NRF unveils 'Most Admired Online Retailers' list

Polling NRF and Shop.org members, STORES Media and Shop.org asked survey participants to name “the e-commerce retailer they most admired,” and after tallying the results, there were five clear winners.

According to the retailers, business partners and industry experts who weighed in on the topic, these five companies share many of the same priorities: innovation, social responsibility, customer-centric culture, quality of products and service, supply chain efficiency, the ability to capture and retain customers and financial soundness.

“It’s a unique list of most-admired retailers because it ranges from companies that provide a very broad mix of products to those that specialize in niche offerings,” said STORES Media Editor Susan Reda.

“The results suggest the industry’s enduring value proposition around innovation –whether it’s linked to new loyalty and payment processes or to creative ways of looking at a category. Also, the role of social media and the ability to blend content with commerce continue to gain in importance.”

Consumers rank their favorite online retailers

STORES Magazine’s September issue also includes results of the annual Favorite 50 Online Retailers survey, conducted by Prosper Insights & Analytics, which asks shoppers to identify their favorite online retailers.

Rankings were based on the total number of responses to the following open-ended questions: “What website do you shop most often for apparel items?” and “What website do you shop most often for non-apparel items?”

The top 10 are as follows:

1.  Amazon.com
2. Walmart.com
3.  eBay.com
4.  Kohls.com
5. BestBuy.com
6. Target.com
7. JCPenney.com
8. Macys.com
9.  Sears.com
10. OldNavy.com

A few newcomers found their way into people’s hearts and onto the list this year, including Belk.com, which debuted at No. 39, and Hottopic.com, landing at No. 43.

“People choose online shopping sites for various reasons, but new, innovative and personalized features seem to be what brings consumers back to their favorite retailer’s website time and time again,” said Prosper Insights & Analytics Consumer Insights Director Pam Goodfellow. “Many of these Top 50 have rewritten the rules when it comes to retaining and attracting online customers, and as such, will likely remain a topic of conversation for a long time.”

National Retail Federation