Survey: User satisfaction with e-commerce sites rises slightly

Computerworld - Customer satisfaction with e-commerce Web sites has improved slightly from last year, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) released today. The quarterly study, which measures the online performance of a variety of Web sites, is produced by the University of Michigan.
The e-commerce sector got a score of 79.6 on the ACSI's 100-point scale, up 1.3%, according to the fourth-quarter 2005 ACSI E-Commerce Report, which measures online retail, auction, brokerage and travel companies.
As the e-commerce sector matures, customers' expectations for companies' Web sites continue to rise. That's putting pressure on online companies, many of which are already struggling to keep up with the industry leaders, according to the report.
Even so, many e-commerce Web sites are doing better this year than last in meeting customers' needs and exceeding expectations, said Larry Freed, president of Ann Arbor, Mich.-based ForeSee Results, an ACSI sponsor. "In each of the categories, we see the gap widen between the leaders and those that are trailing," he said.
For example, in the e-retail category Amazon.com and Barnesandnoble.com are now tied for the top spot. Both had a score of 87, 10 points better than 1-800-Flowers.com, which came in last in the survey, Freed said.
According to the ACSI, customer satisfaction with online retail is nearly 12% higher than it is for the overall retail industry. "E-retailers used to be at a disadvantage because customers can't touch and feel their products, but they've figured out that there's a whole lot more they can offer to make up for that," Freed said in a statement. "Today's online stores have evolved significantly, offering advances such as 360-degree views of products, customer reviews, side-by-side product comparisons and extensive product information and specifications that often exceed what is available in a store or catalogue."
The online auction category moved up 1.35% to a score of 78, largely on the performance of eBay, which improved 1.3% to 81. "When people think online auctions, people think eBay," Freed said. "That's a tough hurdle for any competitor to clear. Bigger is better in the online auction industry, and eBay continues to grow and satisfy its customers. It's more likely that the real challenge to eBay will come from other online titans like Amazon and Google instead of from other online auction companies."
In the online brokerage arena, Charles Schwab & Co. moved up 4.2% to 74, helping drive the overall online brokerage category up 1.3% to 76. Since the company's founder and namesake stepped back into a leadership role, Charles Schwab