NEW YORK, May 8, 2012 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Wealthy U.S. shoppers earning at least $150,000 a year rank Nordstrom highest among luxury retailers in the 2012 Luxury Consumer Experience Index (LCEI) survey by the independent and objective New York-based Luxury Institute. LCEI scores are based on customers' evaluations of a brand's store personnel, shopping environment and degree of satisfaction with the total experience.
Nordstrom earns the top overall score of 8.41 out of 10, followed by Neiman Marcus' Bergdorf Goodman subsidiary (8.37), and Barneys New York (8.23). It is also the most widely visited luxury retailer, with 36% of wealthy consumers reporting shopping at Nordstrom in the past 12 months.
Only 7% of shoppers have visited Barneys, and 6% have shopped at Bergdorf Goodman, but exclusivity helps with pricing: 76% of Bergdorf's shoppers and 74% of Barneys' say that goods in those stores are worth a significant price premium; 65% say the same about Nordstrom's merchandise.
"Retailers, especially in luxury, are selling experiences to customers more than they are selling any particular good," says Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza. "In the case of a retailer like Nordstrom, we see that a program of continuous improvement in the customer experience can lead to higher degrees of loyalty and improved financial performance."
In addition to its top overall LCEI score, Seattle-based Nordstrom ranks first on two critical measures of customer loyalty: 96% of high-income shoppers plan to shop at Nordstrom again, and 94% recommend Nordstrom to family and close friends.
Survey participants reported average income of $292,000 and average net worth of $3 million.
About the Luxury Institute (www.LuxuryInstitute.com)
The Luxury Institute is the objective and independent global voice of the high net-worth consumer. The Institute conducts extensive and actionable research with wealthy consumers about their behaviors and attitudes on customer experience best practices. In addition, we work closely with top-tier luxury brands to successfully transform their organizational cultures into more profitable customer-centric enterprises. Our Luxury CRM Culture consulting process leverages our fact-based research and enables luxury brands to dramatically Outbehave as well as Outperform their competition. The Luxury Institute also operates LuxuryBoard.com, a membership-based online research portal, and the Luxury CRM Association, a membership organization dedicated to building customer-centric luxury enterprises.