Customer Service

Shopping lines still a frustration point for consumers

Adobe Stock

July 6, 2023

A hefty number of consumers, 82%, will actively avoid visiting a business that has a customer waiting line and customer impatience is on the rise.

Those are top findings of Waitwhile's "The State of Waiting in Line 2023" report, a followup to the inaugural report last year. In the U.S., people spend roughly 37 billion hours each year waiting in line, according to a press release on the data.

Last year's survey found that almost 70% of consumers associated waiting in line with negative feelings like boredom, annoyance and frustration. The 2023 research revealed customers' impatience has skyrocketed with a 176% year-over-year jump.

The study found Americans spend more time waiting in line at retail stores than at restaurants, pharmacies, doctor's offices and banks combined.

"The data is clear: consumer frustration when it comes to waiting in lines is on the rise, and inaction by brands is no longer tenable," Christoffer Klemming, CEO and co-founder of Waitwhile, said in the release. "Over the past couple of years, we've seen consumers enthusiastically return to shopping at brick and mortar stores, dining in restaurants and traveling, yet the expectations for service are growing and loyalty is fleeting. Businesses that want to create a meaningful connection with their customers and drive business growth must implement technology that streamlines customer flows, enables operational efficiencies and modernizes the in-person experience."

Waitwhile is a customizable cloud-based solution for creating end-to-end customer flows with waitlists, appointments, messaging and analytics across any number of locations.