NUDGES IN AN ON-TIPPING CULTURE: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW ON CONSUMER PERSPECTIVES IN MALAYSIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v7si5.1747Keywords:
in-app tipping, food delivery application, consumer psychology, PRISMA, gig economyAbstract
In traditionally non-tipping Asian economies like Malaysia, online food delivery (OFD) applications such as GrabFood, Foodpanda, and ShopeeFood have introduced in-app tipping prompts that challenge long-standing social norms and hospitality service-charge practices. As gig-economy platforms increasingly rely on discretionary consumer tips as additional driver income, understanding how digital interface design shapes tipping behavior has become an important research concern. This systematic literature review synthesizes empirical and theoretical research on consumer behavior, digital choice design, and gig-economy dynamics surrounding digital tipping. Following the PRISMA 2020 protocol, a structured search across three major platforms namely Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar yielded an initial pool of 131 records, which was then cut down to a final synthesis corpus of 24 peer-reviewed works by removing duplicates and screenings. There are three main themes that emerge from the analysis: (1) choice architecture and digital nudging mechanisms, such as prompt timing and default-anchoring effects; (2) psychological tensions between feeling sorry for delivery drivers and getting tired of tipping over time because of fee stacking; and (3) platform fee transparency and equity perceptions, where consumers question whether digital tips can replace fair base wages. Drawing on Nudge Theory, the Theory of Planned Behavior, and Equity Theory, the review proposes a conceptual framework linking digital choice architecture to consumer tipping outcomes through empathy, guilt, and fee-transparency pathways, together with five hypotheses for future study. The study concludes with a targeted research agenda for gig-economy platforms, application designers, and consumer policymakers across Southeast Asia, emphasizing the need for ethical, transparent, post-delivery-oriented tipping architectures that balance short-term gratuity conversion against long-term consumer trust.
References
[1] Adams, J.S. (1965): Inequity in social exchange. – In: Berkowitz, L. (ed.) Advances in Experimental Social Psychology, Academic Press 2: 267-299.
[2] Azar, O.H. (2020): The economics of tipping: A behavioral perspective. – Journal of Economic Behavior and Organization 174: 380-391.
[3] Belanche, D., Casaló, L.V., Flavián, C., Pérez-Rueda, A. (2021): The role of customers in the gig economy: How perceptions of working conditions and service quality influence the use and recommendation of food delivery services. – Service Business 15(1): 45-75.
[4] Benoit, S., Klose, S., Ettinger, A. (2020): Is it fair? How consumers evaluate delivery fees versus tip options in peer-to-peer platforms. – Journal of Service Research 23(4): 411-429.
[5] Duhaime, E.P., Woessner, Z.W. (2019): Explaining the decline of tipping norms in the gig economy. – Journal of Managerial Psychology 34(4): 233-245.
[6] Fan, X., Zhang, Y., Liu, Q. (2023): The influence of default options on tipping behavior in mobile app interfaces. – Computers in Human Behavior 139: 10p.
[7] Gillespie, B.J. (2022): Tipping vs. platform fees: Consumer perceptions of fair pay in the gig economy. – Journal of Consumer Affairs 56(2): 845-862.
[8] Gössling, S., Hall, C.M., Social, R. (2021): Digitalized service work and the shift in tipping psychology post-crisis. – The Service Industries Journal 41(9): 612-630.
[9] Grab Holdings (2022): Grab 2021 ESG report: Malaysian consumers tip over RM50 million to delivery partners. – Grab Newsroom 2p.
[10] Ho, C.W., Lee, K.T., Chen, Y.S. (2024): Navigating digital gratuity: How user interface layouts alter consumer payment choices in food delivery apps. – International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction 40(5): 1120-1134.
[11] Khan, M., Pandey, R. (2023): Platform economy and consumer reactance: Evaluating forced gratuity prompts. – Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 71: 10p.
[12] Kowalczuk, I., Gębski, J. (2021): Consumer motives for digital tipping: Empathy, social norm, or service satisfaction? – Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services 62: 10p.
[13] Lamb, A. (2024): Technology and COVID upended tipping norms: Will consumers keep paying? – Harvard Business School Working Knowledge 3p.
[14] Mirsch, T., Lehrer, C., Jung, R. (2017): Digital nudging: Altering user behavior in digital environments. – Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Wirtschaftsinformatik (WI2017) 15p.
[15] Page, M.J., McKenzie, J.E., Bossuyt, P.M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T.C., Mulrow, C.D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J.M., Akl, E.A., Brennan, S.E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J.M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M.M., Li, T., Loder, E.W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., McGuinness, L.A., Stewart, L.A., Thomas, J., Tricco, A.C., Welch, V.A., Whiting, P., Moher, D. (2021): The PRISMA 2020 statement: An updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. – BMJ 372: 9p.
[16] Schneider, C., Weinmann, M., vom Brocke, J. (2018): Digital nudging: Guiding online decisions through UI design. – Communications of the ACM 61(7): 67-73.
[17] Taha, V.A., Hasan, M., Rahman, N.A. (2023): Mobile e-wallet adoption and payment friction in ASEAN emerging markets: A modified UTAUT approach. – Telematics and Informatics Reports 9: 10p.
[18] Tan, L.H., Ahmad, Z., Kassim, N.M. (2022): Factors influencing the adoption of online food delivery services in Malaysia during and after pandemic disruptions. – Asian Journal of Business Research 12(1): 45-68.
[19] Thaler, R.H., Sunstein, C.R. (2008): Nudge: Improving decisions about health, wealth, and happiness. – Yale University Press 293p.
[20] Thomas, A., Jones, P. (2022): Tipping fatigue in the era of automated digital checkouts. – Journal of Consumer Marketing 39(4): 401-412.
[21] Thomas, J., Harden, A. (2008): Methods for the thematic synthesis of qualitative research in systematic reviews. – BMC Medical Research Methodology 8: 10p.
[22] Weinmann, M., Schneider, C., vom Brocke, J. (2016): Digital nudging. – Business and Information Systems Engineering 58(6): 433-436.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 FERIAL FAROOK, NORSHAM MOHD HANIFA, ANIDA ISMAIL, NORAINI RAHIM, SITI ROHIMI MOHAMAD APANDI, NANI JUNITA JOHARI
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
