Extending the theory of planned behavior to explain intention to use online food delivery services in the context of COVID-19 pandemic

The increased fear of getting COVID-19 led to significant changes in foodservice delivery and shoppers' behaviors. This paper incorporated trust and fear of COVID-19 into the theory of planned behavior (TPB) model to explore shopper’s intention to use online food delivery (OFD) services in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. A self-administered questionnaire was developed to collect data from 278 respondents intercepted at the three largest shopping centers located in Algiers city (Algeria). A multiple regression analysis was used to test the hypotheses of the model. This research found that intention to use OFD is significantly and positively affected by the fear of COVID-19, followed by trust, attitude, and then the subjective norm. PBC was non-significant. This paper provides a theoretical contribution and presents practical implications relevant to academics and practitioners working in areas related to OFD services in the context of the health crisis.