Apple’s online store delivers one of the most satisfying online retail experiences out there. According to customer experience researchers at ForeSee, only one company delivered a better experience than Apple – Amazon. ForeSee also said that Apple (and Amazon) had achieved what it refers to as “the threshold of excellence.”
ForeSee uses a ranking systems that assigns scores to major online retailers. Apple received a score of 85, the highest ranking for any computer or electronics retailer and a five point increase over last year’s score. The only company to score higher was Amazon, which was listed in the Mass Merchants category. Amazon beat Apple by four points with a score of 89 – a three point increase over last year.
Netflix, which ruffled the features of consumers as it flip flopped on price and mail versus streaming business models, lost ground. The video service was the top retailer last year, but fell four points and garnered a score of 81 this year..
Apple had some tough competition in the Computer and Electronics category. Three other companies also reached scores indicating the “threshold of excellence” – meaning that they nabbed 80 points or better – Newegg (82), Dell (80), and Best Buy (80).
The average experience ranking for online retailing as an industry was 78 – an average score that has remained consistent for three years in a row.
And proving that there’s always room for improvement, ForeSee listed top priorities for areas where it thinks company’s can do better. For many retailers price and functionality are listed as areas for improvement. For Apple, however, it was merchandise – meaning that ForeSee thinks that Apple could do better job of offering greater variety, and availability of products.
The complete report, which mostly focuses on retail industry advice, can be downloaded from ForeSee’s site (free registration required).
Source: ForeSee
Via: MacTech
