Only This Retailer Beats Amazon for Customer Satisfaction (Again)

For many consumers, “online shopping” might be synonymous with “Amazon.” The enormous multinational retailer has come a long way from its beginnings as an online bookstore.

But Amazon isn’t alone in the online-shopping marketplace, and there’s one company that beats out the Seattle-based behemoth when it comes to customer satisfaction — for the second year in a row.

The American Customer Satisfaction Index covers six retail industries, from gas stations to drug stores, and examines how Americans feel about them. The latest annual study is based on interviews with more than 40,000 customers, chosen randomly and contacted via email. Benchmarks included everything from reliability of mobile app and frequency of sales to store layouts.

Here’s a look at the top online retailers for customer satisfaction, leading up to the surprising company that beats out Amazon, again.

Nordstrom

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 80

Famed department store Nordstrom actually began in 1901 as a Seattle shoe store. The company slowly grew into a full department store and went national, launching nordstrom.com in 1998.

The company now ships to dozens of countries, and it will ship “almost anything” on its site to anywhere in the U.S. (including Alaska, Hawaii and Puerto Rico) for free. Returns are free, too.

Nike

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 80

The truth is, Nike doesn’t need a name — at this point, it could just go by its famous logo, the Swoosh. (Or, as its designer calls it, the stripe.)

The iconic checkmark was originally no more than a quick scribble, one of five options presented by graphic design student Carolyn Davidson to co-founder Phil Knight in 1971.

After rejecting the other four outright, Knight reluctantly accepted the Swoosh. “Well,” he said. “I don’t love it. But it will grow on me.”

Etsy

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 80

Etsy is perhaps best known as an online marketplace for crafts and handmade items. If you need personalized party favors for a baby shower, or an art-deco mailbox designed to match your home, this is your place online.

But the site also sells vintage items, from old concert T-shirts to ancient Roman coins.

eBay

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 81

Auction giant eBay began as AuctionWeb in 1995, and today it continues to offer people around the world the chance to buy just about anything, from a 10-year-old grilled cheese sandwich to a lunch with one of the wealthiest people in the world, Warren Buffett.

Its money-back guarantee has ensured a trusted marketplace for millions of consumers, and some purchases come with even more guarantees. For instance, buying a car on eBay automatically comes with up to $100,000 in coverage in case of defects, a missing title or a car that simply never arrives.

Costco

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 81

Costco is a membership warehouse club, famous for selling everything in enormous quantities. (Try to buy just one pack of their indulgent Danish pastries, and the cashier will refuse to sell them to you unless you add a second one to your cart.)

One of the benefits of shopping online at Costco.com — someone will deliver those bulky toilet-paper towers or multi-carton packs of milk straight to your door. You can even buy gold bars and vehicles through Costco, as we explain in “15 Surprising Things for Sale at Costco.”

HP Store

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 81

Hewlett-Packard, which today goes by its initials, is known for selling computers and printers. But many people don’t know it has been around since long before the personal computer. Back in 1939, its founders worked to develop sound equipment used in movie theaters, which had only recently begun to move beyond the era of silent film.

Amazon

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 83

Amazon, the online behemoth that sells everything from pools to Proust, lost a single point in this year’s study compared with last year. But that was enough to keep it in second place for a second year.

It’s tough to beat out a company so powerful it managed to create its own annual equivalent of Black Friday, dubbing it Amazon Prime Day, but one company has managed it. And we’re not kitten around. (That’s a hint about the top dog.)

Chewy

American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 84

Topping the 2024 American Customer Satisfaction Index is Chewy, the online pet-food and pet-product website. Chewy is top dog among online retailers for a second year in a row.

Chewy offers customers 24/7 access to pet experts who can advise them on everything from the best grain-free foods to sensitive-skin issues. And the company earns praise for showing compassion to customers who lose a pet, sending cards, flowers and even portraits of the departed pet.