Nordstrom, Samsung, USAA, Cricket, Kaiser, and Walmart Pharmacy Lead Their Sectors in 2016 Net Promoter(R) Benchmarks From Satmetrix

Interactive Reports Reveal Several Repeat Winners and Five New Industry Leaders


REDWOOD CITY, CA--(Marketwired - June 28, 2016) - Satmetrix®, the leading global provider of software for improving the customer experience, today released its annual Consumer Net Promoter Score® Benchmarks. The reports rank 247 brands, including customer experience leaders like Nordstrom, USAA, Amazon.com, Apple, and more across 23 U.S. industry sectors such as financial services, insurance, technology, online entertainment, retail stores, electronics, travel and hospitality, and telecommunications.

In a notable shift in rankings this year, Samsung replaced long-time leader Apple in the top spot for the smartphone sector, though the change is more about Apple's downfall than Samsung's ascendancy. The shift reflects a 13-point drop in Net Promoter Score (NPS®) for the Apple iPhone, while Samsung's NPS for smartphones held steady. Apple continues to lead in the laptop and tablet categories.

The annual NPS rankings from Satmetrix are now in their 15th year. The annual research builds on the world's most comprehensive database of customer experience data, with more than 17 million data points. As co-developer of the Net Promoter Score, Satmetrix collected and analyzed the data that established the transformational metric in 2003, and has been building its store of data and expertise ever since.

This year's Net Promoter Score benchmark reports feature interactive charts and graphs that allow users to personalize views of the data. The interactivity relies on the capabilities of Satmetrix NPX, the powerful customer experience management software used by customer-first companies around the world to monitor, analyze, and improve the customer experience. Reports are available exclusively on the Net Promoter Network, www.netpromoter.com.

"Net Promoter benchmark insights are a critical tool for companies looking to set optimal improvement targets for their customer experience programs," said Laura L. Brooks, PhD, Vice President of Innovation and Strategy at Satmetrix. "The more specific and targeted the insights, the better the decisions that follow, so being able to explore and segment according to individual needs makes insight even more transformative."

Samsung's change in rank is not unique. Five industry sectors in the 2016 benchmark reports saw the arrival of new leaders this year, though some long-time leaders retained a hold on their top ranking. The reports offer a range of insights into the industry sectors covered. Some additional highlights:

  • USAA retains its leadership position for the seventh straight year in three sectors: Auto insurance, banking, and home and contents insurance.
  • Health insurer Kaiser also stayed in the lead, and saw a 12-point increase in NPS. The jump mirrors an overall increase in NPS for the sector, with some of Kaiser's competitors seeing even larger increases.
  • Cricket leapt over Boost to become the leader in the cell phone service sector, with an NPS more than 20 points higher than last year's leading score. Average NPS for this sector saw a 10-point improvement, as well.
  • Nordstrom took top honors in the department and specialty story sector, edging out previous leader Costco. Nordstrom's NPS of 80 was the top score in any sector in the study.
  • Walmart Pharmacy took over as the leader in the drug stores and pharmacies sector, surpassing Walgreens.
  • H-E-B took the top spot for groceries and supermarkets, ending its multi-year run in second place and knocking Trader Joe's out of the lead.
  • Internet service sector leader Verizon kept its leadership position, but saw a 10-point increase in NPS. Even that significant improvement didn't return the company's score to 2013 levels, however.

The reports bring together software and data, two long-time strengths for Satmetrix. "Interactive reports make the work of uncovering data-driven insights easier and more accurate," said Brian Curry, Chief Operating Officer at Satmetrix. "Because our new reports deliver insights using the analytic capabilities of Satmetrix NPX, companies can display the data that best matches their needs and get a taste of the powerful analytics available to our software customers."

The 15th annual Satmetrix Net Promoter Score Benchmarks are based on survey responses from more than 44,000 U.S. consumers nationwide who rated their experience with the primary brands they use. The Net Promoter Score, or NPS, for each brand is based on customers' likelihood to recommend the brand. NPS is calculated as the percentage of customers who are Promoters, rating the company 9 or 10 on a 0- to 10-point scale, minus the percentage who are Detractors, rating 6 or lower. Consumers also rated each brand on various aspects of customer experience, including product or service features, customer service, and overall value, enabling Satmetrix to identify the key drivers of loyalty and recommendation.

Complete results from the annual Net Promoter Benchmark study of more than 44,000 U.S. consumers are available from Satmetrix. Twenty-three reports, covering each of the sectors featured, are ready for interactive exploration of the time trends and the drivers that affect customer loyalty at: www.netpromoter.com/nps-benchmarks/

NPS®, Net Promoter® and Net Promoter® Score are registered trademarks of Satmetrix Systems, Inc., Bain & Company and Fred Reichheld.

About Satmetrix
Satmetrix is the leading global provider of customer experience software for companies who demand differentiated knowledge about their customers. As co-developer of the Net Promoter® methodology, Satmetrix combines unrivaled Net Promoter expertise with its powerful, yet cost-effective NPX product, a complete, always on-customer experience management (CEM) SaaS solution battle tested by the leading NPS-driven, customer first companies in the world. For more information, visit www.Satmetrix.com.

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Satmetrix Systems, Inc.
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