Westlake Village, Calif. — Consumers who buy photo printers online report a higher level of customer satisfaction than those who buy at retail, according to a new study from JD Power and Associates.
The study also found that 25 percent of consumers flag price as the key reason for buying a specific printer.
A full quarter of consumers surveyed by JD Powers purchased their printer online. Among online shoppers, 27 percent bought from a retail site, 24 percent went through the manufacturer directly, and 9 percent sought out auction sites.
According to JD Powers, online shoppers reported a higher rate of satisfaction with their printer (with a score of 801 out of 1,000) than shoppers at retail (779 points).
The inaugural customer satisfaction study examined five factors integral to customer satisfaction: performance, appearance, connectivity, ease of use and cost. According to JD Powers, “when examining photo printer performance relative to the drivers of overall satisfaction, Kodak and Lexmark perform particularly well among printer brands.”
The study also found a “distinct relationship” between overall satisfaction with a printer and a customer’s brand loyalty. Among satisfied printer owners, 52 percent will repurchase the same printer brand versus 4 percent of dissatisfied customers who said they would stick with the same brand.
The study was based on responses from 2,391 customers who purchased or received a photo printer between July 2005 and July 2006.
