HSN takes top spot in online customer experience ranking

New York -- Home shopping giant HSN is number one in online customer experience, according to the E-tailing Group's 2014l Customer Experience Index. Overall results for the 8th year of the study came in at 72.06, rising above the mark of 71.06 in 2013’s analysis. On the 2014 index, eleven merchants hit the 80+ pinnacle, with HSN have the top score at 88, followed by Office Depot (84.75) and Dick’s Sporting Goods (83).



The remaining winners were a combination of mass merchants and specialty retailers. Barnes & Noble moved in with the contenders and was the only new retailer to place on the 2014 list versus last year's index. .



Here are the top 10 finishers:



HSN

Office Depot

Dick's Sporting Goods

Sears

Target

Amazon

L.L. Bean

Barnes & Noble

Overstock.com

Abt



The e-tailing group index is calculated through quantitative analysis of metrics extrapolated from its mystery shopping study conducted annually in the fourth quarter with an objective of uniquely understanding how merchants stack-up against the e-tailing group’s 100 websites (EG100), direct competitors and their categories. Websites are scored on a 100-point scale based on an assessment of metrics from five key pages, presence and execution of vital merchandising tactics and exemplary customer service.



While proficiency on the home, category, product and help/customer service pages plus the shopping cart accounts for just under one-quarter of the score, over 40% of the possible points are based on the presence and execution of merchandising features from the traditional through onsite search, promotions, gifting, mobile and social. Exemplary customer service functionality accounts for the balance of scoring with a focus on self-service information, the shopping cart, number of days to receive ordered products, order confirmations, live chat as well as the quality and response times for email/call center queries.