J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Consumers Value Specialized Service above Price When Making High-End Electronics Purchases.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif. -- Tweeter Home Electronics Ranks Highest in Customer Satisfaction with Electronics Retailers

As consumers flock to electronics retailers this holiday season, many will be looking for specialized service from salespeople rather than just the lowest price, particularly when making high-end electronics purchases, according to the J.D. Power and Associates 2004 Electronics Retailer Satisfaction Study(SM) released today.

The study, which measures customer satisfaction with electronics retailers based on responses from more than 9,600 recent purchasers of digital cameras and high-end televisions, is based on four factors that define the customer experience. In order of importance, they are: sales personnel, store services, store environment and store merchandise.

The inaugural study finds that consumers buying high-end electronics seek more information about the products and technology from the retailer rather than relying mainly on their own research. While price is important, many consumers are willing to pay more for these products if they also receive the one-on-one service necessary when buying technologically advanced products. This orientation is found at specialty electronics retailers.

"Especially when consumers are making what they consider to be high-risk, high-involvement purchases like digital cameras and televisions, the extra service provided by a trained, experienced sales force to help make an informed decision is the key driver in closing the deal," said Ron Conlin, partner at J.D. Power and Associates. "For this reason, specialty stores tend to outperform `big box' retailers in satisfying customers with the purchase experience, which can give them an edge during the highly competitive holiday season."

Among the nation's largest electronics retailers, Tweeter Home Entertainment, which focuses on selling mid- to high-end products with personal customer attention, ranks highest in customer satisfaction. Tweeter receives high ratings from customers in all measures of satisfaction.

Tweeter is followed in the rankings by another specialty retailer, Ultimate Electronics. Among big box retailers, Sears, Circuit City and Best Buy also perform above the industry average.

"Big box retailers work if customers know exactly what they want," said Conlin. "However, in order to cater to the large percentage of customers who are seeking more product information, some large retailers are already trying to duplicate the look and feel of specialty stores by developing sub-branded living room-type additions that focus on more personalized service."

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. Media e-mail contact: [e-mail] or [e-mail]

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