Motives for online order tracking and customer behavior during the waiting period

Customers routinely monitor the progress of online orders, yet observable tracking engagement is often interpreted without a clear account of its underlying motives or downstream consequences. We propose and test a motive-based account of order tracking during the waiting period, identifying three distinct motives: Anticipation, Reassurance, and Coordination. Three survey studies with U.S. online shoppers support the framework. An initial survey (NÂ =Â 213) demonstrates that the three motives are empirically distinguishable yet correlated. A within-person study (NÂ =Â 100) shows that situational stakes shift motive strength: urgency is positively associated with all three motives, and higher price strengthens Anticipation and Reassurance but not Coordination. A larger survey (NÂ =Â 1005) estimates a structural equation model linking urgency and price to the three motives and to self-reported annual return percentage. Reassurance is negatively associated with return percentage, Coordination is positively associated, and Anticipation shows no reliable relationship. These findings indicate that observable tracking engagement reflects heterogeneous regulatory purposes with distinct behavioral and return implications.