Even Amazon Falls Short As Customer Satisfaction Slips

Shoppers are less happy with their experience of online shopping than they were last year following the first ever dip in satisfaction rates, according to new research.

The research by the ForeSee Experience Index shows Amazon.co.uk as the clear leader with a satisfaction score of 84 - the only retailer surveyed to exceed an Index score of 80.

The average across 40 retailers and 10,000 respondents was 73 compared to 74 last year, the first decline in the seven years the survey has been done.

However, ForeSee said that Amazon's high score was blighted by the fact that its Index rating had slipped by two points - a decline in satisfaction and an indication that action may be required to prevent standards slipping further in the next 12 months.

John Lewis, Apple, Marks & Spencer and Asda Direct all ranked in the next five. But, within that, John Lewis fell by one point to 79 per cent, slipping below ForeSee's 80-point benchmark for excellence for the first time in three years.

Shoppers were asked about their experiences with sites, including whether they would recommend a particular retailer or were likely to buy from it again.

The report said that satisfaction rates have slowed over the past five years and the drop may represent growing competition among retailers and rising expectations among shoppers.

'Satisfaction shows a slight decline. This is the first fall in online satisfaction since the survey launched in 2007 albeit by a single point. This follows a consistent, single-point, year-on-year increase between 2009 and 2013 which was markedly lower than the four point jump recorded between 2008 and 2009,' ForeSee said in the report.

'It is possible the fall in 2013, not to mention slowing growth in satisfaction for the preceding few years, is an outcome of the higher expectations of an increasingly sophisticated and hard-to-please marketplace,' it said.

It continued: 'Although a one-point decline might not seem important, the direct effect that satisfaction has on revenues and profitability means that even this slight reversal of fortune has the potential for significant negative impact.'

Research among US retailers has shown that a one-point increase in satisfaction translates into a 10.6 per cent increase in revenues generated on the web, suggesting a potentially major loss of value for UK online retailers should this decline persist, ForeSee warned.

The biggest increase in the past year was from Ikea, rising 3 points to 76, matching Asda. Whereas the biggest improvements since the survey began have come from Asda, Debenhams and River Island, although River Island still ranks low with a score of 73.