Exploring Key Growth Drivers and Strategies for Enhancing Performance of Indian Food Tech Startups
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2022/v52/i1/159847Keywords:
Startup Food Tech Platforms
, Online Food Delivery, Key Growth Drivers, Challenges, Strategies, Performance Improvement.Paper Submission Date
, April 10, 2021, Paper Sent Back for Revision, September 3, Paper Acceptance Date, November 26, Paper Published Online, January 15, 2022.Abstract
The startup food tech business is a promising option due to its massive size and high repeat ordering behavior, besides the high margins emanating from it. Thus, to remain competitive and factor sustainability, the sector needs to revisit strategies, more so post 2019 due to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It is time to focus on the adoption of strategic options for improving the performance of startup food tech platforms while taking cognizance of various critical growth drivers. This paper explored the key growth drivers and challenges startup food tech platforms face and suggested strategies for enhancing their performance. The empirical study was undertaken using a fully structured questionnaire to collect data from the delivery staff of startup food tech platforms in seven major cities in India. The primary data thus collected was used for the descriptive analysis based on the respondents' demographic information. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was carried out to support construct validation to assess the validity of the survey items based on the overall fitness of the model. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test the hypothesized relationships between latent factors. The key growth drivers and their corresponding impact on other variables were worked out. This study recommended innovative strategies that can make the food delivery business more successful. The finding revealed that the key growth drivers included personalization & focused marketing, quality assurance, extended convenience, and value to consumers, and their corresponding strategies were reconnoitered. The paper would aid the concerned food tech sector further develop and implement strategic options for enhancing its business performanceDownloads
Downloads
Additional Files
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
References
Anderson, J.C., & Gerbing, D. W. (1988). Structural equation modeling in practice: A review and recommended two step approach. Psychological Bulletin, 103(3), 411–423. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.103
Annaraud, K., & Berezina, K. (2020). Predicting satisfaction and intentions to use online food delivery: What really makes a difference? Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(4), 305–323. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2020.1768039
Bagla, R. K., & Khan, J. (2017). Customers' expectations and satisfaction with online food ordering portals. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 10(11), 31–44. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2017/v10i11/119401
Bajaj, K., & Mehendale, S. (2016). Food-delivery start-ups: In search of the core. Prabandhan: Indian Journal of Management, 9(10), 42–53. https://doi.org/10.17010/pijom/2016/v9i10/103073
Bhotvawala, M.A., Balihallimath, H., Bidichandani, N., & Khond, M. P. (2016). Growth of food tech: A comparative study of aggregator food delivery services in India. In, IEOM Society International – Proceedings of the 2016 International Conference on Industrial Engineering and Operations Management, Detroit, Michigan, USA, September 23–25, 2016, 140–149. http://ieomsociety.org/ieomdetroit/pdfs/49.pdf
Coggon, D., Rose, G., & Barker, D. J. (1997). Case-control and cross-sectional studies, Chapter 8. In, Epidemiology for the uninitiated (4th edition). BMJ Books. https://www.bmj.com/about-bmj/resources-readers/publications/epidemiology-uninitiated/8-case-control-and-cross-sectional
Crotts, J.C., Pan, B., & Raschid, A. E. (2008). A survey method for identifying key drivers of guest delight. International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 20(4), 462–470. https://doi.org/10.1108/09596110810873552
Das, S., & Ghose, D. (2019). Influence of online food delivery apps on the operations of the restaurant business. International Journal of Scientific & Technology Research, 8(12), 1372–1377. http://www.ijstr.org/final-print/dec2019/Influence-Of-Online-Food-Delivery-Apps-On-The-Operations-Of-The-Restaurant-Business-.pdf
Dwivedi, R. (2019). Indian startups: Analyzing their vulnerabilities and prevailing challenges. SMS Journal of Entrepreneurship & Innovation, 6(1), 61–79.
Fink, A. (1995). How to sample in surveys (The Survey Kit, Vol. 6) (1st ed). Sage Publications.
Gandhi, D., Batra, N. K., & Gupta, T. (2019). Startup India: Opportunities and challenges. Invertis Journal of Management, 11(2), 97–104. https://www.indianjournals.com/ijor.aspx?target=ijor:ijm6&volume=11&issue=2&article=005
Gendron C., & Audet, R. (2012). Key drivers of the food chain. In J. Boye & Y. Arcand (eds.), Green technologies in food production and processing. Food Engineering Series (pp. 23 – 42). Boston, MA: Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-1587-9_2
Gupta, V., & Sarraf, S. (2019). Perception of food retailers towards online food delivery apps. International Journal of Advance and Innovative Research, 6(3), 59–62. http://www.iaraedu.com/pdf/ijair-volume-6-issue-3-i-july-september-2019-part-1.pdf
Hair, J. F., Black, W., Babin, B., & Anderson, R. (2010). Multivariate data analysis: A global perspective (7th ed., pp.218–235). Pearson. https://www.pearson.com/uk/educators/higher-education-educators/program/Hair-Multivariate-Data-Analysis-Global-Edition-7th-Edition/PGM916641.html
Hasan, S., Deogaonkar, P., Seelam, S., & Vichoray, D. (2020). Food channel distribution in the Internet era — The aggregator model boost to channel power. International Journal of Management, 11(3), 337–345.
Hirschberg, C., Rajko, A., Schumacher, T., & Wrulich, M. (2016). The changing market for food delivery. McKinsey & Company. https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/technology-media-and-telecommunications/our-insights/the-changing-market-for-food-delivery
Jang, W. - J. (2020). A study on current status and prospects of global food-tech industry. Journal of the Korea Convergence Society, 11(4), 247–254. https://doi.org/10.15207/JKCS.2020.11.4.247
Korreck, S. (2019). The Indian startup ecosystem: Drivers, challenges and pillars of support (ORF Occasional Paper No. 210). Observer Research Foundation. https://www.orfonline.org/research/the-indian-startup-ecosystem-drivers-challenges-and-pillars-of-support-55387/
Kurode, T., Kurode, A. V., & Moitra, K. (2016). A study of critical challenges in startup management. https://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3348534
Kurup, A. J., & Jain, P. (2018). Effect of e-loyalty cues on repurchase behavioral intentions among online shoppers. Indian Journal of Marketing, 48(11), 7–22. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2018/v48/i11/137982
Li, C., Mirosa, M., & Bremer, P. (2020). Review of online food delivery platforms and their impacts on sustainability. Sustainability, 12(14),5528–5545. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12145528
Maimaiti, M., Zhao, X., Jia, M., Ru, Y., & Zhu, S. (2018). How we eat determines what we become: Opportunities and challenges brought by food delivery industry in a changing world in China. European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 72(9), 1282–1286. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41430-018-0191-1
Meenakshi, N., & Sinha, A. (2019). Food delivery apps in India: Wherein lies the success strategy? Strategic Direction, 35(7), 12–15. https://doi.org/10.1108/SD-10-2018-0197
Munshi, A. (2019). Assessment of competitiveness of food-tech start-ups in India. Indian Journal of Public Administration, 65(1), 201–224. https://doi.org/10.1177/0019556118821268
Quynh, N. H. (2019). The moderating influence of brand image on the relationship between customer engagement and customer loyalty. Indian Journal of Marketing, 49(9), 42–56. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2019/v49/i9/146939
Raman, P. (2018). Zomato: A shining armour in the food tech sector. Journal of Information Technology Case and Application Research, 20(3–4), 130–150. https://doi.org/10.1080/15228053.2018.1552396
Ray, A., Dhir, A., Bala, P. K., & Kaur, P. (2019). Why do people use food delivery apps (FDA)? A uses and gratification theory perspective. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 51, 221–230. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2019.05.025
Salamzadeh, A., & Kesim, H. K. (2015). Startup companies: Life cycle and challenges. In, 4th International Conference on Employment, Education and Entrepreneurship (EEE). Belgrade, Serbia. http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2628861
Saxena, A. (2019). An analysis of online food ordering applications in India: Zomato and Swiggy. International Journal of Research in Engineering, IT and Social Sciences, 9(April), 13–21. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/348880558_An_Analysis_of_Online_Food_Ordering_Applications_in_India_Zomato_and_Swiggy
Sharma, S., & Goyal, D. P. (2020). Entrepreneurial marketing strategies for small businesses: An exploratory study of start-up companies in India. Indian Journal of Management, 50(8–9), 48–65. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2020/v50/i8-9/154691
Singh, M., & Kaur, D. (2020). A study of customer perception towards online food delivery with respect to age and gender. Asian Journal of Management, 11(3), 334–338. https://doi.org/10.5958/2321-5763.2020.00052.9
Sivathanu, B. (2017). Food marketing and its impact on adolescents' food choices. Indian Journal of Marketing, 47(8), 46 – 60. https://doi.org/10.17010/ijom/2017/v47/i8/117432
Sparta, J., Alsumait, S., & Joshi, A. (2019). Marketing habituation and process study of online food industry (A study case: Zomato). Journal of the Community Development in Asia, 2(1), 40–46. http://ejournal.aibpm.org/index.php/JCDA/article/view/341
Syamala Rao, G., & Nagaraj, K. V. (2018). A conceptual study on opportunities and challenges of online food services market in India. International Journal of Business, Management and Allied Sciences, 5(S2), 48–50. http://ejournal.aibpm.org/index.php/JCDA/article/view/341
Tittle, D., Matta, V., Beeler, L., & Babin, J. (2020). Online food delivery: How do service failures impact behavioral loyalty? AMCIS 2020 Proceedings, 14. https://aisel.aisnet.org/amcis2020/strategic_uses_it/strategic_uses_it/14/
Verma, P. (2020). The effect of presentation, product availability and ease upon transaction reliability for online food delivery aggregator applications – moderated mediated model. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 23(4), 285–304. https://doi.org/10.1080/15378020.2020.1761586
Yeo, V. C., Goh, S. - K., & Rezaei, S. (2017). Consumer experiences, attitude and behavioral intention toward online food delivery (OFD) services. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 35, 150–162. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2016.12.013