3/30/2015
Customer Satisfaction Down
Ann-Marie Vazzano
Customer satisfaction with retail is down for the first time in four years, according to a report released by the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). All brick-and-mortar retail categories showed weakening or flat customer satisfaction for the final quarter of 2014. Only online retail is up from a year ago.
The report covers customer satisfaction with supermarkets, department and discount stores, Internet retail, specialty retail stores, health and personal care stores, and gas stations.
“Although there are several signs that the economy might finally take off, deteriorating customer satisfaction with retail suggests that consumer demand will not be where it needs to be,” says Claes Fornell, ACSI Chairman and founder. “This is also reaffirmed by weak sales for most retailers over the holiday season. Unless consumer spending picks up dramatically, we won’t see much—if any—increase in the pace of economic recovery.”
When it comes to garden centers’ greatest competition—home improvement stores—Lowe’s (with an ACSI score of 81) tops Menards (78), while Home Depot tumbles 4% to near the category’s bottom at 76.
GP