Amazon.com, Wal-Mart Stores and eBay are consumers’ preferred online-shopping destinations, according to a survey by the National Retail Federation’s Stores magazine. Macy’s joined the “Favorite 50 Online Retailers” survey’s top 10 at No. 8, and Nordstrom made its debut at No. 30.
Susan Reda, executive editor of Stores Media, said she was pleasantly surprised to see big-name brands throughout the list.
“In past years, when I got past 25, I’d have a wrinkled brow,” she said. “I had to look up who these companies were. I would expect Nordstrom to be there and I’d wonder where they were on the list. There were times I was like ‘Who is this company?’”
Best Buy, JCPenney, Kohl’s, Target Brands, Macy’s, Sears, and Google round out the top 10 of the survey, which polled 8,379 consumers in June. Sam’s Club, Chadwicks, Newport News, Fashion Bug, Banana Republic and Nike were dropped from the list, while Nordstrom, Bed, Bath and Beyond, Frys, Casual Male, TJ Maxx and GameStop joined it.
Reda said she could not speak specifically about any brand on the list, but added that common attributes among retailers on the list were the ability to excel at driving traffic from social media and search, as well as providing honest and accessible customer reviews on-site.
“Social media is a point that will drive a lot of media to the website,” she said. “But once consumers get there, the retailer needs to make sure the experience fires on all cylinders.”
Forever 21 jumped from No. 37 last year to No. 23, while Aéropostale climbed to No. 33 from No. 47. GameStop made its debut on the list at No. 50.
“The economy has taken us on a rollercoaster,” said Reda. “The Internet allows for price comparison and to [save on gas]. I know some of the other companies on that list have trained consumers to know they’ll get a fair, if not the lowest, price. Although online retailing isn’t growing at the dramatic pace it grew in previous years, we’re still seeing it outpace traditional channels.”
