Data underlying the research: Ups and downs of meal kit delivery services: Exploratory analysis of post-pandemic drivers of satisfaction and retention

The coronavirus pandemic accelerated the growth of the meal kit delivery services (MKDS) industry. Meal kit providers experienced modest growth prior to COVID, but sales increased considerably during the pandemic. As online shoppers appreciated this service during the pandemic, new habits were adopted but many question remains as to whether these new habits will persist in a post-pandemic new normal. Indeed, the MKDS market is beginning to decline and is facing strong headwinds. We conducted a study designed to measure consumer intentions and attitudes towards MKDS in a post-pandemic context. This article reports on the results of a Canada-wide survey of 475 meal kits subscribers regarding their purchase and consumption experiences. The results provide new insights related to MKDS, such as gender differences in purchase behaviour, the important role of the family life cycle, and the influence of familiarity in driving customer satisfaction. We also identify promising avenues for future research as well as recommendations for MKDS companies to improve customer satisfaction and, hopefully, to lower customer churn.

新冠疫情加速了套餐餐食配送服务（meal kit delivery services, MKDS）行业的发展。疫情前，套餐餐食配送服务商的增长较为平缓，但疫情期间其销售额大幅攀升。疫情期间，线上消费者对该项服务认可度颇高，由此催生了全新的消费习惯，但诸多疑问仍有待解答：在后疫情新常态下，这些新的消费习惯是否能够持续留存。事实上，当前套餐餐食配送服务市场已出现下滑态势，并面临强劲的发展阻力。本研究旨在评估后疫情语境下消费者对于套餐餐食配送服务的消费意愿与态度。本文基于一项覆盖加拿大全国的调研展开论述，该调研共收集了475名套餐餐食订阅用户的购买与使用体验数据。研究结果为套餐餐食配送服务行业提供了全新的洞察视角，例如购买行为中的性别差异、家庭生命周期的重要影响，以及用户熟悉度对客户满意度的驱动作用。本研究同时为后续研究指明了颇具潜力的方向，并为套餐餐食配送服务企业提出了优化客户满意度、以期降低客户流失率的实践建议。