A Comprehensive Review of Waiting Time and Consumer Behaviour

Abstract

This article reviews the literature regarding waiting time associated with a purchase process to better understand its origin and future development. In the area of service marketing, waiting time has been treated as a negative factor that leads to lower customer satisfaction, and both managers and researchers have invested considerable resources into mitigating its negative effects. However, recent studies in consumer behavior shows that waiting time can be a positive factor that improves product evaluation, and that consumers voluntarily delay the timing of receiving an expected outcome to enjoy waiting for it. Because of its interdisciplinarity, the existing research for waiting time displays seemingly contradictory findings. The author identifies “waiting time disconfirmation,” “valence of the outcome,” and “consumer knowledge,” in addition to differences in research design as the causes of the inconsistency found within the waiting time literature. Directions for future research are discussed.