Purpose: This study aims to identify the primary determinants of consumer behavior influencing customer satisfaction in the context of online mobile application (App) purchases of perishable products. Utilizing the well-established SERVQUAL (Service Quality) model, which has been extensively studied in various service-oriented settings, the research seeks to determine the factors with the greatest impact on customer satisfaction during online transactions of perishable products. Design: The investigation focuses on analyzing the five core dimensions of the SERVQUAL model: tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The study employs a survey methodology administered through Google Forms, targeting the population residing in the Klang Valley of Malaysia. A total of 400 samples were successfully collected using a snowball sampling technique. Methodology: The study employs the SERVQUAL model as the theoretical framework to examine the dimensions of tangibles, reliability, responsiveness, assurance, and empathy. The survey, conducted through Google Forms, targeted the population in the Klang Valley of Malaysia, with a sample size of 400 collected through snowball sampling. Findings: The study’s outcomes reveal the robust predictive capability of the overarching SERVQUAL model in the realm of online perishable product procurement. Notably, the assurance dimension emerges as the most influential factor, emphasizing its pivotal role in shaping and defining customer satisfaction for online retailers of perishable goods in the Malaysian market. Novelty: This research contributes to the understanding of consumer behavior in online perishable product purchases, by identifying determinants of consumer behavior; the study promotes sustainable production and responsible consumption within the perishable products category, offering insights beneficial for online retailers in the Malaysian market. This study aligns with United Nations sustainable development goals especially industry innovation, food security and responsible consumption.

Aladwani, A. M. (2021). Online retailing: Exploring the impact of website quality on customer satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 63, 102709

Aris, N. M., Nor, M. M., Ahmad, N. H., and Abdullah, Z. (2020). The Impact of Trust and Brand Reputation on Customer Satisfaction in Malaysian E-Commerce Platforms. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 15(1), 1–17

Chua P.H., Khatibi, A.andIsmail, H.(2006).E-Commerce: A Study on Online Shopping in Malaysia, Journal of Social Sciences,13:3,231–242. DOI:10.1080/09718923.2006.11892554

Dhingra, S., Gupta, S., and Bhatt, R. (2020). A Study of Relationship Among Service Quality of E-Commerce Websites, Customer Satisfaction, and Purchase Intention. International Journal of E-Business Research (IJEBR), 16(3), 42–59. http://doi.org/10.4018/IJEBR.2020070103

Gajewska, T., Zimon, D., Kaczor, G., Madzík, P. (2020). The Impact of the Level of Customer Satisfaction on the Quality of E-Commerce Services. International Journal of Productivity and Performance Management, 69(4), 666–684

Hair, J. F., Hollingsworth, C. L., Randolph, A. B., and Chong, A. Y. (2019). An updated and expanded assessment of PLS-SEM in information systems research. Industrial Management & Data Systems, 119(7), 1565–1587

Hui,T., Mei Ling, G., and Seng Huat, T. (2023). Understanding Customer Satisfaction Towards Delivery Services of E-Commerce.International Journal of Business and Technology Management, 5(1), 446–458

Iridianathan, C. M. A., Wider, W., Abdullah, M. R., Sam, T. H., Vasudevan, A., and Daud, S. N. (2022). Employee Satisfaction in the Telecommunications Industry in Malaysia. International Journal of Management and Sustainability, 11(3), 191–201. https://doi.org/10.18488/11.v11i3.3161

Kamaruzaman, N.A. and Omar, M. (2020). Inventory model for a fresh product when demand depends on freshness, price, inventory level and expiration date under markdown policy. Journal of Intelligent & Fuzzy Systems, 39(3), pp.3453–3461. [online]. Available at: http://dx.doi.org/10.3233/jifs-191794

Kant, R. and Jaiswal, D. (2017). The impact of perceived service quality dimensions on customer satisfaction. International Journal of Bank Marketing, 35(3), pp.411–430. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/ijbm-04-2016-0051

Kim, D. J., Kim, T. H., and Kim, H. D. (2019). Consumer Perception and Satisfaction towards Online Food Delivery Services: An Exploratory Study in Malaysia. Journal of Foodservice Business Research, 22(6), 621–637

Lamb, C. W., Hair, J. F., and McDaniel, C. (2014). MKTG: marketing. Mexico, D.F: Cengage Learning

Lee, D. and Kim, K.K. (2017). Assessing healthcare service quality: a comparative study of patient treatment types. International Journal of Quality Innovation, 3(1). [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/s40887-016-0010-5

Li, C.-Y. and Ku, Y.-C. (2018). The power of a thumbs-up: Will e-commerce switch to social commerce? Information & Management, 55(3), pp.340–357. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.im.2017.09.001

Luo, X., Tong, L., and Fang, Z. (2019). The impact of online/offline integration and customer experience on customer loyalty in Omni-channel retailing. Journal of Retailing, 95(1), 6–26

Madhavedi, S. (2010). Measuring the performance of Agri supply chains a study of traditional fresh produce distribution system in Andhra Pradesh.Accessed from: https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/104425

Mitropoulou, A.D., andTsoulfas, G.T. (2021). Using a Modified SERVQUAL Approach to Assess the Quality of Supply Chain Services in Greek Online Supermarkets

Moon, H. et al. (2022). Armchair tourism: Exploring individuals’ innovative travel experience in the with-corona era. Tourism Management, 93, p.104582. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.tourman.2022.104582

Ngaliman, Mika Giofani Eka J, Suharto. (2019). The Effect of Tangibles, Responsiveness, And Reliability On Customer Satisfaction Of Delivery Services. SSRG International Journal of Economics and Management Studies 6(5), 86–92

Nguyen, C., Pham, T., Fukunaga, A., Hoang, D., Phan, T., Phan, D., Inoue, Y. (2023). Red meat consumption is associated with prediabetes and diabetes in rural Vietnam: A cross-sectional study. Public Health Nutrition, 26(5), 1006–1013. doi:10.1017/S1368980022001422

Nguyen, D.T. et al. (2020). Impact of Service Quality, Customer Satisfaction and Switching Costs on Customer Loyalty. The Journal of Asian Finance, Economics and Business, 7(8), pp.395–405. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.13106/jafeb.2020.vol7.no8.395

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., and Berry, L. L. (1985). A Conceptual Model of Service Quality and Its Implications for Future Research. Journal of Marketing, 49(4), 41–50

Parasuraman, A., Zeithaml, V. A., and Berry, L. L. (1988). SERVQUAL: A multiple-item scale for measuring consumer perceptions of service quality. Journal of Retailing, 64(1), 12–40

Paul B., Chris Fill, Kelly Page (2015). Piyush Sinha, Marketing, Asian Edition, Oxford

Peitzika, E., Chatzi, S. and Kissa, D. (2020). Service Quality Expectations in the Fitness Center Context: A Validation of the Expectations Component of the SERVQUAL Scale in Greece. Services Marketing Quarterly, 41(2), pp.89–104. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/15332969.2020.1742977

Schober, P., Boer, C. and Schwarte, L. (2018) Correlation Coefficients: Appropriate Use and Interpretation. Anesthesia & Anesthesia, 126, 1763–1768.https://doi.org/10.1213/ANE.0000000000002864

Shokouhyar, S., Shokoohyar, S. and Safari, S. (2020). Research on the influence of after-sales service quality factors on customer satisfaction. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 56, p.102139. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2020.102139

Simanjuntak, J. and Mayasari, M. (2023). E-Commerce Service Quality, E-Customer Satisfaction and Loyality: Modification of E-Servqual Model. Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Applied Economics and Social Science, ICAESS 2022, 5 October 2022, Batam, Riau Islands, Indonesia. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.4108/eai.5-10-2022.2325900

Sugiarto, S., and Octaviana, V. (2021). Service Quality (SERVQUAL) Dimensions on Customer Satisfaction: Empirical Evidence from Bank Study. Golden Ratio of Marketing and Applied Psychology of Business, 1(2), 93–106. https://doi.org/10.52970/grmapb.v1i2.103

Vasic, N., Kilibarda, M., and Kaurin, T. (2019). The Influence of Online Shopping Determinants on Customer Satisfaction in the Serbian Market. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 14(2), Vol 13, No 3, (October 9, 2017)

Xin, Y., Irfan, M., Ahmad, B., Ali, M. and Xia, L. (2023). Identifying How E-Service Quality Affects Perceived Usefulness of Online Reviews in Post-COVID-19 Context: A Sustainable Food Consumption Behavior Paradigm. Sustainability, 15(2), p.1513. doi: https://doi.org/10.3390/su15021513

Xu, J., Liu, Q., Wider, W., Zhang, S., Fauzi, M. A., Jiang, L., An, Z. (2024b). Research landscape of energy transition and green finance: A bibliometric analysis. Heliyon, 10(3), e24783. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2024.e24783

Yamane, Taro. (1967). Statistics, An Introductory Analysis, 2nd Ed., New York: Harper and Row

Yeo, S.F., Tan, C.L., and Lim, K.B. (2023). Online Consumer Satisfaction towards Online Shopping in Malaysia during COVID-19 Pandemic

Zhang, Z. and Liang, H. (2023). Research on the Relationship between Service Quality and Customer Loyalty for Fresh Food E-commerce in the Background of New Retail. Journal of business and management sciences, 11(1), pp.83–89. doi: https://doi.org/10.12691/jbms-11-1-6

Zikmund, W.G., Babin, B.J., Carr, J.C. and Griffin, M. (2010) Business Research Methods. Cengage Learning, Mason

Zygiaris, S. et al. (2022). Service Quality and Customer Satisfaction in the Post Pandemic World: A Study of Saudi Auto Care Industry. Frontiers in Psychology, 13. [online]. Available from: http://dx.doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.842141