National Retail Federation
NEWS RELEASE
THE VOICE OF RETAIL WORLDWIDE
Liberty Place, 325 7th Street, NW, Suite 1100, Washington, DC 20004
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Kathy Grannis or Scott Krugman (202)783-7971
grannisk@nrf.com or krugmans@nrf.com
From Search Engines to Department Stores, Shoppers Rank Their Favorite e-tailers
Washington, October 2, 2007 – Though customers have infinite
options for shopping online, a few companies still stand out as favorites,
according to STORES Magazine's inaugural Favorite 50 survey, conducted by
BIGresearch, which ranks customers' favorite online retail companies. The
special edition is in STORES’ October issue and was sponsored by Microsoft.
Always praised for their stellar customer service, new website technologies and
fresh ideas, e-tail giant Amazon.com tops the list this year. eBay.com,
typically considered a non-traditional retailer, came in second. Both companies
represent a world of endless possibilities for shopping online, selling
everything from fresh produce and gourmet foods to one-of-a-kind memorabilia,
apparel and accessories.
“Online retailers are catering to their loyal customer base more than ever
before,” said STORES magazine Publisher Rick Gallagher. “By providing a positive
and memorable online shopping experience, retailers stand to gain loyal
customers for life.”
Securing the third position on the list, the world’s largest retailer -
Wal-Mart.com – offers its shoppers everyday items at low prices. Its recent
trek into the social-networking scene is sure to work in its favor while the
company attempts to lure new and younger shoppers.
When it comes to redefining themselves, JCPenney.com has done a world of
good with its new advertising campaign. Fresh and trendy apparel lines and a new
venture into beauty products, as well as a completely new look in stores and on
the website, has helped JCP.com land the number five spot on the list.
Four other major retailers landed a top 10 spot, including BestBuy.com
(#4), Target.com (#6), Kohls.com (#7) and Sears.com (#10).
Demonstrating the importance of search engines to eCommerce, Google.com
(#9) and Yahoo.com (#16) both were ranked among the top 20. Online
retailers have begun to use these sites to their benefit by using strategic
search marketing and advertisements on these and other affiliated websites.
About Microsoft in Retail
Microsoft’s Retail Industry Group provides software that helps retail
organizations thrive in today’s competitive global marketplace by making better
decisions at every stage of the value chain. Microsoft software helps retailers
strengthen customer relationships, build high value business connections and
improve operations — empowering retail employees in areas such as store systems,
real-time analytics and supply chain management. Through a combination of
Microsoft- and partner-based solutions, retail customers can turn data into
insight, ideas into action and change into opportunity. More information about
Microsoft’s work in the Retail industry can be found at
http://www.microsoft.com/industry/retail
STORES is the official magazine of the National Retail Federation
The National Retail Federation is the world's largest retail trade
association, with membership that comprises all retail formats and channels of
distribution including department, specialty, discount, catalog, Internet,
independent stores, chain restaurants, drug stores and grocery stores as well as
the industry's key trading partners of retail goods and services. NRF represents
an industry with more than 1.6 million U.S. retail establishments, more than 24
million employees - about one in five American workers - and 2006 sales of $4.7
trillion. As the industry umbrella group, NRF also represents more than 100
state, national and international retail associations.
www.nrf.com