INVESTIGATION OF CUSTOMER SATISFACTION AND CONTINUED INTENTION OF USING FOOD ORDERING APPS

Abstract

The research attempts to explore the factors affecting customer satisfaction and their effects on the intentions of customers to continue using food ordering apps in India, especially in relation to Zomato and Swiggy – the two major apps which together control more than 90 percent of the organized food delivery market in India. In 2025, the Indian food delivery app market reached around USD 7.5 billion with a growth rate of 18–20%, reaching USD 15–20 billion in 2028 (RedSeer Consulting, 2025). The rapid development and fierce competition in this sector have made customer retention, instead of customer acquisition, the main focus of businesses for sustainable success. This study attempts to fill a gap in the current literature in India by providing empirical evidence on the quantitative relationship between Satisfaction and continued usage intention among Indians. Research Objectives The objectives of the study were threefold: (1) to find out if demographic factors – gender, age, and location – affect customers' preferences for Zomato and Swiggy; (2) to identify the effects of age and location on the level of consumer satisfaction; (3) to empirically test and quantify the relationship between Satisfaction and continued usage intention. Research Methodology A descriptive research design was used for the study. Primary data was collected from a sample size of 131 valid respondents located in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh via the use of an online questionnaire created using Google forms, based on the principle of non-probability sampling. Variables collected included demographic data (age, gender, location), application preference, satisfaction (Q8: 5-point Likert scale) and usage intention (Q9: 5-point Likert scale). Theory for the research framework was drawn from two established theories namely; TAM by Davis (1989) and ECM by Bhattacherjee (2001). IBM SPSS was used to perform statistical calculations. Five tests of independence using Chi-Square test were executed with a significance level of α=0.05. A reliability test done using Cronbach's Alpha (α = 0.836) proved sufficient validity of the measurement instrument.