J.D. Power Study: Lowe’s highest among appliance retailers in customer satisfaction

Westlake Village, Calif. -- Lowe's ranked highest in customer satisfaction among appliance retailers for a second consecutive year, achieving a score of 807 on a 1,000-point scale, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2011 Appliance Retailer Satisfaction Study. The study measures satisfaction based on performance in six areas: sales staff and service; store facility; merchandise (i.e., variety of brands/models offered and availability of merchandise and product information); price; delivery service; and installation service.



Lowe’s scored particularly well in four of the six factors: store facility; price; delivery service; and installation service. It was followed in the ranking by Hhgregg (799) and Sears (793).



The survey found that service-related aspects of major appliance retailers -- including sales, delivery and installation services -- are slightly more important to overall satisfaction than facility, product and price.



“Appliance retailers often try to compete on price and merchandise, but the main differentiator when it comes to satisfaction is having knowledgeable and courteous staff available to assess and help meet customer needs," said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates.



The 2011 Appliance Retailer Study is based on responses from more than 4,400 customers who purchased a laundry or kitchen appliance within the previous 24 months from a major appliance retailer. The study was fielded between March and April 2011.