with information provided by their society members online or from their friends.

Secondly, feedback from previous users to minimise the risk of ordering food in online apps is another factor having a high influence on Chinese customers’ satisfaction. Specifically, Chinese customers look out for word of mouth or online reviews hence most are likely to order from popular food delivery apps and websites especially those with positive customer feedback and reviews online.

Simple payment methods and timely delivery are two important factors influencing UK customers’ satisfaction towards food online delivery system. UK is an individualized country, and people in UK value individual experiences while ordering online. In this case, the experience of payment methods and delivery speed directly affect their order experience, if they find that it’s very convenient in both payment and quick in delivery speed, they become very satisfied. These findings are in agreement with those of Seidemann et a. (2017) who found that food ordering among UK people is based on individuality of tastes and preferences which resembles the individuality culture of the UK.

5.3 Recommendations

This research recommends that online food order and delivery system in UK should focus on speedy delivery. This is because the study finds that customers voiced their concern for timely delivery when ordering food online hence showing that it is a critical factor to customer satisfaction and customer retention. In light of this, online food delivery systems should implement strategies to minimise the lead time between order placement and order delivery to at most 30 minutes. This will require an overhaul of internal processes to include pre-preparation of meals and increasing delivery systems for faster delivery.

The second recommendation is that the UK ordering system and delivery should use apps with a simple layout which are easy to use. This will allow consumers to conveniently buy food and complete transaction without much difficulty. Delivery systems should ensure that their ordering platforms can efficiently be used by customers through integration of processes and elimination of unnecessary steps in the ordering process. In the same breath, the ordering system should also be flexible enough to allow customers to order through various channels like text messages, websites and on social media. Further, online food order and delivery system should capitalise their activities in big cities since the highest target market is present in these areas. This will enable the business to maximise on the number of sales hence increasing profit.

Alternatively, the online food ordering and delivery system in China should focus on providing detailed information to customers ordering food to avoid uncertainty. Provision of adequate information allows the customers to make sound decisions with regard to food purchases. Further, comprehensive information eliminates doubt about the quality of the delivery systems. In line with this, online food order and delivery system should focus on enriching their platforms to support customer reviews. These reviews enhance information availability to customers therefore help them to make objective decisions on whether or not to order.

5.4 Limitations and Recommendations for future research

The first limitation of this research is use of quantitative research. Quantitative research limits the ability of the researcher to collect in-depth results on the factors affecting consumers’ satisfaction towards online food order and delivery system among Chinese and UK consumers. Further, use of questionnaires to collect data limited the answers of the respondents which might lead to inaccurate results. In future, research on this area should consider using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. These methods will help the researcher to get objective results for comparative analysis of factors influencing customer satisfaction in online food order and delivery system. Use of interviews will also give respondents more allowance to give their thoughts without restrictions hence leading to more credible results. Further, future researchers can consider increasing the sample size to enhance the representativeness of the study.

Further, this research argues that UK consumers prefer simpler payment methods while Chinese consumers prefer apps that are used by close friends. These findings are not supported by the qualitative information on the subjective thoughts, opinions and beliefs of the respondents. This means that this research did not collect in-depth information on the underlying reasons on the factors which influence consumer’s satisfaction towards online food order and delivery. Future research can collect in-depth data using interviews to investigate the reasons behind the outlined answers. This will play a critical role in extending knowledge on online food ordering and delivery in UK and China.

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