Brand Loyalty in the Context of Digital Food Retail : Understanding customer behaviour of meal kit delivery services towards brand loyalty: a focus on HelloFresh

Sammanfattning: Abstract Background: Despite an increase in popularity, the meal kit delivery service is facing the challenge of high cancellations and difficulty with customer retention. As it is a comparatively novel concept in the context of digital food retail, more scholarly research should be conducted. Existing research on meal kit delivery services is limited, focusing on customer-perceived benefits and product attributes, such as food quality, menu variety, health orientation, convenience, and price, associated with purchasing intention. Therefore, it is an insightful study to understand the factors that influence customers’ brand loyalty in relation to meal kit delivery services.  Purpose: The purpose of this study aims to address the research gap in understanding customer behaviours associated with brand loyalty in the meal kit delivery services industry. From an academic perspective, it seeks to understand the factors influencing customer behaviours towards brand loyalty in the context of digitalisation in food retail. Additionally, the study aims to develop a conceptual framework that clarifies the factors consumers consider when demonstrating brand loyalty to meal kit delivery services. In terms of practical contribution, the findings aim to provide valuable insights to meal kit delivery companies, assisting them in effectively addressing the challenge of customer retention.  Method: This is an exploratory qualitative case study based on HelloFresh that includes 13 in-depth semi-structured interviews to collect rich and insightful data. The qualitative approach of interviews i created primary data for empirical findings which were further coded, analysed, and identified inductively using thematic analysis.  Conclusion: The study contributes to the existing literature by examining customer behaviours and factors influencing brand loyalty in meal kit delivery services. The findings indicated that both behavioural and attitudinal elements play a significant role in customer behaviours associated with brand loyalty. The study identified the factors, including brand trust, brand commitment, customer satisfaction, perceived value, brand involvement, and customer attitude, as key components influencing brand loyalty in the meal kit industry. Thus, the findings helped to develop the conceptual framework further.