Retail Virtual Queue & Hold Fairness Survey

Welcome to this survey about your experiences with virtual queues and holds when shopping or contacting retailers. This survey takes approximately 6–8 minutes to complete. Your participation is entirely voluntary, and you may stop at any time. There are no right or wrong answers—we are interested in your honest opinions. Your responses will be kept confidential, reported only in aggregate, and used for research purposes to improve customer experiences. By continuing, you agree to participate.

Have you experienced a virtual queue or hold with a retailer in the last 3 months? (e.g., waiting in an online checkout queue, being placed on hold for customer support, waiting for a store pickup slot, etc.)

• Yes
• No

In which of the following settings did you experience a virtual queue or hold? Select all that apply.

• Online checkout during high demand
• Customer support chat
• Store pickup or appointment scheduling
• Limited-release or product drop
• Phone support hold
• Other (please specify)

When was your most recent virtual queue or hold with a retailer?

• Within the last 7 days
• 8–30 days ago
• 1–3 months ago

Approximately how long did you wait in that most recent queue or hold?

• Less than 5 minutes
• 5–10 minutes
• 11–20 minutes
• 21–30 minutes
• 31–60 minutes
• More than 60 minutes
• I'm not sure

We'd like to understand how fair your most recent queue or hold experience felt. Please answer the following questions about that specific experience.

Overall, how fair did that most recent queue or hold feel?

I understood why I was placed in the position I was in the queue.

The estimated wait time I was given was accurate.

I felt the queue or hold treated all customers equally.

I felt the retailer valued my time during the wait.

How did that queue or hold experience affect your trust in the retailer?

Which of the following queue or hold policies feel fair to you when waits are long? Select all that apply.

• Show estimated wait time
• Show my exact position in line
• Offer a callback instead of waiting on hold
• Limit per-customer purchases
• Invite windows or scheduled time slots
• Cap queue length and temporarily close entry
• Automatic timeout after inactivity
• None of these feel fair

Rank the following factors by how acceptable you find them for determining queue order during high demand. Place the most acceptable at the top.

1. Arrival time (first-come, first-served)
2. Membership tier or loyalty status
3. Past spend with the retailer
4. Recovery from technical issues or disconnections
5. Accessibility or disability-related needs
6. Randomized order to deter bots

Rank the following aspects by how much they determine whether a queue or hold feels fair to you. Place the most important at the top.

1. First-come, first-served order
2. Clear and transparent rules
3. Accurate position updates
4. Estimated wait time accuracy
5. Control options (e.g., callback, pause, return)
6. Accessibility accommodations
7. Protections against bots and abuse

In the last 3 months, how did you respond when faced with a long queue or hold? Select all that apply.

• Waited and completed my task
• Switched to a different retailer
• Came back later
• Abandoned the purchase or inquiry
• Used multiple devices or browser tabs
• Contacted support through another channel
• Gave up immediately

Based on your responses throughout this survey, what would make virtual queues and holds feel more fair to you? Please share any additional thoughts, suggestions, or experiences.

Finally, we have a few optional questions about you to help us understand patterns across different groups.

What is your age?

• 18–24
• 25–34
• 35–44
• 45–54
• 55–64
• 65+
• Prefer not to say

Which gender do you identify with?

• Man
• Woman
• Non-binary
• Prefer not to say

Which region best describes where you live?

• North America
• Latin America
• Europe
• Middle East / North Africa
• Sub-Saharan Africa
• Asia
• Oceania
• Prefer not to say

What is your highest level of education?

• Some high school or less
• High school diploma or equivalent
• Some college or associate degree
• Bachelor's degree
• Postgraduate or professional degree
• Prefer not to say

What is your current employment status?

• Employed full-time
• Employed part-time
• Self-employed
• Unemployed and seeking work
• Not seeking work
• Student
• Retired
• Homemaker / caregiver
• Prefer not to say

Thank you for completing this survey. Your responses will help retailers design fairer, more transparent queue and hold experiences. Your answers are confidential and will be reported only in aggregate.