ANN ARBOR–It’s been a banner year for the household appliances industry.
Customer satisfaction for washers, dryers, dishwashers, refrigerators, ovens, and microwaves surged 3% to a score of 81 (out of 100) in the just-released American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Household Appliance and Electronics Study 2022-2023.
“The appliance industry has come out of its COVID-induced satisfaction slump and now sits atop the Index overall, tied with four other industries, including televisions,” says Forrest Morgeson, associate professor of marketing at Michigan State University and director of research emeritus at the ACSI. “While the easing of global supply chain problems helped to propel customer satisfaction this year, long-term improvement will depend on manufacturers’ ability to enhance customer service and provide a customer experience that goes beyond the nuts and bolts of the products themselves.”
Among other manufacturing and durable goods industries measured by the ACSI, televisions climbed 1%, matching appliances at 81, while personal computers—including desktops, laptops, and tablets—improved 1% to 80.
Three-way battle for appliances supremacy
Household appliances enjoyed nearly industrywide customer satisfaction improvements.
Haier and Whirlpool both moved up 4% to share the top ranking with LG (up 1%) at 82. Haier’s sales have been soaring lately, and it’s now the world’s largest manufacturer of home appliances. Meanwhile, after two straight years of ACSI gains, Whirlpool secured top marks for durability and product quality.
Samsung, up 3%, came in just below the three leaders with a score of 81, and Bosch made the industry’s biggest leap, soaring 7% to 80.
The group of smaller appliance makers was stable at 79, just ahead of last place Electrolux—the only appliance manufacturer to slip—falling 1% to 78.
In terms of appliance types, Whirlpool reigned supreme for dryers (85) and dishwashers (83). Samsung secured the top spot among microwave (85) and oven (85) users, while LG led the way for washers (85) and tied Haier for the highest customer satisfaction score for refrigerators at 82.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government continues to urge manufacturers to improve the efficiency of all household appliances, with the Department of Energy releasing a series of proposals for updated regulations and stricter standards to cut water and energy use. This year’s study shows that manufacturers’ investment into features that will ultimately help the planet are paying off.
Over the past year, the appliance industry has improved performance for energy or water efficiency by 9% from 75 in 2022 to 82 in 2023. This year, Haier, LG, Samsung, and Whirlpool are leading the way with the highest marks.
“The good news for the industry is that ACSI data show that newer models with enhanced technology are helping boost customer ratings in key areas like energy and water efficiency,” Morgeson said. “The expansion of smart technology may also have a positive impact on the industry, which could drive satisfaction even higher if privacy concerns are addressed.”
LG leaps to the top of the TV hierarchy
LG climbed 4% to the top spot among television manufacturers with an ACSI score of 83. The brand ranks at or near the top for most customer experience benchmarks, including durability, internal configurations, exterior design, and warranty.
The gap between the highest and lowest brands is shrinking (from 6 points in 2022 to 3 points in 2023), as is the gap in quality between “high-end” and “budget” brands — which is leading to the growing popularity of more affordable TVs.
Hisense is a good example of the payoff of balancing quality and affordability: The brand improved its ACSI score 4% to 82, placing it in a three-way tie for second place with Samsung (down 1%) and TCL (up 3%). After boosting production, Hisense now ranks second—only behind Samsung—in number of TVs shipped and secured top marks for service experience, mobile app, website, and call center touchpoints.
Sony, meanwhile, improved 3% to reach the industry average of 81. The group of other TV makers (up 1%) and Vizio (up 4%) tied for last place at 80.
Samsung catches Apple in the PC industry
Samsung surgedd 2%, tying Apple (up 1%) with an ACSI score of 83. This is the first time since 2003 that Apple hasn’t been in sole possession of first place. Samsung’s strong overall performance is boosted by surging customer satisfaction with its tablet offerings (Galaxy Tab). While tablet satisfaction at the aggregate level falls this year, Samsung improved 6% to a score of 85.
On the other end of the spectrum, Acer, Amazon, Asus, and Lenovo (each down 1%) met the group of smaller PC makers at 78.
As for device types, desktop computers increased their lead after improving 5% to an ACSI score of 84. Laptops were up 1% to 80, while tablets slid 4% to 76. Desktops, which ACSI data show appeal particularly to an older demographic, garnered by far the most satisfaction and loyalty from users.
The ACSI Household Appliance and Electronics Study 2022-2023 is based on interviews with 14,069 customers, chosen at random and contacted via email between July 2022 and June 2023. Follow the ACSI on LinkedIn and Twitter at @theACSI.
The Ann Arbor-based American Customer Satisfaction Index measures and analyzes customer satisfaction with more than 400 companies in over 40 industries and 10 economic sectors, including various services of federal and local government agencies. Reported on a scale of 0 to 100, scores are based on data from interviews with roughly 500,000 customers annually. For more information, visit www.theacsi.org.