Factors affecting the continuance intention of online food delivery services in the COVID-19 era

The paper aims to explore, on the one hand, the impact of fear of COVID-19 and perceived risk of eating out during COVID-19 on customers’ attitude toward using online food delivery services (OFDS), and on the other, the influence of this attitude on the formation of positive feelings (brand love) up to addictive ones (brand addiction; continuance intention after COVID-19) toward OFDS brands. To reach these objectives, a web-based self-completion survey and a subsequent structural equation modeling have been employed. Results reveal that fear of COVID-19 positively influences the perceived risk of eating out, which in turn shows a positive impact on attitude toward using OFDS brands, thus triggering a virtuous process leading to the formation of consumers’ positive and addictive feelings towards OFDS brands. Managerially, the study provides a practical understanding concerning the possible strategies restaurants can adopt to offer effective OFDS to their customers.