Ordering alone or together? The effect of ordering situation on over-ordering behavior

Huan Zou, Hong Wang, Jing Li, Haiyan Hua and Shuqi Wu

Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 2024, vol. 77, issue C

Abstract: Although social dining is prone to over-ordering that can lead to food waste, few studies to date have shown how the ordering situation of social dining influences over-ordering behavior. In this study, we analyzed how companion effects in ordering situations contribute to and inhibit over-ordering behavior through two laboratory experiments. By using a contextual manipulation method, we sourced data from 565 participants situated in Chengdu, China. The results showed that the presence of ordering companions significantly exacerbated tendencies to over-ordering, which was driven by the mediating mechanism of impression management motivation. In addition, ordering orientation significantly moderated this relationship. This study also showed that in the presence of a boundary condition of waiter intervention in the ordering situation, the ordering decision maker's over-ordering behavior was significantly inhibited, thus avoiding food waste. The findings of this study provide a better understanding of companion effects in the ordering situations and offer practical guidance for promoting sustainability in the food system.

Keywords: Ordering situation; Companion effect; Impression management motivation; Ordering orientation; Waiter intervention (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:joreco:v:77:y:2024:i:c:s0969698923004095

DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2023.103658

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