Amazon, QVC, Apple lead in mobile satisfaction; Target among most improved

Ann Arbor, Mich. -- Amazon has extended its domination of e-retail into the mobile platform, according to the ForeSee Mobile Satisfaction Index: Holiday Retail Edition, released on Tuesday by ForeSee.

In a survey of more than 6,200 consumers collected during the peak holiday shopping season between Thanksgiving and Christmas, Amazon scored highest among 25 of the top mobile commerce companies.

On the 100-point scale, Amazon topped the list at 85, with Apple (83), and QVC (83) close behind. Rounding out the top five are NewEgg (80) and Victoria's Secret (80). The retailers with the biggest improvements over time include Target (+5), Victoria's Secret (+5), and Barnes & Noble (+4).

"The mobile platform is maturing much faster than the PC platform,” said Larry Freed, president and CEO, ForeSee. “We see it in the rate of consumer adoption, and fortunately we are seeing it in how well the top retailers are adapting to multichannel consumers who are embracing yet another powerful tool.”

The study investigated the role and impact of mobile on showrooming, revealing that while nearly 70% of survey respondents reported using a mobile phone while in a retail store during the 2012 holiday season, most of those consumers (62%) accessed that store's site or app.

But the competitive threat of showrooming still exists, as 37% reported accessing a competitor's site or app.

Other key findings include:

• At the aggregate level, customers rate their traditional web experiences (79) very similarly to their mobile experiences (78). But at the individual company level, satisfaction varies between retailers' websites and mobile sites.

• More than half of respondents visited the company's website as their first step in shopping experience (57%) and were highly satisfied with that interaction (80).

• Only 6% reported visiting the company's website, mobile site, or app via mobile phone as their first step while shopping, but they are a very satisfied group (80).

• Customers are more satisfied with their mobile experience for retailers than with financial services. In a similar study of financial services mobile experience conducted in November, the average satisfaction score for the largest financial services companies' mobile sites and apps scored 77, trailing retailers, which scored 78 in this report.