ANN ARBOR, Mich. - The
national customer satisfaction benchmark gains 0.5% to 76.3 on a scale of 0 to
100 for the fourth quarter of 2012, according to a report released today by the
American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI). The rise comes from strong public
sector gains combined with moderate customer satisfaction improvement for five
of eight retail and e-commerce industries.
"The improvement in
overall customer satisfaction is positive news for consumer demand, but with
the caveat that a good portion of the gain comes from federal and local
government services," said Claes Fornell, ACSI founder, in a press release.
"Looking at the economy as a whole, low inflation, shrinking household debt and
pent-up consumer demand are starting to fuel consumer spending. At the same
time, however, economic growth will be hampered by a still-tepid job outlook,
low wage increases, high gasoline prices and the economic uncertainty created
by our politicians."
The fourth quarter 2012
national score is based on the ACSI??s annual report on citizen satisfaction
with government services, along with new scores released today for retail and
e-commerce. The 2012 government report, available earlier this month, shows
ACSI increases of 2.2% for federal and 3.0% for local government services.
Whether shopping for
groceries, specialty goods like office supplies or electronics, or patronizing
stores with a broad array of merchandise, American consumers are seeking the
right balance between quality and value, with the latter becoming somewhat more
important since the recession. Supermarkets show an ACSI benchmark of 77 in
2012, up 1.3% since 2011.
"Low price inflation for
food products in 2012, combined with better service, product selection and
store layouts, yields success in the form of enhanced customer satisfaction for
supermarkets," said Fornell.