Consumers who are under time pressure or simply impatient nowadays have the option to speed up many services by paying a little surcharge. For example, Uber and Amazon charge extra for priority pickup or expedited shipping. By paying extra, consumers can also jump queues in Disneyland or get their pizza delivered more quickly at Papa John’s. But some companies also reward the patient and forward-planning consumer, for example, by giving discounts to those willing to wait a few hours longer for a delivery or who are happy to schedule a ride service in advance.
For the consumer, is it really a good idea to spend money in order to save time? New research (2024) by Maria Giulia Trupia and Franklin Shaddy from the University of California in Los Angeles suggests that consumers should use this option with caution. In their studies, they asked online participants to evaluate offers to spend money to save time (e.g., expedited shipping) and options where consumers can save money by waiting (e.g., getting a voucher for delayed shipping). The authors found that consumers believe that a company that offers a discount for a service delivered later in time acts more fairly, whereas a company that gets consumers to spend extra for speedier service is seen as profit-maximizing.
Although it might be tempting to use speedier services for a surcharge, the perception of unfairness could lead to resentment in the long run. If consumers feel that a company might not care much about fairness, they might lose trust and might not enjoy the more expensive service as much because the interaction feels too transactional.
What can the impatient consumer do instead of paying extra for faster goods and services? One option is to consider the needs versus wants around the service. Is it a true need that drives the impatience, for example, a need for an immediate ride service to be able to arrive at the airport on time to catch a flight? Or is it more a want, for example, the thought that it would be nice to wear the shoes seen online tomorrow instead of next week? Distinguishing needs and wants could help consumers to use expedited services only when they truly need them, which can save money and also increase well-being by preventing feelings of being treated unfairly in the marketplace.
