J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Application and Retail Staff Are the Most Important Drivers of Customer Satisfaction among Paint Customers

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 16, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Application drives customer satisfaction with paint brands, while availability and courtesy of staff drives customer satisfaction with paint retailers, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2013 U.S. Interior Paint Satisfaction Study^SM released today.

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The study measures customer satisfaction with both interior paint brands and the retailers where the paint was purchased. Satisfaction with paint brands is based on evaluations from customers who purchased and applied interior paint during the past year, and is measured in six key factors of the painting experience: application, product offerings, durability, price, design guides and warranty/guarantee. Satisfaction with retailers is measured across five key factors of the paint shopping and purchasing experience: facility, selection, staff, services provided and sales/promotions.

Application continues to be the most important driver of satisfaction with paint brands at 25 percent. Satisfaction with retailers is driven primarily by store staff (27%).

"With 83 percent of customers reporting applying the paint themselves, it is not surprising that customers are more likely to be satisfied and achieve their desired results when they are able to talk to a professional about their painting project and get the advice they need," said Christina Cooley, director of the home improvement industries practice at J.D. Power and Associates.  "The challenge for retailers is to make sure they have the staff available and support their associates with training to help their customers be successful in their projects."

Interior Paint Brand Satisfaction Rankings
Overall customer satisfaction with interior paint brands averages 779 (on a 1,000-point scale) in 2013, an increase of 3 points from 2012. Benjamin Moore ranks highest for a third consecutive year, with a score of 800, which is a 10-point increase from 2012. Benjamin Moore performs particularly well in four of the six factors: application, durability, product offerings and design guides.

Following Benjamin Moore in the paint brand rankings is Sherwin-Williams (790), achieving the highest score in warranty guarantee, and BEHR (788), achieving the highest score in price.

Interior Paint Retailer Satisfaction Rankings
Sherwin-Williams ranks highest among paint retailers with a score of 820 and performs particularly well in three of the five factors: services provided, staff and selection. Following Sherwin-Williams in the rankings are Ace Hardware (801), achieving the highest score for facility, and Menards (786), which achieves the highest score in sales/promotions. The overall customer satisfaction average with interior paint retailers is 782.

J.D. Power and Associates offers the following recommendations to customers when purchasing interior paint:

• Do your homework before visiting a retailer. There are a number of resources online from retailers, paint brands and independent third-party sites that can help you prepare for your project in the most time-saving and cost-efficient manner.
• In addition to retail and industry professionals, turn to family and friends for recommendations and advice.
• Since some retailers only carry exclusive paint brands, shop around and research different retailers and brands to make sure you get the best combination of paint brand and retailer to help you achieve the results you want.

The 2013 U.S. Interior Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from more than 6,800 customers who purchased and applied interior paint within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded in January and February 2013.

About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services company providing performance improvement, social media and customer satisfaction insights and solutions.  The company's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies
The McGraw-Hill Companies, to be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval), is a powerhouse in credit ratings, benchmarks and analytics for the global capital and commodity markets. Leading brands include: Standard & Poor's Ratings Services, S&P Capital IQ, S&P Dow Jones Indices, Platts, CRISIL, J.D. Power and Associates, McGraw-Hill Construction and Aviation Week. The Company has approximately 17,000 employees in 27 countries. Additional information is available at www.mcgraw-hill.com.

J.D. Power and Associates Media Relations Contacts:
Jeff Perlman; Brandware Public Relations; Woodland Hills, Calif.; (818) 598-1115; [email protected]

Syvetril Perryman; Westlake Village, Calif.; (805) 418-8103; [email protected]

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. www.jdpower.com/corporate

SOURCE J.D. Power and Associates