Amazon and B&N.com Satisfy, Survey Says

by Edward Nawotka, PW Daily for Booksellers -- Publishers Weekly, 2/23/2004

Amazon.com had highest customer satisfaction rating--88 out of 100--among retailers, and Barnesandnoble.com, with a rating of 86, was close behind, according to the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index. In all, 200 online stores were ranked in the survey of 65,000 customers conducted by the National Quality Research Center at the University of Michigan Business School in partnership with the American Society for Quality and the CFI Group.

"Although Amazon.com customers consider service quality to be exceedingly high, an increasing part of their satisfaction is due to lower pricing," said Claes Fornell of the National Quality Research Center, adding "If Amazon goes any higher, they will get a nose bleed."

Larry Freed, CEO of ForeSee Results, a Web consultant company that helped analyze the statistics, said, "Amazon's score shows they are remarkably close to delivering customers' ideal. Maintaining strength while evolving the business model is even more impressive."

A score of 95 is considered impossible, while rankings over 80 are deemed "industry leaders."

Among discount stores, Costco received a score of 80, Target was next with a rating of 77 and Wal-Mart trailed at 75.

In 2003, the overall customer satisfaction index rose to 74, a 0.3 percent increase over 2002.

This article originally appeared in the February 20, 2004 issue of PW Daily for Booksellers. For more information about PW Daily, including a sample and subscription information, click here »

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