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Costco, Amazon, Apple take top spots in Retail Customer Satisfaction Study

Costco, Amazon, and Apple rank highest in customer satisfaction (CSAT) and have high Net Promoter Scores (NPS) out of the top 25 retailers, according to a new report issued by Verint, a customer engagement company.

The Verint Experience Index report is based on a benchmark survey of consumer satisfaction with leading retailers and includes CSAT and NPS rankings. Consumers were surveyed in late November and early December 2020, with COVID-19 social-distancing guidelines in place and in the thick of the holiday shopping season.

Costco received the highest score related to trust (86.5 out of 100) and company recommendations (87.4). Amazon received the highest satisfaction score for online purchases (87.7) and returns online (87.7), while Apple came in third for satisfaction (85.1). Costco also received the highest NPS ranking and scored well in multiple satisfaction drivers, including service, price and merchandise.

Verint’s Kevin Daly, global vice president and general manager, says customer experience is key to generating sales and recommendations. Compared to customers with a poor experience, customers who reported having a great experience have a 90% higher intent to purchase online, a 71% higher intent to purchase in-store, and an 88% higher recommendation intent, he adds. 

According to last year’s Verint Experience Index: Retail findings, the best prepared retailers mastered three key issues: rising customer experience expectations, embracing digital self-service, and expanding fulfillment options.

While cost is the top factor in purchase intent, mask policies and in-store shopping factored third and fourth in considerations, underscoring customers’ desire for safe in-store shopping options, Daly says. Forty-four percent of customers who made a return in the last 30 days said returns were easier than last year – an important finding given that easy and free returns rank high among factors impacting future shopping decisions.

Over three-quarters (76%) of customers who called a retail contact center tried first and failed to complete their task digitally. By converting just one-quarter of those to digital self-service, retailers could save up to $1.7 million per one million calls, per Verint.aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Dennis Sellers
the authorDennis Sellers
Dennis Sellers is the editor/publisher of Apple World Today. He’s been an “Apple journalist” since 1995 (starting with the first big Apple news site, MacCentral). He loves to read, run, play sports, and watch movies.