Online luxury fashion retailer Net-a-Porter Group’s e-commerce site Net-a-Porter.com in February provided the best overall customer service among major e-retailers, according to the latest monthly report from customer service research firm StellaService. The firm collects its data by having its employees request various forms of customer service from large retailers, including the top five in each of the 15 merchandise categories listed in Internet Retailer’s Top 500 Guide.
Net-a-Porter took first place in two of the four areas that Stella uses to rate customer service: shipping and returns. Its high-quality packaging and use of a prepaid adhesive shipping label for returns contributed to its top ratings, as did its issuing refunds for returns within a week on average, StellaService says.
“Net-a-Porter knows its customer base and that’s definitely apparent in its service efforts,” says Kevon Hills, vice president of research at StellaService. “Orders arrive fast and they’re beautifully packaged, which is what a luxury shopper demands. They also put a lot of thought into reducing the friction involved in the returns process.”
In the other two categories, Reebok.com took the top spot in providing service by phone and Modcloth.com in e-mail support.
StellaService says the 10 major online retailers with the best customer service overall in February were:
- Net-A-Porter.com, of Net-A-Porter, No. 91 in the Top 500 Guide
- LLBean.com, of L.L. Bean Inc., No. 29
- Zappos.com, of Zappos, a subsidiary of No. 1, Amazon.com Inc.
- JCrew.com, of J. Crew Group Inc., No. 56
- RalphLauren.com, of Ralph Lauren Media LLC., No. 62
- Fab.com, No. 150
- Store.Apple.com, of Apple Inc., No. 3
- Shopping.HP.com, of HP Home & Home Office Store, No. 23
- Shop.LuLuLemon.com, of LuLuLemon Athletica Inc., No. 122
- KateSpade.com (look for Kate Spade in the next edition of the Top 500)