Customers of the largest online retailers are more satisfied than ever this past holiday shopping season.
The ForeSee Results E-Retail Satisfaction Index (U.S. Holiday Edition) surged seven percent to 79 on the Index's 100-point scale -- a new all-time high.
Websites for Macys, SonyStyle, The Gap, The Home Shopping Network and Overstock.com had the greatest increases in satisfaction year over year, with all five registering increases of 10 percent or more.
"Even in this tough economic climate, e-retail continues to be the bright spot in a dark environment and last year's declines are proving to be the anomaly," said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. "But those gains aren't necessarily shared across the board. These are the biggest retailers on the web, and they've got the ability to invest in the web channel and even meet the price points that consumers are looking for in this economy. Smaller and midsized e-retailers may not be so lucky."
Amazon scored 87 and led the pack again, improving four percent since last year and setting a new high-water mark for the Index. Eleven e-retailers scored over 80 (generally considered the threshold for excellence in studies using this methodology), and none scored below 70. Several companies made huge jumps in score, and the most improved among them include Macys.com (+13 percent to 79), Gap.com (+10 percent to 76) and Overstock.com (+10 percent to 76).
However, not everyone is tickled with they service the receive from e-tailers.
Devin from Poughkeepsie, NY tells ConsumerAffairs.com that while he's a long-time Amazon.com user, every so often a series of customer service blunders leave him pretty angry. "My wife was left without a gift this Christmas because I believed Amazon's 'guaranteed delivery by Christmas Eve' and ordered the Kindle. The Kindle did not arrive, as promised, and the best [their] customer service could offer was the opportunity to return the item. The offer of a return is an insult to me -- how does that correct the fact that I was left without a gift on Christmas Day because I put my trust in [their] brand?"
Linda writes ConsumerAffairs.com from Willis, TX that she purchased a man's ring through Macy.com and when it was received it was not as nice as the picture and "really not good quality." She says when she went to a brick-and-mortar store in Woodland, TX, the jewelry department refused to allow her to return or exchange the ring "even though our receipt said that we could return or exchange at any store." Linda concludes, "If this is how Macy's treats customers, my business goes where they have good customer service."
From Oakridge, NJ comes this complaint from Gail about a Barbie Jeep ride-on electric jeep she ordered for Christmas her granddaughter. "It arrived on Dec. 17 as scheduled. My husband called me at work and said the box had a big hole pushed in and then was taped a lot." While the product was undamaged, it came without a battery and charger. "I talked to overstock and they told me it doesn't come with battery and charger (wrong -they all come with battery and charger) the box also says battery and charger included. They won't listen to me."
The annual Top 40 E-Retail Satisfaction Index from ForeSee Results and FGI Research uses the methodology of the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI), which was developed at the University of Michigan.
The study verifies that a highly satisfied online shopper is 65 percent more likely to purchase online, 44 percent more likely to purchase offline, 70 percent more likely to recommend, and 49 percent more likely to return than is a dissatisfied shopper.
It also includes an analysis of what website elements would have the most impact on overall satisfaction if improved. For most companies, improving price (either actual prices or consumers' perceptions of price) topped merchandise and functionality as a customer priority, though priorities differ from company to company.
"It's no surprise that price is priority this year. It's a reflection of these difficult economic times," said Kevin Ertell, Vice President of Retail Strategy at ForeSee Results. "But simply cutting prices isn't necessarily a business model for success, so prioritizing website improvements that customers value most is an absolute necessity."
