Mobile application content analysis: an analysis on online food delivery (OFD) business strategies in Malaysia / Nurulfaizah Izhar and Siti Aisah Mohd

A service in which a business or service delivers food to a consumer through the online is defined as online food delivery. Online food delivery has become more popular and trending as demand has grown. A growing new wave in Malaysia's food and beverage industry is the online food delivery (OFD) service. Online food delivery is the new eating out, and it is not only for take-out and eating out. The changing nature of urban consumers may have contributed to the growth of online food delivery businesses. A mobile application is used to create a food delivery menu. In Malaysia and around the world, the food delivery company sector is booming and has a bright future. People are looking takeout food delivered in conjunction with government normal procedure in the COVID-19 pandemic, since social distancing has become the new norm. The goal of this study, which is based qualitative research approach by employing content analysis, is to identify core and non-core services offered by the OFD through their official mobile application and to determine the information characteristic utilised by the OFD companies in Malaysia to promote their services. About two companies: i) OFD Company G and OFD Company P have agreed to participate in this research. Relevant descriptive texts and photographs from the two OFD companies’ mobile applications were used to conduct content analysis. Results showed that there are four information characteristics utilised by the food delivery application (FDA) which are interface/design, functionality, payments method and types of food. There are nine elements that helped define the information characteristic of FDA which are simplicity and interactive, aesthetic, interactive and up to date, convenience, payment method options (cash on delivery [COD]/online payments/ Visa/Master Card & TNG ewallet), reasonable, visibility of things available, price, colour and visual criteria, and variety of meal option. This revealed that the two OFD companies have a well-planned businesses strategy through their mobile application or in this study known as FDA, services. It was found that the FDA provides more than just a broad range of food selection. A meticulous structure and details of information can be experienced by users. It is also interesting to highlight that the FDA of the two OFD companies are seen as online service business which enable to connect between customers (i.e. user), financial service provider and the food business operations including groceries shops at a single purchase transaction.