January 2, 2012
Is it brand perception or actual high-quality service that gives online retailers their reputations? That's a question that 24/7 Wall St. set out to find by examining Internet retailers with the best and worst customer satisfaction ratings based on ForeSee's Holiday E-retail Satisfaction Index.
It found that a strong customer service rating often coincides with a company that has widely regarded brands. For example, Apple is tied for second place in the index. Amazon.com is in first place. It also has a sterling reputation with consumers, as do some of its major products like the Kindle.
According to the index, Gap, Sony and Overstock have two of the lowest e-retail satisfaction scores. Gap recently said it would close 21 percent of its U.S. flagship stores, while Sony has had trouble gaining sales for its PCs, games, smartphone and TV products. Overstock's number of unique has dropped dramatically over the past year, according to a story on MSNBC.
However, the survey shows that a few troubled retailers have actually performed well online. One of those companies is Avon, with online service that is tied for second among all e-commerce sites in the ForeSee Index. But Avon recently posted a failing quarter, and dismissed its CEO of 12 years. JCPenney's online operations' customer satisfaction is equal to Apple's but keeps losing sales to big-box retailers such as Walmart, according to the MSNBC story.
The following are the Top 10 worst for online customer satisfaction this past holiday season, according to 24/7 Wall St.
10. Target.com
9. Blockbuster.com
8. OfficeDepot.com
7. OfficeMax.com
6. Sears.com
5. ToysRUs.com
4. Buy.com
3. Store.Sony.com
2. Gap.com
1. Overstock.com
Read more about online retailing.
