Keys to Success

Online retailers maintaining their positions on STORES’ Favorite 50 list year after year have done so through a successful balance of consistency and enhancement.

The top e-retailers keep excitement alive by providing value across consumers’ five specific pre-requisites: competitively priced merchandise; free shipping; a flexible returns policies; easy online navigation; and toll-free live customer service.

Shoppers are most attracted to sites that feature low prices, free shipping and a flexible returns policy, according to the “Consumer Intentions & Actions” study. The report, conducted by Worthington, Ohio-based BIGresearch, is comprised of responses from the same 8,379 adult consumers as surveyed for the Favorite 50.

Since more than 70 percent of respondents cite low prices as being most important, it’s not surprising that Amazon.com and Walmart.com have topped the list for five years. Amazon.com has held the No. 1 position since the first list was published in 2007; Walmart.com passed eBay.com for the No. 2 position in 2009.

Value-centric shoppers report that free shipping is an essential element of perceived online value. Retailers acknowledge this, but it is hard to compete with Amazon and Walmart.com’s free or low-cost shipping options.

A flexible returns policy is the third pre-requisite for shoppers, as just over 53 percent will only shop retailers that ease the task of returning merchandise. Realizing they have a leg up on their pure-play competition, cross-channel retailers are integrating their physical locations into the free shipping mix to provide a value through free return services.

Because it continues to deliver value in all five areas, electronics retailer BestBuy.com has held the No. 4 position in every Favorite 50.