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 — in 2023, 2024 and again this year.
The American Customer Satisfaction Index covers several retail industries, from gas stations to supermarkets, and examines how Americans feel about them.
The latest annual study is based on interviews with more than 41,000 customers, chosen randomly. 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, counting down to the surprising company that beats out Amazon, again.
Costco
American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 79
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 “16 Unconventional Costco Offerings Most Shoppers Don’t Even Know About.”
Etsy
American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 79
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.
Home Depot
American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 79
This home improvement retailer has been around since 1978 and operates more than 2,300 stores across the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
And it’s apparently in favor with customers who have a knack for all things DIY, beating out competitor Lowe’s, which earned a satisfaction index score of 76.
Kohl’s
American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 79
Kohl’s opened its first store in 1962, went public in 1992 and launched Kohls.com, its online store, in 2001. The department store has a generous return policy of 90 days on most purchases (with or without a receipt) or 120 days for items purchased with a Kohl’s card.
It also ranks among the top retailers for loyalty programs and senior discounts.
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.
Amazon
American Customer Satisfaction Index score: 83
Amazon, the online behemoth that sells everything from pools to Proust, has a score this year that’s steady compared with last year. That keeps it in second place for a third 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: 85
Topping the 2025 American Customer Satisfaction Index is Chewy, the online pet-food and pet-product website. Chewy is top dog among online retailers for a third 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.
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