By University of Texas at Austin February 4, 2024New research study reveals the tail end of waiting is the most tough, with individualss growing impatience for closure affecting their service perception.New research examines the varying levels of impatience experienced at various stages of a waiting duration, offering important insights for both marketers and consumers.New research answers a timely question: What is the hardest part of waiting? In our daily lives, we do a great deal of it– be it online, in queues, in traffic, or for deliveries. Now, the research study reveals that the most challenging part for people is the final stage of the wait.In this season of happy– and not-so-joyful– anticipation, the research has deep implications for online marketers and mental insights for all of us, states Annabelle Roberts, coauthor and assistant teacher of marketing at the University of Texas McCombs School of Business. The paper reveals: Its much better for business to communicate possible hold-ups early in the wait; Its much better for them to overstate the waiting duration than to ignore it; A less unfavorable experience of waiting can cause a more favorable assessment of a service.Across 6 studies by Roberts and associates discovered topics felt the greatest levels of impatience as completion of the waiting duration approached– despite how long they had actually currently been waiting. Each study measured customer reactions to waiting on real-world events, from 2020 election results or a first shot of a COVID-19 vaccine to the arrival of a bus or a package.The underlying cause, the studies found, was peoples desire for closure. As a wait will end, desire gets more powerful, therefore does impatience.Reference: “Impatience Over Time” by Annabelle R. Roberts and Ayelet Fishbach, 13 December 2023, Social Psychological and Personality Science.DOI: 10.1177/ 19485506231209002.
