News

A wait they won't hate

Long lines can be powerful outreach and branding opportunities.

June 19, 2008

This article originally published in Retail Customer Experience magazine, Jul-Aug 2008. Click here to download a free PDF version.

The latter may seem rosy or downright silly, but smart retailers will use queue times as opportunities to connect with shoppers in a highly memorable fashion — whether that means with warm cookies or simply good, attentive customer service.

"Waiting is such an interesting concept," said Christine Whittemore, who manages the in-store experience for carpet manufacturer and retailer Wear-Dated.

"We're relatively comfortable waiting up to a minute or a minute and a half. Anything beyond that, though, and we lose our objectivity and ability to measure time accurately. We distort time."

Retailers must be aware of how much wait time their processes and experiences include, but there's more to managing a wait. "We also have to be prepared to 'bend' time so consumers don't fixate on how much subjective time they are having to wait," Whittemore said.

"Bending time," sometimes referred to as "wait-warping," is the psychological trick of making a period of time seem shorter than it actually is. In addition to picking up impulse sales, there's a reason tabloids are positioned near the check-out lines of grocery stores: A mind occupied with the latest laments of Britney and Lindsay is a mind that is not concentrating on how long its body has been standing there.

Larson emphasized that on-screen content in waiting areas should be silent, because customers who wait longer than one loop likely will become annoyed with the repetitive sound (as will employees who might be tempted to turn off the screens when they hear the same audio all day).

Queues also are great opportunities for retailers to connect with their customers. public relations strategist Patricia Vaccarino said retailers need to think of people waiting in line as adhoc focus groups — send staffers out to talk with them, get their opinions about what they like and what they don't and foster the idea that the store cares about them. Equip those staffers with a pocket full of coupons, free samples or other goodies they can give to shoppers as a thank-you for their time and input.

"Retailers need to think more like PR people," Vaccarino said. "This is a great time to build community around your business and your brand. Instead of allowing your consumer to feel annoyed for having to wait so long in a line, give them a value-add to show your appreciation."