Where there is a best, there must also be a worst. And as of right now holding the dubious title of “The Worst” is Abercrombie & Fitch.
That ranking comes care of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, which saw the clothing firm (in its initial appearance on the index) scored a 65, 10 points below the retail average.
“Normally when we see that kind of a gap, it’s a company so large it has monopoly power like, Walmart (WMT) or McDonald’s (MCD),” said Forrest Morgeson, ACSI’s director of research. “Abercrombie and Fitch is not that, they aren’t that large … this can spell serious trouble for the company.”
The report is based on a survey of a little over 9,000 customers asked to rank their experiences at the biggest name in retail in the U.S.
Abercrombie also managed to unseat the nation’s leading champion for unsatisfied customers; Walmart has held the title for the last 10 years, but was edged out by Abercrombie by just 1 point.
“Walmart is doing fine business-wise, but at the same time, people really don’t like them,” Morgeson said.
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Overall, customer satisfaction in retail is down on average for the second straight year.
So where is everyone feeling the love? Where one might expect — Nordstrom, Wegmans, Amazon and Costco top the list.
“Your highest-end supplier in a particular industry tends to be the most satisfying,” noted Morgeson. “It really is quality customers are looking for over price.”
The survey also found an increasing fondness for online shopping, with a majority of consumers noting they prefer it to brick and mortar in most cases. Unsurprisingly, Amazon was the clear leader in the online shopping category, with a score of 85.
