Study: Kate Spade provides best online customer service in September

New York -- Kate Spade provided the best overall customer service in Sept. 2014. This marks the retailer’s first time topping Stella Benchmarks from customer service research firm Stella Service in 2014. The retailer ranked in every area measured across fulfillment and customer care.



Email is where Kate Spade excelled most, averaging three hours to reply to inquiries from StellaService analysts. The retailer also achieved 100% issue resolution in the email channel in September. Kate Spade ranked 17th in phone, 11th in chat, and 24th in both shipping and returns. Kate Spade was the only one of 138 companies analyzed in Stella Benchmarks to rank in all areas.



Seven companies that did not rank in the Top 25 overall in August earned a spot in September: Cartier, King Size Direct, Costco, Under Armour, Lowe's, Ralph Lauren and Motorcycle Superstore.



Companies that have ranked in the Top 25 overall every month in 2014:



• J.Crew

• L.L.Bean

• Zappos

• Shopbop

• Net-A-Porter



Looking at all companies included in Stella Benchmarks in September, the following companies were best overall performers within the five service areas measured:



• Phone: Louis Vuitton

• Email: Kate Spade

• Chat: iHerb

• Shipping: Cartier

• Returns: Mr Porter



“High-end retailers have a challenge in providing a high-end ecommerce experience,” said Kevon Hills, StellaService VP of research. “They’re realizing that they need to differentiate the experience from that of competitors at lower price points. Interestingly, we’re seeing those efforts pay off in the data we collect.”