Hunger, Emotion, and App Design in Online Food Ordering: A Systematic Literature Review and the HEA framework

Abstract

Purpose:

This review examines how hunger, emotion, and app design interact to shape consumer ordering behaviour within online food delivery service platforms (OFDS). Specifically, it investigates the physiological and affective states that drive impulsive ordering, emotional eating, and habitual platform engagement among consumers in digital food environments.

Design/methodology/approach:

A systematic literature review (SLR) synthesizing peer-reviewed studies published between 2014 and 2024 was conducted. Literature was drawn from consumer psychology, behavioural nutrition, and digital marketing using the SPIDER framework, PRISMA 2020 protocol, Rayyan screening, and CASP quality appraisal to identify key themes and frameworks relevant towards ordering through OFDS.

Findings:

Five dominant themes emerged from the synthesis: hunger and impulsivity as primary drivers of ordering decisions; emotional states including boredom, loneliness, and stress as activating conditions for emotional eating; app design as an active behavioural stimulus combining hedonic and utilitarian cues; theoretical frameworks as contextual lenses through which adoption, continuance, and satisfaction have been examined in prior OFDS research; and satisfaction, trust, and habit formation as underpinning mechanisms of reordering and loyalty. Collectively, the five themes reveal a recursive relationship between physiological hunger, emotional vulnerability, and platform design that the HEA Framework is proposed to articulate.

Originality/value:

This review makes an original theoretical contribution by proposing the HEA Framework; an integrative model positioning Hunger, Emotion, and App Design as three interdependent drivers of ordering behaviour in OFDS contexts. Unlike prior frameworks that treat these constructs in isolation, the HEA Framework establishes their recursive relationship and provides a structured foundation for future empirical investigation. The review further identifies five specific directions for future research anchored to the HEA Framework, and offers practical implications for platform designers, public health practitioners, and policymakers concerned with the responsible governance of digital food consumption.