Digital queues as phygital pre-service touchpoints: an expectation confirmation perspective

Virtual queue interfaces are increasingly common at service entry points, yet their role as branded phygital pre-service touchpoints remains underexplored. Drawing on expectation confirmation theory (ECT), this study examines how three customer appraisals of a digital queue – information timeliness, information transparency, and system fairness – relate to service expectation confirmation, digital queue satisfaction, and electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). Responses from 289 consumers with prior digital queue experience were analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). The results show that all three appraisal dimensions were positively associated with service expectation confirmation and digital queue satisfaction, with confirmation partially mediating these relationships. Service expectation confirmation and digital queue satisfaction were also positively associated with eWOM. The findings position digital queues as customer-facing phygital pre-service interfaces rather than backstage operational tools and apply ECT to the pre-consumption phase of technology-mediated service encounters. The implications for scholars and practitioners are discussed.