ForeSee Shares Initial Key Findings in Report Highlighting Customer Experience Among Top Retailers During the Holidays

ANN ARBOR, MI--(Marketwired - Nov 19, 2015) - ForeSee, the leader in Voice of Customer (VOC) solutions that help companies better understand and engage with their customers, today announced the initial findings of the ForeSee Experience Index 2015 (FXI). The index, which is based on more than 20,000 consumer surveys gathered for the top 50 U.S. and 25 U.K. retailers, addresses the retail customer experience across web, mobile, and in-store over the course of the shopping season.

The FXI has been the definitive study on the current state of retail customers for more than a decade. Using ForeSee's proven methodology to measure customer satisfaction, the FXI gives deep insights into consumer trends and behavior habits. Retailers analyzed in this year's survey include Amazon.com, Apple, Best Buy, Costco, CVS, Dell, Gap, Google Play, The Home Depot, Etsy, Netflix, Neiman Marcus, Nike, Nordstrom, Target, REI, Walgreens, and Walmart, among others.

"For 11 years the world's leading retailers have looked to our FXI report to help them better understand holiday retail trends from the customer point of view," said Eric Feinberg, VP of Marketing at ForeSee and author of the report. "With over 20,000 shoppers surveyed across retail websites, mobile sites, and stores, we're excited to share new findings on the top 50 US and top 25 UK retailers, trending areas around drones and mobile payments, and general consumer experience across channels."

SOME EARLY FINDINGS FROM THE FXI 2015 REPORT

This year's FXI has added new questions to the survey to better capture trends emerging by current events, including whether or not retailers should be open on Thanksgiving Day and whether or not consumers would use drone delivery for packages if it was an available service.

A few notable findings:

• Black Friday may be making a comeback -- Initial findings show that 54% of shoppers surveyed plan to shop on Black Friday compared to 43% last year. The decision to shop on Cyber Monday also shows an upwards tick from 45% in 2014 to 50% this year.
  
  
• Small Business Saturday gains significant traction -- As more people become aware each year of this day designed by American Express in 2010 to support small and local businesses, initial report findings show it jumping from a key shopping day for 18% of shoppers in 2014 to 29% in 2015.
  
  
• Businesses opening doors on Thanksgiving Day -- Even though retailers want to spur sales during this time period, it turns out that being open on Thanksgiving is not a popular option with shoppers. A little more than half of shoppers (52%) surveyed do not think stores should be open on Thanksgiving. Sixteen-percent think stores should open but only later on in the day, while only 10% want stores to be open all day.
  
  

Responses to the same survey questions from 2014 point towards a shift in holiday shopping habits in 2015. The full survey results will also deliver additional insights around consumer's preferred method of purchase: web, mobile, or in-store.

WHAT THE FULL 2015 FXI RESULTS WILL REVEAL

• New insights on the growth of mobile payments
• A reevaluation of Amazon's customer satisfaction since its significant drop last year
• A ranking of the top 50 U.S. and 25 U.K. retailers
• A look at consumers surfing the omnichannel waves without getting lost
• Insight into trends associated with consumers preferred method of purchase, whether that be through the web, mobile, or in-store purchases

Sign up today to receive the report for the ForeSee Experience Index (FXI) 2015 Retail Edition at foresee.com.

About ForeSee
Founded in 2001, ForeSee is the pioneering leader in Voice of Customer (VOC) solutions. ForeSee helps companies better engage with their customers across multiple touch points and make more informed decisions about how to grow their businesses. Powered by its patented scientific methodology, ForeSee's solutions combine cloud-based customer experience analytics software with actionable insights provided by a team of more than 100 analysts. The company has 650 customers in industries such as retail, financial services, healthcare, consumer packaged goods, and government. ForeSee, a subsidiary of Answers Corporation, is headquartered in Ann Arbor, MI and has offices in Mountain View, New York, St. Louis, Vancouver, and London. For more information, visit www.foresee.com.