Consumers still like e-com sites, just not quite as much
Despite a drop in satisfaction, e-com is still more satisfying than more traditional bricks-and-mortar options
By Peter Wolchak
April 1, 2009
April 1, 2009
Customer satisfaction with the e-commerce sector has dipped for the first time in three years, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The decline was largely driven by the bitter taste the current financial fallout has left in the mouths of investors.
But even with an across-the-board drop of two per cent to 80 on a scale of 100, customer satisfaction with the online world is still outpacing the real-world experience. “E-commerce is still one of the best-performing service sectors of the economy in all of ACSI, but it is far from immune to the challenging economic conditions,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results, which produces the annual ACSI report with the University of Michigan. “It’s a tough environment to do business in, but the e-commerce sector remains strong.”
The results are broken out by three sectors: online brokerage, retail and travel.
Online brokerages: Hit hard by the economy, investors hit back at online brokerages, lopping 6.3 per cent off last year’s numbers for a new score of 74. Individually, TD Ameritrade dove 11 per cent to 71, Fidelity and Charles Schwab both dropped five per cent to earn 80 and 78 respectively, and E*Trade dipped six per cent to land at 69.
“It’s not surprising that online brokerage firms took a big hit in satisfaction, and that dive is largely responsible for the drop of the e-commerce sector overall,” Freed said.
Online retail: E-tail too slipped, although only by 1.2 per cent for an 82 score. eBay earned its worst performance ever, dropping four per cent to 78, and that decline pulled down the aggregate score.
Online travel: The numbers for online travel did not change significantly. Favourite sites included Expedia at 77, Travelocity with 75 and Orbitz at 74.
But even with an across-the-board drop of two per cent to 80 on a scale of 100, customer satisfaction with the online world is still outpacing the real-world experience. “E-commerce is still one of the best-performing service sectors of the economy in all of ACSI, but it is far from immune to the challenging economic conditions,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results, which produces the annual ACSI report with the University of Michigan. “It’s a tough environment to do business in, but the e-commerce sector remains strong.”
The results are broken out by three sectors: online brokerage, retail and travel.
Online brokerages: Hit hard by the economy, investors hit back at online brokerages, lopping 6.3 per cent off last year’s numbers for a new score of 74. Individually, TD Ameritrade dove 11 per cent to 71, Fidelity and Charles Schwab both dropped five per cent to earn 80 and 78 respectively, and E*Trade dipped six per cent to land at 69.
“It’s not surprising that online brokerage firms took a big hit in satisfaction, and that dive is largely responsible for the drop of the e-commerce sector overall,” Freed said.
Online retail: E-tail too slipped, although only by 1.2 per cent for an 82 score. eBay earned its worst performance ever, dropping four per cent to 78, and that decline pulled down the aggregate score.
Online travel: The numbers for online travel did not change significantly. Favourite sites included Expedia at 77, Travelocity with 75 and Orbitz at 74.
