Fast Food Online Delivery Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Price-based Incentives

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.

NCT Number	NCT07368881
Lead Sponsor	University of Liverpool Collaborators: Liverpool John Moores University, University of Bristol, Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom
Conditions	Food Purchases, Eating Behaviour
Enrollment	600 participants
Start Date	2026-02-24
Primary Completion	2026-06-30 (estimated)
Study Completion	2026-06-30 (estimated)
Updated on ClinicalTrials.gov	2026-05-01