Saks Fifth Avenue, Zappos, Victoria’s Secret and Godiva are among some of the “top performing” merchants who have excelled at online customer service according to the e-tailing group’s 15th Annual Mystery Shopping Study.
According to a press release from the e-tailing group, to qualify as “top performing” each of the 100 merchants surveyed were ranked by accessibility, online shipment tracking, overall customer service experience on a customer service call, email response rates, shipping times and checkouts.
The other top performers of the study, conducted during the fourth quarter of 2012, were Crutchfield, Footlocker, Frontgate, Office Depot, and Room & Board.
“In these times when retailers often look to take shortcuts in customer service, these merchants are invested in delivering an outstanding performance. It is the combination of the customer experience coupled with this superior service that makes these retailers rise above their peers,” said Lauren Freedman, president of the e-tailing group, in a press release.
Retailers like Zappos and Godiva, the release said, responded to an email question within an hour, which allowed “their customers to quickly make shopping decisions to streamlined carts that foster express checkout elevated experiences are seen.”
According to the release, some of the trends that e-tailing found with the surveyed retailers are:
· A majority (56%) of respondents said they prefer using PayPal over any other method.
· Delivery times increased from 3.43 days in 2011 to 3.73 days in 2012.
· Nearly 49% of all packages were delivered by USPS versus 19% in 2011.
· The average response time for an email was 22 hours, which increased from 2011 when it was 31 hours and 27 minutes.
“While assortments can get a customer to visit, it’s imperative to remember that service will keep them coming back. We encourage all retailers to shop their own sites and test all available communication channels to ensure the service they deliver is truly aligned with their brand values,” Freedman said in the release.
Findings from the complete study will be summarized in a report which will be available in mid-February on the e-tailing website.