February 17th, 2009
Newegg, Amazon, Netflix lead e-tail customer satisfaction; eBay hits all-time low
Consumers report more customer satisfaction with goods and services, but e-commerce results were mixed as e-tailers like Amazon and Newegg remained strong but online broker scores dropped.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) ticked up to 75.7 in the fourth quarter, up 0.9 percent from a year ago (statement). The ACSI is produced by the University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business in partnership with the American Society for Quality and CFI Group. Every quarter, the ACSI zooms in on a specific technology sector for an annual comparison. For the fourth quarter it was retailer’s turn.
Online retail satisfaction dropped 1.2 percent to 82 due to declines from Amazon and eBay. Amazon’s score fell to 86 from 88 in the fourth quarter a year ago. Newegg had the highest ACSI score with 88 and Netflix’s score was 85.
eBay fell 5 percent to 78 in the fourth quarter. That tally marks an all time low. For eBay, that ACSI decline could be worrisome. Here’s what Claes Fornell, Director of the National Quality Research Center, Stephen M. Ross School of Business, had to say in his commentary:
For eBay the news is more troublesome. Its ACSI score fell by 4% to 78, a record low for the company, 11% below Newegg and at the bottom of the online retail category. Much of the decline in customer satisfaction appears to be related to complaints about its system, prices, seller defections and the fact that its auction-based business model seems to have lost some of its luster. Revenues fell 7% in the fourth quarter, marking eBay’s first ever negative year-on-year quarter, and stock price declined almost 60% in 2008.
Online broker customer satisfaction fell with TD Ameritrade’s ACSI score coming in at 71, down 11 percent from a year ago.
Here’s a look at the raw data and scoring (click to enlarge):
Larry Dignan is Editor in Chief of ZDNet and Editorial Director of ZDNet sister site TechRepublic. See his full profile and disclosure of his industry affiliations.
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