Net Promoter® News: Amazon, Comcast and Apple

Written by Sarah Frazier

In this week’s Net Promoter® news the tech and retail industry are coming in strong with some big news coming out of Amazon, Comcast and Apple. We’ll look at the latest survey coming from Morgan Stanley showing Amazon making strides in apparel, Comcast’s CX evolution and Apple’s latest iPhone satisfaction survey.

Amazon’s Coming for Your Clothes

Is it dramatic to say Amazon is taking over the world? Alright, so it’s a stretch, but given the recent headlines gracing the front page of the business section, it’s not hard to see why a flair for drama may not be uncalled for. Back in June, Amazon announced their acquisition of the popular grocery chain, Whole Foods, setting off speculation of industry domination. 

Now, in the most recent Morgan Stanley State of the Apparel Industry survey, Amazon is showing another sign of domination in the apparel industry. With one of the highest rates of customer loyalty in the retail industry, at an Net Promoter Score® of 61, Amazon is quickly making strides against competitors like Target, Macy's and Nike.

In the 2017 survey, clothing sales from Amazon were up 10%, with 69% of people saying they bought clothes from Amazon in the last six months. Not only are many people buying clothes from Amazon, but they’re spending more as well, with 42% of respondents saying that they spent more on Amazon for clothes this year than they did the year prior.  

In addition, Amazon is also taking aim at subscription apparel services as well with Prime Wardrobe, looking to tackle services like Stitch Fix for on-demand delivery. While Amazon has a long way to go before complete market domination—currently claiming only 6.6% of the market—within the next five years their claim is estimated to jump to 16.2% in the apparel market share.

Comcast Tries to Right Customer Experience Blunders of the Past

At a Net Promoter Score of -9, this headline may surprise you. But it’s true: Comcast is taking a hard look at their customer experience missteps to try and correct the ship.

Over the last year, big changes have come to Comcast’s customer experience team. With a $300 million investment in a Net Promoter deployment, the customer experience team at Comcast is ramping up.

David Smith, VP of Customer Experience at Comcast, discussed how energizing those at the frontline play a big part in Comcast’s overall goal for customer experience rebranding. Efforts include monthly employee surveys that have boosted Comcast’s Employee Net Promoter Score by 20 points, and the CEO speaking to customers directly each week.

Overall Comcast hopes to serve their customers better with a three-step customer experience process which looks to serve customers faster, streamline the experience and correct mistakes if and when they happen (because they will). 

Here’s hoping that the money invested comes out on the other side for customers. 

Apple, We ❤ iPhones

In a recent survey conducted by Consulta, results show that iPhone users were the most satisfied with their smart phones, with Huawei and Samsung users following behind.

The survey was conducted for South African users, with over 1,405 respondents. A large part of the satisfaction comes from Apple’s own brand perception, which creates a draw for products such as their Macs, iPods and more. Our original research shows that Apple’s current iPhone Net Promoter Score stands at 55, which is 11 points higher than the industry average for other mobile phones. Apple’s overall Net Promoter Score is 67, largely ahead of the competition.

Beyond the brand recognition, Apple’s in-store customer experience also plays a large part in keeping customers coming back. Apple stores have boomed around the United States due in large part to the employee training on-site. Cvetilena Gocheva discusses the “A-P-P-L-E” approach to in-store customer experience in her article in greater depth, but can be summarized as so:

A: Approach customers with a personalized, warm welcome

P: Probe politely to understand the customer’s needs

P: Present a solution for the customer to take home today

L: Listen for and resolve issues or concerns

E: End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return 

Who wouldn’t want to buy a cellphone with that kind of welcome?

Honorable Mentions

In addition to the Net Promoter news coming out of Amazon, Comcast and Apple, a number of other big name brands gained some Net Promoter Score ground this week. Check out the new scores added to our NPS Benchmarks research from Target to Morgan Stanley:

• UBS - 74
• Fidelity Investment - 70
• Morgan Stanley - 69
• Jeep - 59
• BoA - 59
• Virgin Money - 40
• Target Corp - 28
• TSB Bank - 24

You’re Invited to Monetize! 2018

This spring, join the retention revolution for Monetize! 2018. Set in the backdrop of Boston’s Back Bay, this two-day conference (May 10-11) brings together Net Promoter® professionals, CX experts and customer-centric companies looking to turn their customer experience programs into revenue-generating assets.

This year's event is housed in the Lenox Hotel, built in 1900, near the cultural epicenter of Back Bay Boston: 

• Stone throw's away from the historic Boston Public Library
• Short walk to the swan boats at the Boston Commons and sail boats on the Charles River
• Hop, skip and a jump to Copley Square, Trinity Church, and the famous Newbury Street shopping scene

You can expect all the key events from our previous summits—and so much more. See all the highlights from last year's event in Amsterdam here. 

Early early bird pricing is currently available. Learn more and reserve your team’s tickets now by clicking below.