INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF LATEST TECHNOLOGY IN ENGINEERING,

MANAGEMENT & APPLIED SCIENCE (IJLTEMAS)

ISSN 2278-2540 | DOI: 10.51583/IJLTEMAS | Volume XV, Issue II, February 2026

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Customers’ Buying Behaviour in Relation to Online Food

Delivery (Evidence from National Capital Region (NCR) of

India)

Rao Kushagra Yadav

and Dr. Shruti Mathur

Rao Kushagra Yadav: 211 Civil Lines, Gurugram 122 001, Haryana

Dr. Shruti Mathur: Faculty of Management, Shyam University, Dausa, Rajasthan

DOI: https://doi.org/10.51583/IJLTEMAS.2026.1502000005

Received: 16 February 2026; Accepted: 18 February 2026; Published: 23 February 2026

ABSTRACT

The growth of e-commerce, Digital India initiatives and the changing urban lifestyle of the Indian

consumers are the drivers for online food order services. The seamless delivery of food at the doorstep

with few clicks influence the Indian Consumers to order their favourite cuisines online from the restaurant

of their choices. Companies look ahead huge potential in e-food industry segment and came up with food

aggregator apps.

The aim of this study is to determine the effect of huge discounts on LifeTime Value and buying behaviour

of customers. The primary objective is to know the effect of discounts and services provided by the apps

on the customer lifetime value. The secondary objective is to know the consumer perception towards

different online food ordering apps and effect of discounts on buying behaviour of consumers.

Keywords: Doorstep delivery, cashback, discounts, loyalty, apps, customer preference

INTRODUCTION

Digital revolution has made it possible to shop without going into the shops. Customer dependency of

technology has motivated them to do everything online from ordering of food to delivering their favourite

snacks and meals to their homes, offices or some other places they want it to be. One of the factors for

consumers to move online is the convenience.

Today, placing an order for a meal can be easily done by simply clicking few items in the apps or websites

provided by the company. Technological dependency, cost-effectiveness, convenience, flexibility and less

time taken for the food to be delivered are the reasons for the consumers behind choosing the services

offered by the online food ordering and delivery service portals.

With the increasing exposure and the popularity of the food delivery apps the demands and expectations

of the consumers are also increasing day by day. The Internet has also provided new opportunities for

marketers by offering them innovative ways to promote, communicate, and distribute products and

information to their target consumers as well as giving huge discounts to their customers for ordering

online.

Objective of the Study

Primary Objective

● To determine the effect of huge discounts on LTV of customers.

● To determine the effect of customers services on CLV.

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Secondary Objective

● To analyse what are the various factors that influence the customers to choose online food delivery

services.

● To analyse what are the various factors that hinders the customers to choose online food delivery

services.

● How 50% discounts affect the buying behaviour of customers.

Hypothesis Briefing

S. No.

HYPOTHESIS DESCRIPTION

H1(a)

Huge discount (50% discount) on CLV (Cross-sell, Up-sell)

in online food ordering firms.

H1(b)

Huge discount (50% discount) on CLV(RFM) in online food

ordering firms.

H2(a)

Facilities (Membership) provided by apps on

CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

H2(b)

Facilities (Customization) provided by apps and CLV

(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

Factors affecting usage on food delivery apps (Zomato &

Swiggy).

Heavy discounts on dissatisfaction with food delivery

apps.

50% discounts on motivation to buy.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

The study consists of two independent variables- Customer Services and Discounts and one dependant

variable - Customer Lifetime Value. The first independent variable - Customer service was measured by

the facilities provided by the food delivery apps to their customers. The dependent variable is measured

by loyalty, profitability and referrals. If the customers are satisfied with the services (membership

programs, customizations, doorstep delivery) they are getting then they would refer these services to their

friends and family which will affect the customer lifetime value.

Data Collection and Analysis

Quantitative research method is used with primary data collection from the population belonging to NCR

of India with random sampling method. A structured questionnaire was designed with close ended and

open-ended questions. The questionnaire was divided into several parts- Demographic Information,

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awareness and usage of apps, services provided by the apps, discounts and consumer behaviour towards

the apps.

Sample Size: Total sample size was 1560 respondent

Research Tools & Techniques: Non-probability sampling i.e. Convenience sampling was used.

Fig1 Framework of study

RESULTS AND DISCUSSION

Respondent’s Profile

Characteristics

Description

Distribution

Percentage (%)

Gender

Female

780

Male

780

Age

15-30

1520

31-45

0.64

46-60

1.92

Income

Nil

1170

Below 2.5 lakhs

3.2

2.5-5 lakhs

190

5-10 lakhs

120

10 and above

1.9

Occupation

Private

280

Govt.

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Business

0.6

Student

1200

Residence

Rural

5.8

Urban

1470

TABLE 1 Rebpondent Demographic Profile

99.4% of the respondents are aware of the online food delivery apps. Most of them are more aware of

Zomato and Swiggy as compared to Ubereats, faasos and foodpanda.

Fig 2 The awareness of Zomato and Swiggy is more as compared to other food delivery apps.

Fig 3 Consumers are using zomato & swiggy more as compared to other ap

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Fig 4 Consumers are most satisfied with the On-time delivery followed by Quality of Zomato

Fig 5 Customers are most satisfied with the delivery charges followed by Minimum order criteria of

Swiggy

Awareness and usage of Services/facilities provided by food delivery apps

The services provided by Zomato are Piggy Bank, Self pickup, Zomato Easy, Book a Table, Corporate

discounts, Free Meals (Share & Earn), Events and Express Delivery. Services like Piggy Bank, Zomato

Easy, Events of Zomato are lesser known to the respondents. Book a Table service is known to consumers

to a larger extent. The services provided by Swiggy are Swiggy POP, Self Pickup, Express Delivery and

Free Delivery, Swiggy POP. Among these services, Swiggy POP is not known to most of the consumers.

Most of the consumers are familiar with Self-pickup service. The services provided by Ubereats are Pock

Eats and Deliver with uber. Bolt and Party order are the two services provided by Faasos. Much like the

apps, services of the Ubereats and Fasoos are unpopular amongst the consumers. One-third of the

consumers are using Self pickup, Book a Table and Express Delivery services of Zomato. Majority of the

consumers who use Swiggy app are using Self Pickup, Express Delivery and Free Delivery services of

Swiggy in ordering food online. 66% of the consumers are not using any services of Faasos and Ubereats.

More than 30% of the consumers are using the occasional offers provided by the apps. Some of the

occasional offers given by Zomato are Zomato Premier League during IPL matches and Navratri Offer

during the Navratri Fast. Swiggy also provides its users similar offers with the names “Match Day Mania”

and Navratri Offer. UberEats provide “Fast & Falahari” during the Navratri. “Zomato Gold” is a

membership provided by Zomato. 31% of the consumers have already availed this membership whereas

29% of the app users are planning to use the membership provided by the app in the future. “Swiggy

SUPER” is the membership provided by Swiggy. Only 19% of the consumers have taken this

membership and 18% are planning to take this in future. Less than 1% of the consumers use “Faasos

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ELITE”- the membership of Faasos. 85% of the respondents will refer the "Membership" provided by

food ordering apps to their friends/family.

Fig 6 Customers are well known about services like Book-a-table, express delivery, self-Pick up

provided by Zomato.

Fig 7 Customers are well known about services like Free delivery & self-pickup provided by Swiggy

Fig 8 Customers are using services like Book-a-table, express delivery, self-Pick up provided by

Zomato.

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Fig 9 Customers are using services like free delivery; self-Pick up provided by Swiggy

Fig 10 Zomato Gold is most preferred membership program and used by many as compared to other

services.

Fig 11 All the people who are using membership program around 85% will refer the membership to

their friends and family.

Discount and food delivery apps

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Discount is one the factors that encourages a customer to buy products. Although 90% of consumers have

ordered food online "without any discount”, 94% of them agreed that "discount" motivate them to order

food online.

But the more loyal consumers will be unaffected by the discounts. 50% discounts largely motivate people

to buy online. 50%, 40% and 30% discounts motivate customers more as compared to other discounts to

order online.

Cashbacks are the most preferred form of offers for the consumers. Cashbacks, Discounts and coupons

received by the consumers results in using various digital payment modes while paying for an order and

thus motivate them to order online. 89% of the people visit restaurant less frequently because they can

order their favourite meals online at a lesser price due to discounts offered by food delivery apps. 86%

will switch an app due to better discounts by other apps for ordering a dish. Thus, discount will affect the

loyalty of consumers for different apps.

Most of the users of the apps will repurchase from the same app if their current order provides discounts

on the next orders. 80% of people stopped visiting restaurant frequently because of discounts provided

by food delivery apps.

Fig 12 50%, 40% and 30% discounts motivate customers more as compared to other discounts to order

online.

Fig 13 Paytm, Debit and credit cards, UPI are most preferred payment option and motivate people to

order more

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Fig 14 Cashback and discounts motivate people to use digital payment apps for ordering food online

Consumer Dissatisfaction with apps

There are many factors which affect the satisfaction of the consumers for the online service of food

delivery. Bad service, Quality, Quantity, Packaging, Taste, Late delivery of food, Privacy issues,

Minimum Delivery amount, Bad past experience etc. are some of them. Late delivery of food, minimum

delivery amount and bad past experience are the main reasons for consumer dissatisfaction with the

food delivery apps. Quality, quantity and taste are less significant for the consumers. This is because most

of the apps deliver food of the same quality and quantity. Also, quantity, late delivery of food, minimum

order criteria are the main reasons for dissatisfaction with app when there are huge discounts offered by

the apps. This may be due to the fact that consumers think that they are getting discounts by sacrificing

with the quantity and speed of delivery.

Fig 15 Late delivery of food, minimum order criteria are the main reasons for dissatisfaction with app

Fig 16 Due to huge Discounts, Quantity, Late delivery of food, minimum order criteria are the main

reason for dissatisfaction with app

Consumers prefer online mode of ordering food through the apps because of the following factors:

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● Ease & Convenience

● Cost Effectiveness

● 24/7 Availability

● Doorstep Delivery

● Choices of Restaurants at home

● Easy Mode of Payment

● Food reviews

Out of the total respondents, 82% like to order food online due to doorstep delivery followed by Ease &

Convenience (74%) and 24/7 Availability (69%). Thus, Doorstep deliveryis an important parameter for

using these apps. Around 40% of the population prefer to order food 2-3 times a month on an average.

More than 85% people spends more than 100 and above on an average on ordering food. Customization

is an enhancer for any service business. It is the factor by which satisfaction of the consumers can be

increased. Around 90% of the consumers are satisfied with this facility. Also, it can be improved further

for better customer experience satisfaction. If the customer has a high satisfaction rating, cross-selling and

up-selling can also be increased by giving discounts in the form of cashbacks/vouchers on related products

or on more quantity ordered. Around 95% of the population will refer these apps to their friends and

family. Majority of the consumers will stop ordering food online, if the company stops providing

offers/discounts to them in future. Discount is the major factor which will motivate customers to switch

between different apps.

Fig 17 More than 85% people spends more than 100 and above on an average on ordering food

Fig 18 Customization is the factor with which an individual desire can be fulfilled around 90% are satisfied

with this facility and it can be improved for better customer satisfaction

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Fig 19 Around 95% of the population will refer these apps to their friends and family

Fig 20 Around 60% of the population will stop ordering food online, if the company stops providing

offers/discounts to them in future

Fig 21 Cross-selling

Fig 22 Up-selling

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Fig 23 Discount is the major factor which will motivate customers to switch between different apps

Framework used for the study

Hypothesis for the Primary Objective

Hypothesis 1(a).

● H0: there is no significant relationship between the huge discount (50% discount) and CLV

(Cross-sell, Up-sell) in online food ordering firms.

● H1: there is significant relationship between the huge discount (50% discount) and CLV (Cross-

sell, Up-sell) in online food ordering firms.

Activity

Correlation Coefficient

Remarks

Cross-Sell

0.534

Significant

Up-Sell

0.440

significant

Table shows that 50% discount offered to the customers have a significant relationship between cross-

selling & upselling because correlation coefficient is 0.534 & 0.440 respectively.

So, we reject the null hypothesis(H0) and accept the alternate hypothesis(H1).

Hypothesis 1(b).

● H0: there is no significant relationship between the huge discount (50% discount) and

CLV(RFM) in online food ordering firms.

● H1: there is significant relationship between the huge discount (50% discount) and CLV(RFM)

in online food ordering firms.

Offered 50% Discount to the customers

Activity

Correlation Coefficient

Remarks

Frequency

0.475

Significant

Monetary

0.106

Insignificant

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Table shows that 50% discount offered to the customers have a significant relationship with frequency

of ordering food online i.e. correlation coefficient is 0.475.

So, we reject the null hypothesis(H0) and accept the alternate hypothesis(H1).

Hypothesis 2(a).

● H0: there is no significant relationship between the facilities (Membership) provided by apps and

CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

● H1: there is significant relationship between the facilities (Membership)provided by apps and

CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

TABLE 4 Output for H2(a)

●

Table shows that Service such as membership offered to the customers have a significant relationship with

referrals. The customer will refer membership program of Zomato “Zomato Gold” to their friends and

family. The correlation coefficient is 0.644.

So we reject the null hypothesis(H0) and accept the alternate hypothesis(H1).

Hypothesis 2(b).

● H0: there is no significant relationship between the facilities (Customization) provided by apps

and CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

● H1: there is significant relationship between the facilities (Customization)provided by apps and

CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

Service such as customization facility

Activity

Correlation

Coefficient

Remarks

Referrals

0.604

Significant

Table shows that customization facility provided to the customers have a significant relationship with

referrals. i.e. correlation coefficient is 0.604.

So, we reject the null hypothesis(H0) and accept the alternate hypothesis(H1).

Secondary Objective

● To analyse what are the various factors that influence the customers to choose online food

delivery services.

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● To analyse what are the various factors that hinders the customers to choose online food delivery

services.

● How 50% discounts affect the buying behaviour of customers.

Hypothesis for the Secondary Objective

Hypothesis 3:

Factors that influence the customers to choose online food delivery services.

H0: there is no significant relationship between factors affecting usage & food delivery apps (Zomato &

Swiggy).

H1: there is significant relationship between the factors affecting usage & food delivery apps (Zomato &

Swiggy).

Table 6 Output for H3

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Hypothesis 4:

● Factors that hinder the customers to choose online food delivery services.

H0: there is no significant relationship between heavy discounts & dissatisfaction with food

delivery apps.

H1: there is significant relationship between heavy discounts & dissatisfaction with food

delivery apps.

Table 7 Output for H4

Factors leading to dissatisfaction due heavy discounts

(Hinderance)

Table shows that factors leading to dissatisfaction(Hinderance) have a significant relationship with huge

discounts. From table above, Late delivery of orders (0.581), Minimum order criteria (0.418) and quality

(0.455) are the main reason behind dissatisfaction.

Hypothesis 5:

● How 50% discounts affect the buying behaviour of customers.

H0: there is no significant relationship between 50% discounts & motivation to buy.

H1: there is significant relationship between 50% discounts & motivation to buy.

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Offered 50% Discount to the customers

Table 8 Output for H5

Table shows that 50% discounts offered to the customers have a significant relationship with motivation

to order food online. i.e. correlation coefficient is 0.454 and p-value is 0.000 which is less than 0.05.

Table 9 Acceptance/Rejection of Hypothesis

S.No.

HYPOTHESIS DESCRIPTION

RESULTS

H1(a)

Huge discount (50% discount) on CLV(Cross-sell, Up-sell)

Accepted

in online food ordering firms.

H1(b)

Huge discount (50% discount) on CLV(RFM) in online food

Accepted

ordering firms.

H2(a)

Facilities (Membership) provided by apps on

Accepted

CLV(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

H2(b)

Facilities (Customization) provided by apps and CLV

Accepted

(Referrals) in online food ordering firms.

Factors affecting usage on food delivery apps (Zomato &

Accepted

Swiggy).

Heavy discounts on dissatisfaction with food delivery

Accepted

apps.

50% discounts on motivation to buy.

Accepted

Limitations of the Study

The sample size i.e. 1560 respondents of this study is very small for Indian market analysis and that to a

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zone restricted parameter of NCR. The research covers a small part of the population and findings may

not be applied to the other parts of the country because of social and cultural differences. We can only

identify the trends in online food ordering behaviour but we cannot formulate rules in online buying

behaviour based on this study.

Concluding Remarks

At present food delivery apps provides huge offers and discounts to the existing customers to enhance

their experience of online ordering of food and to attract new customers and retain them. The offer and

discounts vary from cashbacks, vouchers, coupons, to 10-50% discounts. Through this study, it is found

that these huge discounts and different services offered by the food delivery apps have a significant impact

on the lifetime value and the buying behaviour of customers. There is a significant relationship between

the discounts and cross-selling and upselling & between discounts and frequency of order by the customer.

Thus, Discount affects the loyalty of the customers, profitability of the firm and referrals of the services

by the firm. The profitability, loyalty and referrals have a direct impact on the lifetime value of the

customers. Also, If the customers are giving high satisfaction ratings to the services they are getting such

as membership programs, customizations, doorstep delivery etc. then they would refer these services to

their friends and family as well which will affect the customer lifetime value. The study finds a significant

relationship of referral with customization and membership Thus, both discount and facilities/services

have a positive effect on CLV.

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