EFFECT OF ONLINE REVIEWS AND RATINGS ON CONSUMER TRUST IN ONLINE FOOD DELIVERY SERVICES: A STUDY IN JAMSHEDPUR
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.29121/ijetmr.v13.i5.2026.1765Keywords:
Online Food Delivery, Consumer Trust, Online Reviews, Ratings, Review Credibility, Electronic Word Of Mouth Ewom, Jamshedpur, Consumer Behaviour, Digital Platforms, Service QualityAbstract
The rapid growth of online food delivery services has transformed consumer purchasing behavior, where online reviews and ratings play a crucial role in shaping trust and decision-making. This study examines the effect of online reviews, ratings, and review credibility on consumer trust in online food delivery services in Jamshedpur. A quantitative, explanatory research design was adopted, and data were collected from 385 respondents using a structured questionnaire. Convenience sampling was used for data collection, and the data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and regression analysis. The findings reveal that online reviews, ratings, and review credibility have a significant positive impact on consumer trust. Among these variables, review credibility emerged as the strongest predictor of consumer trust, followed by online reviews and ratings. The study highlights that consumers rely heavily on authentic and credible information while making food ordering decisions. The results provide useful insights for online food delivery platforms to improve transparency, enhance review authenticity, and strengthen customer trust in competitive digital markets.
Downloads
References
Alalwan, A. A. (2020). Mobile Food Ordering Apps: An Empirical Study of the Factors Affecting Customer E-Satisfaction and Continued Intention to Reuse. International Journal of Information Management, 50, 28–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.04.008
Chen, R., Liu, H., and Zhou, Y. (2020). Effects of Online Ratings and Reviews on Consumer Trust and Purchase Intention: Evidence from the Food Delivery Industry. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102115. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102115
Chen, Y., and Xie, J. (2008). Online Consumer Review: Word-of-Mouth as a New Element of Marketing Communication Mix. Management Science, 54(3), 477–491. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.1070.0810
Chevalier, J. A., and Mayzlin, D. (2006). The Effect of Word of Mouth on Sales: Online Book Reviews. Journal of Marketing Research, 43(3), 345–354. https://doi.org/10.1509/jmkr.43.3.345
Dastin, J. (2020). The Rise of Online Food Delivery Services in India: Trends and Consumer Behavior. International Journal of Hospitality Management, 89, 102561. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijhm.2020.102561
Dellarocas, C. (2003). The Digitization of Word-of-Mouth: Promise and Challenges of Online Feedback Mechanisms. Management Science, 49(10), 1407–1424. https://doi.org/10.1287/mnsc.49.10.1407.17308
Filieri, R. (2015). What Makes an Online Consumer Review Trustworthy? Annals of Tourism Research, 58, 46–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.annals.2015.02.003
Filieri, R. (2016). What Makes Online Reviews Helpful? A Diagnosticity-Adoption Framework. Journal of Business Research, 69(9), 3452–3460.
Filieri, R., Alguezaui, S., and McLeay, F. (2018). Why do Travelers Trust Tripadvisor? Antecedents of Trust Towards Consumer-Generated Media and its Influence on Recommendation Adoption and Word of Mouth. Tourism Management, 68, 1–11. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2018.02.010
Flanagin, A. J., and Metzger, M. J. (2007). The Role of Site Features, User Attributes, and Information Verification Behaviors on Perceived Credibility of Web-Based Information. New Media and Society, 9(2), 319–342. https://doi.org/10.1177/1461444807075015
Gupta, P. (2022). Consumer Perception and Trust in Online Food Delivery Services: Insights from Jamshedpur. Journal of Business and Retail Management Research, 16(3), 44–53.
Hennig-Thurau, T., Gwinner, K. P., Walsh, G., and Gremler, D. D. (2004). Electronic Word-of-Mouth Via Consumer-Opinion Platforms. Journal of Interactive Marketing, 18(1), 38–52. https://doi.org/10.1002/dir.10073
Kapoor, A. P., Vij, M., and Dwivedi, Y. K. (2020). Understanding the Role of Mobile Applications in Consumer Decision-Making in Food Delivery Services. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 55, 102120.
Kaur, S. (2021). The Role of Online Reviews in Building Consumer Trust in Food Delivery Platforms. International Journal of E-Business Research, 17(2), 35–50.
Kim, D. J., Ferrin, D. L., and Rao, H. R. (2008). A Trust-Based Consumer Decision-Making Model in Electronic Commerce. Decision Support Systems, 44(2), 544–564. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2007.07.001
McKnight, D. H., Choudhury, V., and Kacmar, C. (2002). Developing and Validating Trust Measures for E-Commerce. Information Systems Research, 13(3), 334–359. https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.13.3.334.81
Mehta, R. (2021). Evaluating the Credibility of Online Reviews in E-Commerce Platforms. Asian Journal of Management, 12(1), 101–110.
Mudambi, S. M., and Schuff, D. (2010). What Makes a Helpful Online Review? MIS Quarterly, 34(1), 185–200. https://doi.org/10.2307/20721420
Park, C., and Lee, T. M. (2009). Information Direction, Website Reputation and eWOM Effect: A Moderating Role of Product Type. Journal of Business Research, 62(1), 61–67. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2007.11.017
Rao, V. (2022). Impact of Detailed Online Reviews on Customer Trust in Food Delivery Services. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 64, 102764. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2021.102764
Sharma, A. (2022). Role of Expert and Verified Reviews in Online Food Delivery Platforms. Journal of Business Research, 145, 112–122. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2022.01.012
Singh, R. (2021). Star Ratings and Their Influence on Consumer Trust in Online Food Services. International Journal of Marketing Studies, 13(4), 88–98.
Zhang, Q., Wang, Y., and Huang, L. (2020). Online Reviews, Consumer Trust, and Loyalty in Food Delivery Services. Journal of Hospitality and Tourism Technology, 11(4), 553–567. https://doi.org/10.1108/JHTT-03-2020-0043
Zhu, F., and Zhang, X. (2010). Impact of Online Consumer Reviews on Sales: The Moderating Role of Product and Consumer Characteristics. Journal of Marketing, 74(2), 133–148. https://doi.org/10.1509/jm.74.2.133
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Sayak Gupta, Dr. Puja Prasad, Dr. Rakesh Kumar
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
License and Copyright Agreement
In submitting the manuscript to the journal, the authors certify that:
- They are authorized by their co-authors to enter into these arrangements.
- The work described has not been formally published before, except in the form of an abstract or as part of a published lecture, review, thesis, or overlay journal.
- That it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
- That its release has been approved by all the author(s) and by the responsible authorities – tacitly or explicitly – of the institutes where the work has been carried out.
- They secure the right to reproduce any material that has already been published or copyrighted elsewhere.
- They agree to the following license and copyright agreement.
Copyright
Authors who publish with International Journal of Engineering Technologies and Management Research agree to the following terms:
- Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-SA 4.0) that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgment of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
- Authors can enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or edit it in a book), with an acknowledgment of its initial publication in this journal.
- Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) before and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work.
For More info, please visit CopyRight Section
