Netflix Tops With Online Shoppers

This holiday shopping season, consumers rated Netflix’s website as the best among the 40 largest retail sites, while CDW’s ranked last, according to a survey whose results were released Wednesday.

Netflix nabbed the top spot for the second straight holiday season in ForeSee Results’ Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index, which asks Web surfers to rate different aspects of online shops, like merchandise, prices and site experience.

Netflix’s site got a score of 86 out of a possible 100, an increase of two points over last year’s holiday season survey. Amazon.com’s store came in second with 84, also up two points, while the sites of L.L. Bean (80) and QVC (80) tied for third place.

At the other end of the spectrum, CDW’s store came in last with a score of 68, while the sites of Costco Wholesale and CompUSA Management tied for next to last with 69 points.

Overall, online shoppers were a bit more satisfied this holiday season than last, giving the 40 sites an aggregate score of 75, a one-point increase.

The level of customer satisfaction or displeasure generated during the holiday season will likely affect retailers for many months to come, according to ForeSee, which conducted the study in partnership with FGI Research.

“Not only does the holiday season bring a disproportionate revenue stream in for retailers, it’s also an opportunity to establish year-long loyalty and impact sales in other seasons,” reads the report.

Sears, Roebuck & Co., J.C. Penney and Gap’s Old Navy were the retailers whose customer satisfaction rose the most, compared with last year’s holiday season survey—a significant finding because they are all so-called “brick and mortar” stores.

If these traditional retailers continue to improve at this pace, “they will be a very tough set of competitors for the more Internet-focused pure play online retailers,” the study reads.

The study was based on about 10,500 survey responses collected between Nov. 28 and Dec. 19 of this year from visitors to the online stores rated, which are the 40 largest in terms of sales volume.

By Juan Carlos Perez, IDG News Service (Miami Bureau)

Related Links:

• The Netflix Prize

• Making the Most of Holiday Networking

• What Searching Says about Buying

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