Dr. Mohamadreza Namazi’s research on the promotion of a restaurant on food platforms
Dr. Mohamadreza Namazi’s research on the promotion of a restaurant on food platforms
Platform Boldness Model (PBM) for Online Food Platforms
Research Lead: Dr. Mohamadreza Namazi
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In today’s crowded food delivery market, competing only on taste, price, and basic discounts is no longer enough to secure a durable place in the customer’s mind. Customers scroll through dozens of options on their phones, and in just a few seconds the brain decides which brand feels rewarding, trustworthy, and emotionally meaningful. The Platform Boldness Model (PBM) is a brain‑oriented framework designed to help food delivery brands stand out on platforms, build deep loyalty, and become the customer’s first choice.
Why food apps need a brain-based model
Modern neuroscience shows that buying food online is not a purely rational act; it is a fast emotional and cognitive process shaped by reward expectation, memory, and social meaning. Brain regions such as the ventral striatum, amygdala, medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC), and hippocampus work together when customers evaluate menus, click on a restaurant, or decide to reorder from the same brand.
- The ventral striatum plays a universal role in reward‑based learning and expectation, turning positive experiences into “I want this again” signals when customers see a familiar brand on the app.
- The amygdala tags experiences with emotional intensity, from delight to frustration, influencing whether a brand feels safe, warm, or stressful.
- The mPFC integrates value, self‑relevance, and social meaning, answering the question “Is this choice right for me?” when a user compares multiple restaurants.
- The hippocampus encodes episodic memories, such as a surprisingly kind courier or a special note inside the delivery box, so that the brand is easily recalled on the next order.
PBM translates these insights into six practical pillars that any food delivery brand can implement on online platforms to create bold, memorable experiences.
1. Direct-to-Customer Experience (DTCX)
DTCX focuses on direct, human, emotionally rich contact with the customer rather than purely transactional interactions. When a brand designs each order as a small “episode” of care and attention, it activates the brain’s reward and attention systems far beyond what a standard delivery can achieve.
From a brain perspective:
- A respectful, personal handover and a short, sincere message (for example, “Enjoy your meal, thank you for choosing us”) can trigger ventral striatum activity by signalling social reward and appreciation.
- The mPFC integrates this positive encounter with the customer’s self‑image, reinforcing the feeling “this brand fits who I am and how I want to be treated”.
- The amygdala and hippocampus work together to store the delivery as an emotionally positive memory, making it easier to recall the brand the next time the app is opened.
Concrete examples of DTCX in online food platforms:
- Designing a brand signature for deliveries: the courier gently hands over the bag with two hands, maintains brief eye contact, and says a short, consistent line that expresses gratitude and hospitality.
- Logging customer preferences in the system (no onion, extra spicy, favourite dessert) and reflecting that in a short printed note in the bag: “We remembered your extra‑spicy preference – enjoy.”
- Sending a short post‑delivery message in‑app, not purely promotional but human, such as “Hope your evening goes well – thank you for letting us be part of it.”
Over time, these micro‑experiences accumulate in the brain’s reward circuits and memory networks, making the brand feel more familiar,
positive, and “worth coming back to” than anonymous competitors.
2. Emotional Attachment (EA)
Emotional attachment goes beyond liking the food; it is about feeling connected to the brand as part of one’s lifestyle and emotional world. Neuroscience shows that unpredictable, well‑designed rewards produce stronger dopamine responses than fixed, routine rewards, a phenomenon known in reward learning research across species.
How the brain reacts:
- Random but meaningful rewards (a surprise dessert, a handwritten note, a small gift for a child) produce peaks in ventral striatum activity because they violate expectations in a positive way.
- The amygdala tags these events with emotional salience, and the hippocampus encodes them as rich episodic memories (“That’s the restaurant that once sent a small cake for my birthday”).
- This combination helps transform a mere transaction into a relationship where the customer feels emotionally invested.
Practical EA execution on food platforms:
- Designing a portfolio of 8–10 equivalent rewards (small dessert, free drink upgrade, kids’ sticker, thank‑you card, discount on next order) and assigning them randomly to eligible orders so that customers never fully predict the surprise.
- Creating emotionally resonant micro‑events: a small candle or themed sticker for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or New Year delivered with the meal.
- Sending personalised messages on birthdays or anniversaries, not only with a discount but with a short emotional note that links the brand to a meaningful moment.
By fighting hedonic adaptation – the tendency for customers to “get used to” constant promotions – this randomised reward strategy keeps the emotional response fresh and supports long‑term attachment.
3. Relationship Ownership (RO)
Relationship Ownership means the brand takes active responsibility for knowing, remembering, and nurturing the connection with each customer. Instead of leaving emotional ownership to the platform alone, the restaurant or brand builds its own identity and memory of each customer across orders.
In the brain:
- When a customer sees that their past preferences and behaviours are recognised (“We saved your favourite order”), the mPFC engages in self‑referential processing, strengthening the feeling that the brand “knows me”.
- Positive personalised contact again activates the ventral striatum, because being recognised socially is experienced as a reward.
- The amygdala and hippocampus associate the brand with social safety and familiarity, lowering decision stress in future choices.
Operational examples of RO in online food delivery:
- Using customer names in messages and receipts (where culturally appropriate) and avoiding anonymous templates.
- Creating loyalty tiers with meaningful names (for example, “Weekend Foodie”, “Family Night Member”) and sending personalised offers based on ordering patterns.
- Offering subtle recognition of milestones (“This is your 10th order with us – thank you for your trust”) with a visible but not overwhelming reward.
RO shifts the customer from “a user on the platform” to “a recognised member of this brand’s community” in the brain’s social circuits, which is a powerful driver of retention.
4. Brand Superiority on Platform (BSPD)
Brand Superiority on Platform is about how quickly and confidently the customer’s brain can spot, understand, and choose the brand among many similar options on the app. Neuroscience and behavioural research show that visual salience, clarity, and cognitive fluency strongly influence click‑through and choice when customers face multiple tiles or cards on a digital interface.
Key brain mechanisms:
- Visually distinctive logos, colours, and packaging help the attentional system prioritise one option over others, reducing cognitive load.
- Clear, high‑quality food images create immediate reward anticipation in sensory and reward networks, nudging the customer toward approach behaviour.
- Clean, easy‑to‑scan information (delivery time, ratings, key dishes) supports fast value calculation in decision‑related regions such as the mPFC.
Practical BSPD strategies:
- Investing in professional photography that shows food in appetising, realistic conditions instead of generic stock images.
- Designing a distinctive visual system (colours, iconography, packaging) that is recognisable even in small thumbnail views on mobile screens.
- Writing concise, benefit‑oriented menu descriptions that are easy to process under time pressure, avoiding cluttered or overly complex text.
On crowded food apps, BSPD ensures that the customer’s brain does not have to “work hard” to choose the brand, which is crucial because tired or distracted users often default to the most cognitively effortless option.
5. Special Situations Response (SSR)
SSR focuses on how the brand responds when things go wrong – delays, errors, cold food, or negative feedback. From a neurology point of view, these moments are critical because they can either reinforce stress and rejection or transform frustration into deeper trust.
What happens in the brain:
- Service failures and uncertainty activate threat‑related circuits, including the amygdala, raising negative arousal and lowering trust.
- A calm, respectful, and generous response can down‑regulate this threat activation and recruit prefrontal control areas that support re‑evaluation (“They made a mistake, but they handled it well”).
- When the issue is resolved fairly, the hippocampus stores the episode as a story of recovery, and the relationship can emerge stronger than before, a phenomenon often observed in service research.
Concrete SSR protocols for food delivery:
- Pre‑defined scripts for delays that acknowledge the problem, apologise without defensiveness, and offer a meaningful yet sustainable form of compensation.
- Training couriers to remain calm, avoid arguing, and escalate politely when facing an upset customer, while maintaining basic respect and safety.
- Logging service failures and the brand’s response, ensuring that repeat customers do not have to “fight again” for the same issue.
Handled well, special situations become proof of character in the customer’s mind; handled poorly, they become emotionally loaded
memories that drive churn and negative word‑of‑mouth.
6. WOW Factor Implementation (WFI)
WFI is the deliberate design of moments that produce a genuine “wow” reaction – not just satisfaction, but surprise, delight, and a desire to talk about the experience. In neuromarketing, these moments are powerful because they blend unexpected reward, strong emotion, and narrative value.
Brain effects of WOW moments:
- Sudden positive surprises trigger sharp increases in dopamine signalling in reward circuits, reinforcing learning that “this brand is special”.
- The amygdala assigns high emotional significance, while the hippocampus encodes vivid details (the time, the people present, the exact surprise), creating a strong memory trace.
- Because WOW moments are story‑worthy, customers are more likely to share them in person and on social media, amplifying the brand’s visibility without paid advertising.
Examples of WFI in food delivery:
- Occasionally upgrading a family order with a free dessert platter and a short card: “Tonight’s family dinner is on us – thank you for being with us this year.”
- Creating themed surprises linked to local events or holidays, such as a special garnish or packaging for major football matches or national celebrations.
- Encouraging couriers to report extraordinary moments (a child’s birthday, a regular customer’s celebration) so the brand can design small, targeted WOW responses over time.
Systematically implemented, WFI turns a functional service into a memorable story engine, strengthening loyalty and organic reach.
SOP for couriers: the human interface of PBM
Couriers are the physical face of the brand and a crucial channel through which PBM becomes reality. A structured Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for couriers ensures consistency across thousands of deliveries.
Core elements of a brain‑sensitive SOP:
- Etiquette and respect: a simple, warm greeting, appropriate distance at the door, and avoiding intrusive behaviour create a sense of safety and dignity, lowering social stress in the customer’s brain.
- Delivery ritual: handing the food over with both hands, confirming the customer’s name if needed, and closing the interaction with a short positive sentence, such as “Enjoy your meal and have a great evening”.
- Professional speech: short, clear, and polite phrases instead of long explanations; this keeps the interaction fluent and reduces cognitive load for both parties.
- Handling sensitive situations: in case of delay or complaint, the courier acknowledges the issue calmly, avoids defensive language, and follows the brand’s escalation path.
- Appearance and brand dignity: clean clothing, minimal phone use during handover, and attentive posture all contribute to the implicit message that the brand respects the customer.
These small behavioural standards align with neuroscience insights about trust, safety, and social reward, turning each delivery into a consistent signal of brand quality.
Three layers of synergy in PBM
When all six pillars of PBM work together, the customer’s experience becomes a coherent, multi‑layered system inside the brain. The model operates on three interacting levels:
- Functional layer: reliable food quality, accurate orders, and competent handling of special situations (SSR) provide the non‑negotiable foundation of trust.
- Emotional layer: direct‑to‑customer experiences (DTCX), emotional attachment (EA), and WOW moments (WFI) shape how the brand feels, not just how it performs.
- Cognitive/strategic layer: relationship ownership (RO) and brand superiority on platform (BSPD) guide how easily and quickly the brain recognises, values, and reselects the brand among competitors.
For online food platforms, success is no longer defined only by speed and discounts but by how deeply the brand engages the customer’s brain across reward, emotion, memory, and identity. Brands that adopt a brain‑based approach such as the Platform Boldness Model are better positioned to grow customer lifetime value, stimulate positive word‑of‑mouth, and secure a durable, superior position in an increasingly competitive digital marketplace.