OC&C Announces Results of Survey Ranking Largest U.S. Retailers

NEW YORK, Oct. 4 /PRNewswire/ -- OC&C Strategy Consultants, a global strategy consulting firm, announced today the results of its 2010 consumer survey of leading U.S. retailers. The study, the OC&C Proposition Strength Index (the "Index"), surveyed over 2,700 U.S. consumers in an effort to understand consumer sentiment toward 50 of the country's leading retailers.

The Index rates how consumers view core elements of a retailer's value proposition – such as Value for Money, Customer Service, Product Selection and Product Quality. The results will likely provide a preview on how these companies will fare as the U.S. enters the holiday shopping season and retailers continue to find themselves in intense competition for consumers' limited discretionary spending.  

The Index found that the top-five U.S. retailers as rated by consumers are:

1. Amazon.com
2. Barnes & Noble
3. Costco
4. Lowe's
5. Apple Store

Online retailer Amazon.com ranked first in the Index overall and dominated most of the proposition dimensions rated by each consumer. Amazon scored number one in the following categories:  Product Breadth, "Products That Are Suited To Me," Value for Money, and Trust. In all other categories relevant to non-fashion online retail, namely Price, Product Quality and Service, Amazon placed in the top three.  

While Amazon topped the overall survey, other retailers emerged stronger in specific areas. For example, the Apple Store placed first for Product Quality, Service and Store Look & Feel – indicating that current customers recognize and appreciate Apple's unique approach to brick and mortar retailing. In terms of price perception, Dollar Tree ranked first in the category of Low Price, edging out the country's largest discount retailer, Walmart.

"The economy has had varying degrees of impact on the top performers in our survey," said Keri Aivazis, partner, OC&C Strategy Consultants. "Broadly speaking, the retailers at the top of our Index maintain a strong competitive position and are poised to reap the benefits as discretionary spending behaviors return. For example, Amazon's dominant position in our Index is consistent with its growth through the recent economic crisis. Amazon is reaping the benefits of a loyal and growing customer base which now turns to the retailer more frequently and for a diverse set of purchases."

Other findings from the 2010 OC&C Proposition Strength Index include:

OC&C's Proposition Strength Index was formed from surveys of more than 2,700 U.S. consumers. The Index results were based on responses from consumers who had all visited or bought from the retailers they rated in the past three months. For each retailer, participants gave an overall rating from one to five stars, and then gave star ratings for different core elements of the retailer's proposition including Value for Money, Customer Service, Trust, Product Selection and Product Quality. This five-star scoring was then turned into an index of between 0-100 to give each retailer its combined scores.

A presentation containing a more detailed overview of the data and survey methodology is available by emailing [email protected].

About OC&C

Founded in 1987, OC&C is a leading global strategy consulting firm that brings clear thinking to the most complex issues facing today's management teams. With 13 offices across 9 countries, OC&C's client roster includes some of the world's most respected companies throughout the retail, consumer goods, media, industrial, private equity, financial and business services sectors. Please visit www.occstrategy.com for more information.  

SOURCE OC&C Strategy Consultants