Which online retailers satisfies the most?

When it comes to making online customers happy, one well-known name stands at the top.



Fourth quarter data from the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) shows Amazon.com led all online retailers with a score of 83.out of 100. Compared to the prior year, overall Internet retail customer satisfaction slipped 2.4% to a score of 80 out of 100. This still leads all other retail categories in the Index.



Digital computer and electronics online retailer Newegg scored 79, while eBay and Overstock brought up the rear at 75 and 73, respectively. The group of all other online retailers matched the category average of 80.



Customer satisfaction with the overall retail sector fell for a second consecutive year, dropping 2.6% to 74.8 on a 100-point scale. Despite the decline for 2015, the overall score for retail stands almost exactly at its long-term average. Among the six retail categories covered by the ACSI, all dropped but: gas stations. Due to the lower cost of fuel, customers were more satisfied.



Department and discount stores fell 3.9% to 74, and returned to pre-recovery levels of customer satisfaction. Although no company has improved customer satisfaction, the top and bottom companies remain in place. Nordstrom has an ACSI score of 82, which is the best in class; a position it has held every year. Walmart remains in the basement with a score of 66. The next closest chain, Sears, is five points higher at 71. Macy's 8% drop to 73 returns the company to near pre-recovery customer satisfaction levels, but the large decline coincides with a disappointing holiday season.



Among dollar stores, Dollar Tree (76) edged out Dollar General (74). ACSI newcomer Fred Meyer cracked the top three for department and discount stores with an ACSI score of 79, just behind Dillard's at 80. Kohl's scored 77, and Target (75) came in just ahead of J.C. Penney and new ACSI entrant Ross (both 74).



After several years of high customer satisfaction, supermarkets registered their lowest score in more than a decade, dropping 3.9% to 73. Wegmans, one of three retailers to improve customer satisfaction, gained 1% to 86 and became one of the highest-scoring companies in the Index. Other top-scoring supermarkets include Trader Joe's (83), H-E-B (82) and Publix (82). Giant Eagle and Wal-Mart at 67 find themselves at the opposite end of the scale.



Albertsons, which recently merged with Safeway, rounds out the bottom three at 68.



The biggest loser in customer satisfaction among supermarkets is Target. It plummeted 12% to 71, followed by Whole Foods, which dropped 10% to 73.



Specialty retail slipped 2.5% to 77, but is still above where the industry was before the Great Recession. L Brands, which owns Victoria's Secret and Bath & Body Works, joins Costco atop the specialty retail ratings at 81. Despite its thinning retail presence, Barnes & Noble continues to beat the industry average for customer satisfaction with a score of 79. Video game retailer GameStop bucked the negative ACSI trend by climbing 1% to 78.



Among 22 specialty retailers, 15 are below the industry average for customer satisfaction. Abercrombie & Fitch, which debuts at 65, is the lowest-scoring company in the retail sector. Home improvement competitors Lowe's (74) and Home Depot (73) haven't been this close in customer satisfaction since 2011, a time when the housing market began to show signs of recovery. BJ's Wholesale Club and Sam's Club tied at 76. Newcomer AutoZone (75) came in ahead of its rival Advance Auto Parts (72), also a new entrant in the ACSI.



Among other clothing retailers, TJX remained at 78 for a second year in a row. Burlington Coat Factory made its first appearance at 76 and Gap (Gap brands, Banana Republic, Old Navy) is in line with its long-term average at 75.



Health and personal care stores suffered a steeper decline in customer satisfaction than any other retail category, shedding 5.2% to a record low of 73. Wal-Mart's drug stores are at the bottom with 68 and the company scored last in every retail category covered by the ACSI. Walgreens, fell 4% to 74. Rite Aid plunged 12% to 69, tied with Safeway's in-store pharmacies.



Kroger at 81 and Target's in-store pharmacy business at 80 led for customer satisfaction among pharmacies. CVS has recently acquired Target's drug store operations. Given CVS's much lower customer satisfaction (71), it will be interesting to see if the merger will help CVS more than it will hurt Target.