ForeSee Results

ForeSee Results' weekly benchmark of shopper satisfaction with online retailers during the holidays suggests that holiday shoppers are more satisfied with online prices this year than they were at the same time last year.

Annual analysis released from ForeSee Results suggests that retailers have reason to be cautiously optimistic about the upcoming holiday season.

Satisfaction with Top 100 e-retailers rebounded from a dive this time last year, to an all-time high score of 78 points out of 100, a five-point increase. According to ForeSee Results’ annual Top 100 Online Retail Satisfaction Index, consumers are more satisfied with their online experiences than ever before. Nearly every individual retailer registered a score that matched or exceeded previous satisfaction levels.

With the holiday shopping season now all wrapped up, here's a look back at several reports over the past month to provide an overview of how it all went down — both from what was predicted to what actually transpired.

Familiarity with the types of products offered by a company or brand has proven to be a key influencer in driving traffic to your Web site. Such was the finding of the 2007 edition of the Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index conducted by ForeSee Results. The survey used the methodologies of the American Customer Satisfaction Index, and is based on the responses of more than 11,000 online shoppers. Here are some of its findings. * 78 percent of respondents said familiarity with the types of products offered by the company or brand led to satisfaction when visiting a Web site; followed by promotional

“Customer 2.0” has revolutionized the way that companies are doing business. Customers are more in control of their transactions than ever before and can be in multiple places at multiple times, all thanks to the Internet. At a session I led during last week’s ACCM conference in Boston, the panel and I discussed ways multichannel marketers can get to know such customers better. For instance, when companies use online surveying methods to find out what their Web customers want, they should be aware that misinformation is often more dangerous than no information at all. It’s critical that companies gather “voice of customer” information that provides

Online shoppers were slightly more satisfied with the 2006 holiday season than they were in 2005, according to the Top 40 Retail Satisfaction Index produced by customer satisfaction rating firm ForeSee Results. Average customer satisfaction rose one point, from 74 to 75, on a 100 point scale. The Index, which was compiled from a survey of more than 10,000 online holiday shoppers, provided experience ratings for the Top 40 retail Web sites defined by sales volume. The following catalogers and notable online merchants, as well as their customer satisfaction ratings, follow: * Amazon.com - 84 * L.L. Bean - 80 * QVC - 80

ForeSee Results’ recent study of major retail Web sites, The Top 40 Online Retail Satisfaction Index, found that free shipping without restrictions significantly impacts customer satisfaction and loyalty. The study also determined that free shipping is an effective way to convert first-time buyers. But restrictions on free shipping actually can endanger long-term loyalty. Forty-one percent of the more than 10,000 survey respondents cited free shipping as the primary factor in their holiday purchase decision-making. Seventy-nine percent went so far as to say it influenced them to choose one retail site over another. Among the key findings: • Free shipping

Cyber Monday is considered to be the kickoff of the holiday season for all retailers with a Web presence, from catalog players to brick and mortar shops and Internet pure-plays. After a weekend of holiday festivities, people are back at their desks and in their offices, and in the spirit of the holidays, they’re shopping. This season, we conducted a study of more than 36,000 retail Web site visitors over the 2006 Thanksgiving weekend and found that shopper satisfaction dropped significantly on Cyber Monday from previously high levels over the holiday weekend. This research offers a couple of lessons you can implement so you can

Customers shopping online over the weekend following Thanksgiving were more satisfied than they were on Nov. 25, a/k/a “Cyber Monday,” according to a survey of more than 36,000 e-commerce Web site visitors, conducted last week by online customer satisfaction research firm ForeSee Results. Cyber Monday has come to be known as the e-commerce answer to the retail shopping madness of “Black Friday,” the day after Thanksgiving when most U.S. retailers run huge sales to get a jump on the holiday selling season. As they did in the malls on Black Friday, consumers “were looking for deals,” says Larry Freed, chief executive officer of ForeSee