Department Store Staff Vital to Customer Satisfaction

The courtesy of sales staff is a key element in customers’ satisfaction in department stores like Macy’s and Kohl’s, and it gets more important to customers the more upscale the store is.

That’s according to a new study by consultancy J.D. Power & Associates, which also found that merchandise and price play a key role in customer satisfaction, writes MediaPost.

Nordstrom ranked highest in customer satisfaction in Atlanta and Los Angeles among upscale stores. In New York, Neiman Marcus ranked highest. Among mid-sized stores, Kohl’s was highest in Atlanta, followed by Dillard’s and Macy’s, which tied. In L.A., Macy’s ranked highest among mid-sized stores. JC Penney was highest among mid-sized stores in New York.

The study found that consumers who buy at mid- and upper-end stores also shop down-market stores: 4 in 10 upscale store customers say they shopped at Macy’s before buying at an upscale store. Those who make purchases ad midscale department-stores say they also browsed discount stores like Target before making midscale department store purchases.

That trend marks an opportunity for midscale stores. Macy’s, for example, is spending ad dollars to keep those browsers who tend to purchase at upscale stores, with a campaign promoting the store as a one-stop shop for premium labels including Sean Jean, Martha Stewart, Usher and others.

Interestingly, consumers also say they are concerned about the environment. About 45 percent of upscale store customers and 30 percent of midscale store customers say they want their stores to offer shopping bags that are reusable.