Netflix, QVC.com, Amazon Lead E-Retailers in Customer Satisfaction

June 1, 2007; 05:03 AM
Netflix, QVC.com and Amazon do the best job satisfying their site visitors, according to the ForeSee Results Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index released today. As a category, retailers selling books, CDs, and DVDs tend to score best overall, while the categories of apparel & accessory retailers and computer/electronics retailers generally perform below average.

The report produced by ForeSee Results is based on over 20,000 surveys of consumers who visited the top 100 revenue-grossing retail websites, as identified in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide. Using the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), the study measured how well the top retail websites delivered the kind of site experience customers want. The websites included in the index spanned a wide variety of categories: Apparel & Accessories, Books/CDs/DVDs, Computers/Electronics, Flowers/Gifts, Food/Drug, Hardware/Home Improvement, Health/Beauty, Jewelry, Mass Merchants, Office Supplies, Specialty Retailers, Sporting Goods and Toys/Hobbies.

Among the findings of the third annual spring edition of the ForeSee Results Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index:

• Leaders: Netflix.com and QVC.com lead the way with a high satisfaction score of 85, considered superior on the ACSI’s 100-point scale. Other customer favorites include Amazon.com (83), Barnes & Noble’s website, BN.com (82), DrsFosterSmith.com (81), LLBean.com (79) and Apple.com (79).
• Laggards: The lowest scorers with the most opportunity for improvement include PCMall.com and PCConnection.com, each with a score of 67.
• Books/CDs/DVDs: This is the highest-scoring category in aggregate. Internet pure-play Netflix.com leads the overall Index and the category (85), while Barnes & Noble’s site BN.com (82) continues to be a standout among brick and mortar retailers. Amazon (83) has expanded far beyond books and is categorized with mass merchants, but is still clearly a large player in this space as well.
• High-end retailers: Nordstrom.com (73) leads high end retailers. NeimanMarcus.com (69) suffers the biggest drop in the Index, dropping 9% from a year ago. Macys.com also scored 69, and new to the Top 100 is SaksFifthAvenue.com, which scored 70.
• Department Stores: JCPenney.com and Target.com (both 76) lead department store retailers. Walmart.com isn’t far behind (75) while Costco.com and Sears.com trail with a score of 72.
• Apparel & Accessory Standouts: LLBean.com (79), shoe-retailer Zappos.com (79), and VictoriasSecret.com (77) lead the apparel and accessories category. Abercrombie.com (70), SaksFifthAvenue.com, and NeimanMarcus.com brings up the rear. Apparel and Accessories retailers are tied with computer and electronics retailers for categories with the lowest satisfaction scores.
• Computer & Electronics Standouts: Apple.com (79), TigerDirect.com (79), Dell.com (78), and Newegg.com (78) led the computer and electronics category, while Etronics.com (68), PCConnection.com (67) and PCMall.com (67) trailed.
• Price: Price is not the hot-button issue that most e-retailers expect. Research shows that for the vast majority of retail websites, investing in site experience improvements or brand will have a bigger positive impact on the bottom line than trying to drive demand by dropping the price.

• The importance of satisfaction: satisfaction drives loyalty, positive word of mouth, ROI, and future financial performance. The Top 100 study also found a tight link between customer satisfaction and customers’ propensity to choose a particular retailer.

“It’s impressive that some retailers’ satisfaction scores for browsers are so high,” said Larry Freed, President and CEO of ForeSee Results. “We expect purchaser satisfaction of the leaders to be high, but high browser satisfaction scores represent the strong positive contribution of the online shopping experience that has been difficult to quantify though other metrics. It’s also notable that while some of the biggest online retailers achieved high satisfaction scores, size doesn’t necessarily equate with high satisfaction. There are a number of smaller niche retailers that are rated in the top tier by online shoppers.”

“Lower scoring retailers shouldn’t be discouraged, since they have the greatest opportunity to improve the website shopping experience and they are still ranked among the top 100 retailers in terms of online sales,” said Freed. “By increasing online customer satisfaction, these retailers will see a profound impact on financial performance.”

About ForeSee Results

ForeSee Results is the market leader in online customer satisfaction management and converting satisfaction data into user-driven web development strategies. Using the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), ForeSee Results scientifically quantifies the elements that drive online customer satisfaction and predicts future behaviors such as purchase, return site visits or referrals. ForeSee Results, a privately held company, is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan and on the web at www.ForeSeeResults.com.

About FGI Research

FGI Research is a leading provider of market research and information solutions that improve the speed, accuracy and impact of business decisions. Data for the survey was collected through FGI Research’s SmartPanel™, a nationwide panel of approximately 1.6 million consumer households who have agreed to participate in opt-in surveys. FGI offers a premier suite of online research solutions under the SmartPanel™ family of specialty and proprietary custom research panels. For additional information, visit www.fgiresearch.com.