The Waiting Economy
We have spent decades trying to eliminate waiting.
One-click ordering. Same-day delivery. Instant streaming. Real-time notifications. Faster checkout. Faster shipping. Faster answers.
Speed has become one of the defining metrics of modern business.
But in our pursuit of efficiency, I think we’ve made a mistake.
We’ve started treating every moment before an experience as wasted time.
What if it isn’t?
What if waiting isn’t a flaw in the customer experience?
What if it’s part of the customer experience?
Think about the moments you’ve anticipated most in your life.
The weeks before a wedding.
The countdown to a vacation.
The months leading up to graduation.
The excitement before opening night.
The days before moving into a new home.
The release of an album you’ve been waiting years to hear.
None of those experiences begin on the day they happen.
They begin much earlier.
In conversations.
In imagination.
In planning.
In possibility.
Sometimes the anticipation becomes just as meaningful as the event itself.
Yet businesses often behave as though nothing important happens between the moment a customer says “yes” and the moment the experience begins.
That’s a missed opportunity.
I believe businesses have overlooked an entire part of the customer experience.
We call it the Waiting Economy, and Anticipation Design is how you create value there.
The Waiting Economy isn’t about making people wait longer.
It’s about recognizing that some waiting is inevitable—and deciding to design it instead of ignoring it.
Every industry has waiting.
Hotels have the weeks between booking and arrival.
Universities have the months between acceptance and orientation.
Healthcare has the days between appointments and procedures.
Retail has the anticipation before a product launch.
Entertainment has the countdown before a premiere.
Even restaurants have the time between making a reservation and walking through the door.
Most organizations see those periods as operational gaps.
I see them as emotional territory.
Imagine booking a hotel.
Most hotels send a confirmation email.
Some send a reminder.
A few ask you to complete your check-in information.
But what if the experience actually began the moment you booked?
What if you received stories about the town before you arrived?
What if local artists welcomed you through short films?
What if the hotel slowly revealed hidden experiences you’ll discover during your stay?
What if anticipation became part of the hospitality?
The room hasn’t changed.
The emotional value has.
That’s the Waiting Economy.
The same principle extends far beyond hospitality.
A school can transform the weeks before graduation into a season of reflection and celebration.
A cosmetic surgery practice can replace anxiety with confidence through thoughtful communication.
A conference can build a sense of belonging before attendees ever meet.
A retailer can turn a product launch into a shared cultural event rather than a transaction.
The experience begins before it happens.
That simple idea changes where we look for value.
For years we’ve optimized the experience itself.
Better products.
Better service.
Better technology.
Those things matter.
But I suspect the next frontier isn’t just improving experiences.
It’s expanding where the experience begins.
The companies that understand this won’t simply sell products or services.
They’ll shape emotions.
They’ll create stories people tell before they even become customers.
They’ll understand that excitement, curiosity, hope, and imagination aren’t accidental byproducts of a purchase.
They’re experiences worth designing.
That’s what Anticipation Design is really about.
Not creating hype.
Creating meaning.
Because waiting isn’t empty space.
It’s one of the richest emotional landscapes a business has—and one of the least explored.
The Waiting Economy is already here.
Most organizations just haven’t realized they’re participating in it.