The Influence of Service Quality and Psychosocial Motivations on Continuance Tipping Intention Toward Couriers in Online Food Delivery Services

Online food delivery services (OFDSs) have become an integral component of consumers’ daily dining habits, making it important to understand consumers’ continuance tipping intention toward OFDS couriers. On the basis of stimulus–organism–response theory and social exchange theory, the present study examined how service quality and psychosocial motivations influence consumers’ continuance tipping intention toward OFDS couriers in Taiwan. Purposive sampling was adopted, and an online questionnaire survey was administered to OFDS consumers who had recently tipped delivery couriers. In total, 845 valid questionnaires were collected, and structural equation modeling was employed to test several proposed hypotheses. The results indicated that past tipping behavior was significantly and positively associated with continuance tipping intention. Perceived value partially mediated the relationships between perceived service quality and tipping behavior, as well as between perceived service quality and continuance tipping intention. In addition, psychosocial motivations, including gratitude, social obligation, and helping couriers, were significantly and positively associated with continuance tipping intention. Finally, the findings highlight the roles of service evaluations and psychosocial motivations in explaining consumers’ continuance tipping intention toward OFDS couriers.