Worth waiting for: increasing satisfaction by making consumers wait

Abstract

A truism in the marketing literature, and among many marketing practitioners, is that requiring consumers to wait negatively impacts quality evaluations, purchase intentions and a range of other important outcomes. However, it is also true that consumer waiting or queuing has historically been considered from an operations perspective. The present research takes a different approach and examines waits in the context of their ability to function as a signal of quality. Four experiments demonstrate a required wait can indeed signal quality to consumers and increase, rather than decrease, both purchase intentions and actual experienced satisfaction. Three moderators of this effect are examined: preexisting knowledge, consumption motivations, and the extent to which quality is difficult to objectively determine. The results suggest in situations where quality is important, unknown or ambiguous, managers may increase consumer satisfaction by making consumers wait.

Regulatory Focus Intensity and Evaluations of Retail Experiences

“…Previous research supports the notion that variations exist in consumers’ response to similar retail and service experiences (Giebelhausen, Robinson, & Cronin, ; Guiry, Magi, & Lutz, ). However, very few studies have investigated potential sources of this variation.…”

Does Time Pressure Impair Performance? An Experiment on Queueing Behavior

“…Giebelhausen et al (2011) find strong evidence that wait is a positive predictor of quality perception, satisfaction and purchase intentions when quality is uncertain. Koo and Fishbach (2010) arrive to a similar conclusion: one's perception of quality increases with the number of others behind him/her in the queue.…”

“It was not that long!”: The effects of the in-store TV screen content and consumers emotions on consumer waiting perception

“…Research suggests that only when consumers perceived higher value in their wait (e.g. product is worthy, social influence) can an increase in waiting time enhance consumer satisfaction (Giebelhausen et al, 2011).…”