Investigating consumers’ intention to use drone food delivery services: Do personality traits matter?

Purpose The drone food delivery service (DFDS) is a revolutionary technology owing to its ability to reduce delivery costs, alleviate traffic congestion, and offer a more environmentally friendly alternative compared to traditional delivery methods. While studies have been conducted to understand consumers’ intentions towards DFDS, very few of them considered internal factors such as personality traits. Considering the aforementioned factors, this research employs the belief-desire-intention (BDI) model and the big five personalities (BFP) traits to explore how personality traits (neuroticism, extraversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness) moderate the associations between the desire for DFDS and consumers’ intention to use DFDS (ITU). Design/methodology/approach Survey questionnaires were distributed online via Facebook and WhatsApp. A total of 359 responses were considered valid, and the study employed the partial least squares structural equation modelling approach to test the hypotheses. Findings The study revealed a positive impact of the desire for DFDS on ITU. Additionally, extraversion and agreeableness were found to moderate the effect of the desire for DFDS on ITU. Originality/value This study is the first in DFDS literature to employ the BDI model, showcasing its effective application in understanding the desire-to-intention relationship. Also, this is the first study that explores the moderating role of the BFP traits in the context of DFDS usage intention. The results provide insights for developing marketing strategies to encourage DFDS usage intention based on consumers' personality traits.