Online Beats In-store by A Lot in Consumer Survey

Interesting result- In almost every case, the online stores scored at least as high as their brick and mortar counterparts and often better!

 To inform consumers about outlet "big box" stores the Consumer Reports National Research Center surveyed subscribers about 55,108 shopping experiences buying a range of products at Costco, JCPenney, Kmart, Kohl’s, Macy’s, Meijer, Sam’s Club, Sears, Target, and Walmart. For the first time, Consumer Reports asked questions about the consumers' experiences the retailers’ online stores.

The research found the following:
* Respondents said the quality, selection, and value of the goods online equaled or surpassed those of store-bought purchases.
* Sixty-three percent of the online shoppers said the service they received was excellent or very good; only 47 percent of in-store shoppers rated the quality of sales help that high.
* Smart merchants provide help by phone, e-mail, or online chats.  All the stores in the overall satisfaction Ratings have customer service available by phone.
* Respondants said that buying was easier online than in stores. Among shoppers who rated both walk-in and online experiences, 81 percent said the ease of checking out online was excellent or very good; just 46 percent said the same about the speed of store checkouts.  The most prevalent problems walk-in customers said they faced were long checkout lines, a lack of sales help, and out-of-stock items. Twenty-nine percent said checkouts were jammed.

Costco, the standout, was the only chain to earn an outstanding grade for the overall quality of its merchandise, whether in stores or online. And it earned above-average scores for all 10 product categories rated, including electronic entertainment, jewelry, and sporting goods. Of note, its website did better than its walk-in stores on all counts except product quality (for which the two types tied) and earned top marks for layout, product value, and checkout. In-store shoppers found a few chinks in Costco’s armor: The chain’s walk-in stores scored below average for selection, checkout (because of long lines), and service, and its shoppers were more likely than those elsewhere to complain about a lack of fitting rooms.

This research shows the perceived value and convenience of online shopping is growing relative to shopping in stores- particularly in big box stores. This trend has been growing over the past several years however, this research clearly demonstrates the strength of the trend. Retailers and manufactureres know shopping is based a great deal on selection, value and convenience. Are offline stores losing ground so quickly they will not be able to recover?