Westlake Village, Calif. – Lowe’s regained the top spot in J.D. Power’s 2015 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study.
The home-improvement chain, which also ranked No. 1 in white-goods volume on TWICE’s Top 50 Major Appliance Retailers Report, was followed by trailing top-five favorites The Home Depot, Sears, Best Buy and hhgregg.
The study, now in its eighth year, queried 2,963 customers who purchased major appliances from a multiregional retailer within the past 12 months.
Based on its parameters, the survey largely excluded the independent retail channel, which dominated a similar majap satisfaction study released last month by Consumer Reports.
In the J.D. Power poll, Lowe’s scored high across the board, which in this case includes sales staff and service, store facility, price, delivery service, sales and promotions, merchandise and installation service.
The study found that sales staff and service have the greatest impact on customer satisfaction, especially:
* availability of the sales staff to provide assistance;
* its ability to greet customers promptly;
* listening carefully to customer questions or concerns; and
* thanking customers for their purchase.
Still, more than one-fourth (28 percent) of customers cited price as their main reason for selecting a retailer.
“Price and promotions drive the sale but it’s the sales staff and the service they provide that make a satisfied customer,” observed Christina Cooley, J.D. Power’s home-improvement industries director. “Appliance retailers need to differentiate themselves beyond price. To satisfy customers, retailers must focus on delighting customers throughout the shopping, purchase, delivery and installation processes.
“Retailers that focus on attracting customers through pricing but further satisfying them in areas beyond price are better able to drive sales and win repeat business,” she added.
The study was fielded in January and February.
