Intrinsic and extrinsic motivations affect customer citizenship behavior in ordering food via apps multi-group analysis by marital status, income, and frequency of use

Abstract

Research purpose: This study investigates the effects of convenience and sustainability motivations on customer citizenship behavior in the context of food delivery applications. Drawing on Self-Determination Theory, this paper conceptualizes convenience motivation and sustainability motivation influence on four key dimensions of customer citizenship behavior, including advocacy, feedback, helping, and tolerance. Research motivation: This study is motivated by the need to clarify how extrinsic (convenience) and intrinsic (sustainability) motivations, grounded in Self- Determination Theory, affect customers’ voluntary behaviors such as advocacy, feedback, helping, and tolerance. Research design, approach, and method: Data were collected from a survey of 215 users who have used to order food through mobile app living in Ho Chi Minh City, ensuring a diverse representation of customer experiences and socioeconomic backgrounds. To explore the structural relationships, Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) was employed. Moreover, a multi-group analysis was conducted to examine differences in marital status, income, and frequency among groups that drive customer citizenship behavior. Main findings: The findings confirm that both convenience and sustainability motivations significantly influence customer citizenship behavior. Notably, significant variations emerged among groups of income, frequency, and marital status. Practical/managerial implications: This study explores the role of intrinsic and extrinsic motivations in influencing customer citizenship behavior. Furthermore, it examines how these effects vary across different customer segments based on marital status, monthly income levels, and frequency of weekly orders. Because consumers are driven by both convenience and sustainability concerns, marketers would encourage promoting environmental awareness while simultaneously enhancing the convenience of using app-based services.