As instant delivery platforms advance swiftly and market competition intensifies, customer retention has emerged as a pivotal strategic priority for enterprises aiming for sustainable growth. Centered on this theme, Prof. MAO Wen Zheng, an Associate Professor at the Institute for Advanced Management Studies at Tongji SEM, served as the first author on a collaborative paper titled ‘Faster deliveries and smarter order assignments for an on-demand meal delivery platform’, which was recently featured in the Journal of Operations Management (JOM), the foremost international journal in the operations management field. By examining data from takeaway platforms, this research reveals that delivery delays substantially diminish customers’ likelihood of repurchasing, whereas early deliveries have minimal impact. To address endogeneity concerns, instrumental variables like rider experience were incorporated. Subsequently, a strategy focused on optimizing the order allocation mechanism to boost future order volume is proposed, demonstrating potential to enhance long-term enterprise revenue over conventional methods. The study establishes an interdisciplinary, data-driven framework and offers fresh perspectives on operational optimization within the takeaway sector.