retail

Nordstrom, Trader Joe's And Lowe's Rise, But Overall Retail Customer Satisfaction Declines

The economy may be buzzing along, and Americans may be spending more these days, but they’re not happy: The latest annual American Customer Satisfaction Index is in, and it shows that overall satisfaction in retail took a hit, the first drop in four years. While individual brands like Nordstrom, Amazon, Trader Joe’s and Lowe’s rose to the top, all retail categories either weakened or came in flat. And although total Internet scores improved overall, many once-strong brands in that sector also took a hit.

Here’s how each category shaped up:

*Department and discount stores Nordstrom rose 4% to 86 out of a possible 100, well above the category average of 77. Dillard’s remained in the No. 2 spot, 81, followed by Target and Kohl’s, both at 80, and Macy’s with a 79. And Walmart sank to the bottom with a 68, its lowest level since 2007. 

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*Specialty retailers Costco leads with a score of 84, followed by L Brands, which owns Victoria’s Secret and Bath & Body Works. 

*Home improvement chains Lowe’s achieved a score of 81, followed by Menards (78). Stung by its credit card security breach, Home Depot fell to near the category’s bottom at 76. 

*SupermarketsRising foods costs meant shoppers were less than thrilled with their supermarket experiences, reducing the categories satisfaction score to 76. Trader Joe’s and Wegmans tied for the lead, with an 85, while Publix sank 5% to 82,  in a tie with H-E-B.Whole Foods, Target’s grocery division, and Aldi all scored an 81. Walmart’s grocery department fell to 71, the lowest in the sector.

*WebsitesCustomer satisfaction with Internet retailers climbed 5.1% to 82, but the majority of pure-play Internet companies actually dropped. Amazon slipped 2% to 86, but still remains in first place, followed by Newegg and Netflix, both 81.

2 comments about "Nordstrom, Trader Joe's And Lowe's Rise, But Overall Retail Customer Satisfaction Declines".
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  1. Ted Rubin from The Rubin Organization / Return on Relationship, February 20, 2015 at 6:38 p.m.

    NO SURPRISE, the best just keep getting better, and the majority JUST DON'T GET the whole Customer Satisfaction thing. #RonR

  2. Tory Houston from student, February 22, 2015 at 10:07 p.m.

    After reading this article, I think the biggest thing to question here is what might have gone wrong? As I take a look into my experience as a retailer I'm reading and thinking..."I wasn't all that satisfied with my purchases in the past year either." Maybe its because I am getting older (along with most millennials, aka most of our population) but buying things in the store doesn't have the same effect on me that it used to. I am almost feel as though I get more satisfaction with online purchases. I would be interested in seeing the customer satisfaction when it comes to online retail. The idea of ordering the item online while I should probably be doing something else, the anticipation for it to come in the mail, and then the actual receipt of the item is something that is very different from the in store shopping experience.

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