Food PurchasesNCT07368881
Fast Food Online Delivery Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Price-based Incentives
A study testing Experimental in people with Food Purchases and Eating Behaviour, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
Trial summary
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). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Food Purchases, Eating Behaviour
- What is being tested?
- Experimental
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 548 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited Kingdom
- Study dates
- 24 Feb 2026to 30 Jul 2026
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 years and older
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Able to order and pay for a takeaway pizza for delivery today or tomorrow
- Currently reside in select postcode areas
- Manchester (M13 store): M1, M2, M3, M4, M5, M11, M12, M13, M14, M15, M16, M18, M19
- Liverpool (L3 store): L1, L2, L3, L4, L5, L6, L8, L13, L15
- Birmingham (B27 store): B9, B10, B11, B12, B13, B25, B26, B27, B28, B33, B90, B91, B92
- Over the age of 18 years
- Report having used food delivery services in the last year
Who cannot join
- Partaking in a fast or other restrictive eating (e.g. for religious or health reasons) at time of participation
- A previous eating disorder diagnosis
- Currently on appetite-suppressing medication
- Dietary restrictions/intolerances including:
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
- Sugar-free
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United Kingdom1 site
University of Liverpool
Liverpool, Merseyside, L69 7ZA
About this study
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.
Read the detailed description
See attached study protocol for detailed information
- Conditions
- Food Purchases, Eating Behaviour
- Being tested
- Experimental, Control
- Keywords
- Obesity, Food pricing, Price promotions
- Medical subject headings
- Feeding Behavior, Obesity
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
ExperimentalBehavioural
Food menus will provided with all three types of price promotions removed
ControlBehavioural
Participants will be asked to select a meal from a pizza outlet with all price-based incentives present (value pricing, price reductions, bulk-buy incentives).
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Control condition | Other | Participants will choose from a food menu with regular pricing, and three price-based incentives present (value pricing, bulk-buy incentives, and price reductions). Receives: Behavioral: Control |
| Experimental condition | Experimental | Participants will choose from a menu with no price-based incentives present. Receives: Behavioral: Experimental |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Energy consumed per household member
Main participants will select a food order on behalf of their household. The day after receiving their food order, all participants will be asked to estimate the amount of each ordered item that they ate. This information will be used to estimate energy consumed by each household member.
Measured: The morning after food orders are placed.
Secondary outcomes (2)
Total monetary spend per household member
Participants will select their food order. The total monetary value of the food order will be divided by the number of reported household members to get a value of monetary spend per household member.
Measured: Immediately after food choice
Energy content per household member
Participants will select their food order. The total energy content of the food order will be divided by the number of reported household members to get a value of energy content per household member.
Measured: Immediately after food choice
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted27 Jan 2026
- Study start24 Feb 2026
- Primary completion30 Jul 2026
- Study completion30 Jul 2026
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Food PurchasesStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Model description
- Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 548 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- University of Liverpool
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Liverpool John Moores University, University of Bristol, Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07368881
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Pizza promotions study
- Other IDs
- ES/W007932/1
- Status last verified
- Jan 2026
- First submitted
- 20 Jan 2026
- Last updated
- 4 Sep 2026
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Study data (anonymised) will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF)
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 4 Sep 2026. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Fast Food Online Delivery Purchase Behaviour in the Presence and Absence of Price-based Incentives
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT07368881
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Pizza promotions study
- Conditions
- Food Purchases, Eating Behaviour
- Keywords
- Obesity, Food pricing, Price promotions
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 548 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- University of LiverpoolUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Liverpool John Moores University, University of Bristol, Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom
- Study start
- 24 Feb 2026 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 30 Jul 2026 (actual)
- Study completion
- 30 Jul 2026 (actual)
- First posted
- 27 Jan 2026 (actual)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
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.
Detailed description
See attached study protocol for detailed information
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Prevention
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
- Model description
- Participants will be randomly assigned to one of two conditions
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Control condition | Other | Behavioral: ControlParticipants will choose from a food menu with regular pricing, and three price-based incentives present (value pricing, bulk-buy incentives, and price reductions). |
| Experimental condition | Experimental | Behavioral: ExperimentalParticipants will choose from a menu with no price-based incentives present. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Able to order and pay for a takeaway pizza for delivery today or tomorrow
- Currently reside in select postcode areas
- Over the age of 18 years
- Report having used food delivery services in the last year
Key exclusion criteria (7 listed)
- Partaking in a fast or other restrictive eating (e.g. for religious or health reasons) at time of participation
- A previous eating disorder diagnosis
- Currently on appetite-suppressing medication
- Dietary restrictions/intolerances including:
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| ExperimentalFood menus will provided with all three types of price promotions removed | Behavioural | Experimental condition |
| ControlParticipants will be asked to select a meal from a pizza outlet with all price-based incentives present (value pricing, price reductions, bulk-buy incentives). | Behavioural | Control condition |
Primary outcome
Energy consumed per household member
Time frame: The morning after food orders are placed.
Main participants will select a food order on behalf of their household. The day after receiving their food order, all participants will be asked to estimate the amount of each ordered item that they ate. This information will be used to estimate energy consumed by each household member.
2 secondary outcomes
Total monetary spend per household member
Time frame: Immediately after food choice
Energy content per household member
Time frame: Immediately after food choice
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 4 Sep 2026.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Study data (anonymised) will be shared on the Open Science Framework (OSF)
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Experimental in people with Food Purchases and Eating Behaviour, run by University of Liverpool at 1 site in United Kingdom.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 7 inclusion and 7 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 4 Sep 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United Kingdom. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Energy consumed per household member (time frame: The morning after food orders are placed.). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 4 Sep 2026.