MY COMMENTARY:
No doubt the economy has an effect. However, the fact that Amazon and Netflix continue to lead the pack with respectable satisfaction numbers, and that 16 of the Internet providers had positive score increases underscores that this can be done with the right formula. Internet retailers should be benchmarking the two leaders as well as reviewing the efforts of Kohl's and Costco for insights on how to improve their online shopper experience.
Success does in fact, leave clues. The challenge is to find these success factors, adapt to your situation, and adopt. The most compelling data, apart from the satisfaction scores, is that highly satisfied shoppers when compared to dissatisfied shoppers are 71% more likely to purchase online than the latter, and 72% more likely to recommend the website. These statistics underscore the need to get it right.