Impact of E-Service Quality and Perceived Ease of Use on Consumers’ Prospective Purchasing Intention with the Mediating Effect of Consumer Attitude in Online Food Delivery Services in Sri Lanka (Special Reference to Consumers in the Colombo District, Sri Lanka)

Abstract

Within the food and beverage industry in Sri Lanka, Online Food Delivery (OFD) services have become an emerging trend through the implementation and innovative utilization of Internet services. Consequently, most offline activities have transferred into online activities, allowing customers to experience advanced technological tools and ease their online endeavors. The following research was conducted to assess the impact of E-Service Quality and Perceived Ease of Use of OFD platforms on the Consumers’ Prospective Purchasing Intention through the mediating effect of Consumer Attitude based on the consumers in the Colombo district. This quantitative study collected data through a fully self-structured questionnaire distributed among 200 OFD consumers in the Colombo District and collected 183 responses using convenience sampling and was assessed using the Structural Equation Modeling technique. The obtained results imply that the majority of OFD users are females aged between 20-50 years, and tend to place higher ordering frequency for lunch and dinner meals during the daytime. Assessing the E-Service Quality as a first-order construct consisting of four second-order constructs Platform Design, Fulfillment, Customer Service and Security/Privacy had a significant impact on the Consumers’ Prospective Purchasing Intention through the mediating effect of Consumer Attitude. Moreover, in strengthening OFD services in this competitive market OFD services should focus more on E-Service Quality. The following study has developed an E-Service quality construct encompassing Platform Design, Fulfillment, Customer Service, and Security/Privacy demonstrating its significant influence over consumers' prospective purchasing intention in OFD services which needs to be addressed when developing or changing the user interface of the platforms, avoid service failures allowing their consumers to spend less time and hassle-free processes, and gain more clientele. In conclusion, this study highlights a novel finding that Perceived Ease of Use does not significantly impact Consumers’ Prospective Purchasing Intention in OFD services.