Dive Brief:
- Customer satisfaction with online retailers fell over the past year, according to an American Customer Satisfaction Index study released Tuesday. The report, which was based on 41,850 consumer surveys, found satisfaction fell 1% since last year to a score of 79 on a 100-point scale.
- More than two-thirds of online retailers saw satisfaction declines from the prior retail study, which was released in January 2024.
- Chewy bucked the trend and maintained the highest overall customer satisfaction among online retailers with a score of 85, up 1% from the previous study. Chewy has held the top spot for the past three years.
Dive Insight:
Retailers that evolve their digital shopping experiences to keep up with technology advancements can better maintain their luster.
Today’s customers expect detailed product images, relevant reviews and useful recommendations, according to Forrest Morgeson, assistant professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at ACSI. These features can help guide shoppers through the purchase process.
“Customer satisfaction is susceptible to decline if any stagnation or falling behind in these areas is detected,” Morgeson said in an email. “These factors against the backdrop of persistent inflation in a hyper-competitive market culminate in a fair number of retailers seeing a modest-to-moderate decrease in satisfaction.”
Retailers that have the basics down can look to extra bells and whistles that help them stand out from the competition.
For instance, Chewy’s success was driven by an emphasis on customer experience, according to Morgeson. Little perks become welcome additions when the baseline experience is already solid.
“Small investments like custom e-cards to wish happy birthday to pets establish a connection with customers,” Morgeson said. “When this level of service is backed by a strong platform from a technical perspective, high customer satisfaction and loyalty follow.”
Home Depot is another success story. The retailer’s online customer satisfaction score rose 3% to 79, which Morgeson credits to faster deliveries through partnerships with companies like DoorDash, Instacart and Uber Eats.
