Netflix Leads ForeSee Results Satisfaction Index

Netflix is number one in customer satisfaction for the second holiday season in a row, according to customer satisfaction measurement and management firm ForeSee Results.

The online DVD merchant scored 86 out of a possible 100 points in terms consumers’ evaluation of its site experience, merchandising, brand and pricing, according to ForeSee Results’ Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index.

Also for the second year in a row, Netflix barely edged out Amazon.com, which scored 84. Both Netflix and Amazon also scored two points higher than last year.

“The truly remarkable thing is that the top eight retailers all improved or stayed the same in terms of how well they are satisfying Web shoppers from last year to this year,” said a statement by Larry Freed, president and CEO of ForeSee Results. “There is a reason these sites are perennial favorites, and it is that they are making constant, continuous improvements, not simply resting on their past success.”

Names more associated with traditional direct marketing appeared in the Nos. 3 and 4 spots. L.L.Bean.com and QVC.com came in third and fourth, respectively, both with scores of 80.

In another win for traditional marketing, Sears.com showed the biggest improvement in its rating with a score of 73 for the 2006 holiday shopping season, up from 68 in 2005, and JCPenney.com showed the second most drastic improvement, scoring 76 in 2006 compared to 71 in 2005, according to ForeSee Results.

Though Netflix and Amazon.com topped L.L.Bean.com in this year’s index, apparel-and-accessories sites on average were the top category online in terms of customer satisfaction, edging out mass merchants and computer and electronics by two points, according to ForeSee Results.

“The fact that Apparel leads the other categories is no small feat, considering the challenges that have existed in the minds of consumers in the past, such as the ability to fully understand the look, color and fit of the apparel,” said Freed’s statement. “Technical and functional advances over the years, such as the ability to zoom and rotate product images, have overcome those challenges.”

Meanwhile, the bottom three companies in ForeSee Results’ index were CDW.com, which scored 68, Costco.com, which scored 69 and CompUSA.com, which also scored 69.

The Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index uses the methodology of the University of Michigan’s American Customer Satisfaction Index to analyze data collected from visitors to the Top 40 retail Web sites by sales volume, according to ForeSee Results. Data was collected through a nationwide panel of approximately 1.6 million consumer households, the company said.