ACSI: Online retailer tops satisfaction ratings in impressive debut

An online retailer making its first appearance in an established customer satisfaction study has come out number one in both online and overall rankings.

Online pet supplies retailer Chewy took the top spot among online retailers in the new American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Study 2022-2023. Chewy had an ACSI score of 85 placing it not only in the top spot among online retailers but for the Index as a whole.  Notably, it was also Chewy’s debut in the study.

Amazon took second place among online retailers with an ACSI store of 84. The e-tail giant’s score is up 8% year-over-year to 84 after two years of declines. Etsy (down 2%) and Gap (up 5%) moved in opposite directions to tie for third place among online retailers at 80, while six retailers tied for fourth place with scores of 79: Costco (unchanged), Kohl’s (up 1%), Macy’s (down 1%), Nordstrom (down 2%), Target (up 1%), and Wayfair (up 4%).

Best Buy (up 3%) and Newegg (up 1%) tied for fifth place in online retail at 78, followed by Dell (down 1%), Home Depot (up 3%), and Nike (down 1%), each tied for sixth place at 77.

eBay (unchanged from 2021-2022) is one of four retailers to score 76 for a seventh-place tie, including HP Store (up 1%), Lowe’s (up 1%), and Overstock (up 3%). With scores of 75, Apple Store (unchanged) and GameStop (up 3%) finished ahead of Groupon (up 3%) and Staples (down 4%) at 74. Walmart (up 1%) received a score of 73. Walgreens is ranked last among online retailers after plummeting 9% to an ACSI score of 69.

Overall customer satisfaction with the Retail Trade sector slipped 0.5% year-over-year to a score of 74.7 (out of 100). Highlights from other segments include:

Specialty

Overall customer satisfaction with specialty retailers rose 3% to an ACSI score of 79. American Eagle Outfitters and TJX (HomeGoods) shared first place at 83 after rising year-over-year 12% and 4%, respectively. Bath & Body Works, formerly part of L Brands, came in second with a first-time score of 82.

Apple Store (up 7%), Hobby Lobby (up 1%), and Ulta Beauty (up 4%) score 81 apiece, outperforming Ace Hardware (up 7%), Bass Pro Shops (up 1%), Gap (up 5%), Menards (up 5%), and PetSmart (up 5%), each tied for third place at 80.

General merchandise

For the second straight year, customer satisfaction with general merchandise retailers is stable at an ACSI score of 75. Wholesale warehouse clubs, taking the top three slots for customer satisfaction, with Costco, up 1% year-over-year to 82, leading the way. Sam’s Club and BJ’s Wholesale Club, both rising 4%, are next with scores of 81 and 80, respectively.

Drugstores

Overall customer satisfaction with drugstores is unchanged at an ACSI score of 76. A group of smaller drugstores took first place with a steady mark of 80. Kroger is second, up 1% year-over-year to 76, followed by a three-way tie at 75: CVS (down 1%), Rite Aid (up 3%), and Walgreens (up 1%).

Supermarkets

The supermarket industry remains stable with an overall ACSI score of 76. Despite slipping 1%, year-over-year Trader Joe’s still tops all supermarkets at 84. Costco (up 1%) and Publix (up 2%) moved into a second-place tie at 82, ahead of H-E-B, which dipped 1% to 81.

Consumer shipping

Satisfaction with consumer shipping — up 4% overall to an ACSI score of 77 — improves across the board. UPS leads the way after surging 5% year-over-year to 78, while FedEx inched up 1% to 76. The U.S. Postal Service’s (USPS) Express and Priority Mail finished last despite increasing 1% to 71.

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The ACSI Retail and Consumer Shipping Study 2022-2023 is based on interviews with 35,685 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between January 2022 and December 2022. It measures and analyzes customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in 47 industries and 10 economic sectors, including online retailers, general merchandise retailers, specialty retailers, drugstores, supermarkets, gas stations, consumer shipping, and the U.S. Postal Service.