Consumers’ usage of errand delivery services: The effects of service quality and consumer perception

Errand delivery services refer to a novel delivery form where individuals assist in receiving or distributing items for a certain fee. It has emerged due to consumption upgrading, the rise of the lazy economy, and especially the impact of epidemics such as the recent COVID-19 pandemic. This study aims to fill research gaps, a new second-order Q-ETAM structural equation model based on service quality and technology acceptance models constructed to investigate consumers' motivation to use errand delivery services and how service quality affects their perceptions, which in turn impacts their usage of these services. The results show that service quality and consumer perception significantly positively affect consumers' use of errand delivery services. Tangibles have the greatest effect among the second-order variables of errand delivery quality. Furthermore, consumers' perceived usefulness and ease of use significantly and positively mediate their intention to continue to use these services. In addition, consumers' perceived usefulness and intention to continue using errand delivery services play a significant chain mediating role. This study explores the external and internal factors affecting the usage of errand delivery services from the consumer's perspective and comprehensively explains these motivating factors. The research findings provide insights into errand delivery platforms' design, management strategies, and potential service expansion. These findings can enable enterprises to attract consumers, enhance satisfaction, and better compete in the last-mile delivery landscape, ultimately benefiting both the consumers and businesses participating in the courier delivery ecosystem.