Fast Food Online Delivery Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Price-based Incentives
2 other identifiers
interventional
600
1 country
1
Brief Summary
Consumption of out-of-home (OOH) food is associated with significantly greater energy and less-healthy nutrient (i.e. fats, salt and sugar) intake. The price of food is a key consideration of food choice, particularly for individuals of lower socioeconomic position (SEP). Little research to date has examined the causal effect of removing price-based incentives on purchasing behaviour in OOH food settings. One online randomised controlled trial explored the effect of removing three types of price-based incentives individually and in combination, on food choice through a virtual food delivery platform. This study found that energy selection was 7-8% lower when price incentives were removed. While not statistically significant, Bayes factors indicted that data comparing control vs "all promotions removed" conditions were inconclusive (BF10 = 0.55) and therefore could not provide support for the alternative or null hypotheses. A limitation of this study is that the outcome was hypothetical food choice. As participants would not pay for or receive their selected meals, the prices of foods may have been less salient, thus reducing the potential for impact. In the present study, exploring real-world consumer behaviour (as opposed to hypothetical choice) will better determine the potential impact of removing price-based incentives in the OOH food sector.
Trial Health
Trial Health Score
Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach
participants targeted
Target at P75+ for not_applicable
Started Feb 2026
Shorter than P25 for not_applicable
1 active site
Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.
Trial Relationships
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Study Timeline
Key milestones and dates
First Submitted
Initial submission to the registry
January 20, 2026
CompletedFirst Posted
Study publicly available on registry
January 27, 2026
CompletedStudy Start
First participant enrolled
February 24, 2026
CompletedPrimary Completion
Last participant's last visit for primary outcome
June 30, 2026
ExpectedStudy Completion
Last participant's last visit for all outcomes
June 30, 2026
May 1, 2026
January 1, 2026
4 months
January 20, 2026
April 30, 2026
Conditions
Keywords
Outcome Measures
Primary Outcomes (1)
Energy consumed per household member
Main participants will select a food order on behalf of their household. The day after receiving their food order, all participants will be asked to estimate the amount of each ordered item that they ate. This information will be used to estimate energy consumed by each household member.
The morning after food orders are placed.
Secondary Outcomes (2)
Total monetary spend per household member
Immediately after food choice
Energy content per household member
Immediately after food choice
Study Arms (2)
Control condition
OTHERParticipants will choose from a food menu with regular pricing, and three price-based incentives present (value pricing, bulk-buy incentives, and price reductions).
Experimental condition
EXPERIMENTALParticipants will choose from a menu with no price-based incentives present.
Interventions
Food menus will provided with all three types of price promotions removed
Participants will be asked to select a meal from a pizza outlet with all price-based incentives present (value pricing, price reductions, bulk-buy incentives).
Eligibility Criteria
You may qualify if:
- Able to order and pay for a takeaway pizza for delivery today or tomorrow
- Currently reside in select postcode areas
- Manchester (M13 store): M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M11, M12, M13, M14, M15, M16, M18, M19
- Liverpool (L3 store): L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L8, L13, L15
- Birmingham (B27 store): B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B25, B26, B27, B28, B33, B90, B91, B92
- Over the age of 18 years
- Report having used food delivery services in the last year
You may not qualify if:
- Partaking in a fast or other restrictive eating (e.g. for religious or health reasons) at time of participation
- A previous eating disorder diagnosis
- Currently on appetite-suppressing medication
- Dietary restrictions/intolerances including:
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Sugar-free
Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.
Sponsors & Collaborators
- Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdomcollaborator
- University of Bristolcollaborator
- University of Liverpoollead
- Liverpool John Moores Universitycollaborator
Study Sites (1)
University of Liverpool
Liverpool, Merseyside, L69 7ZA, United Kingdom
MeSH Terms
Conditions
Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)
Central Study Contacts
Study Design
- Study Type
- interventional
- Phase
- not applicable
- Allocation
- RANDOMIZED
- Masking
- DOUBLE
- Who Masked
- PARTICIPANT, INVESTIGATOR
- Masking Details
- Participants and researchers will not know the group to which individuals have been assigned.
- Purpose
- PREVENTION
- Intervention Model
- PARALLEL
- Sponsor Type
- OTHER
- Responsible Party
- SPONSOR
Study Record Dates
First Submitted
January 20, 2026
First Posted
January 27, 2026
Study Start
February 24, 2026
Primary Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2026
Study Completion (Estimated)
June 30, 2026
Last Updated
May 1, 2026
Record last verified: 2026-01
Data Sharing
- IPD Sharing
- Will share
- Shared Documents
- STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP
- Time Frame
- On publication, indefinitely
- Access Criteria
- Open website
Study data (anonymised) will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF)