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Ralph Lauren Tops Interior Paint Survey; Overall Ratings Rise

Friday, June 12, 2009

Ralph Lauren Paints ranks highest in satisfying customers with interior paint, improving considerably from 2008, according to the new J.D. Power and Associates 2009 Interior Paint Satisfaction Study. Benjamin Moore Paints and Porter Paints tied for second in the rankings, and overall customer satisfaction with interior paints improved over last year, the survey found.

The study, now in its third year, measures customer satisfaction with interior paint by examining six key factors (listed in order of importance): application performance; appearance and application features; durability performance; price; design guides and instructions; and warranty/guarantee.

Ralph Lauren Paints ranked highest in customer satisfaction with interior paint, with an index score of 791 on a 1,000-point scale—52 points higher than its 2008 showing. Ralph Lauren Paints performed particularly well in four of six factors: durability performance; appearance and application features; design guides and instructions; and warranty/guarantee.

Benjamin Moore Paints and Porter Paints tied for second in the rankings, each achieving a score of 779. Benjamin Moore Paints ranked particularly well in application performance.

Overall satisfaction has increased in 2009 to 767, compared with 759 in 2008. In addition, the importance of price in overall satisfaction has declined since last year, while the importance of application performance and appearance and application features increased substantially.

The study also found that the percentage of consumers who applied paint themselves rather than hiring a contractor or handyman had increased since 2008.

“Paint manufacturers have been doing a good job of meeting the needs of customers, particularly do-it-yourselfers, by providing high-quality formulations with good coverage,” said Jim Howland, senior director of the real estate and construction practice at J.D. Power and Associates. “However, those brands that differentiate themselves from the competition also focus on making their paint easy to apply and educating customers about how to achieve the best results. In times like these, where customers are looking for the maximum value for their money, emphasizing these aspects can make for a particularly satisfying product experience.”

The study also found the following key patterns:

• Among customers who shopped for paint at a retail store, 22 percent received information from the sales staff about environmental hazards associated with painting projects, such as warnings about the presence of lead in old paint. Specialty paint stores tend to provide more information about environmental hazards than other types of paint retailers, such as general home improvement stores.

• Sales staff performance is a key driver of a positive paint shopping and purchase experience. Of particular importance are staff courtesy and knowledge of merchandise.

• Customer satisfaction with paint and the paint retailer are particularly high when the retail sales staff effectively communicates the benefits of a particular paint brand.

• Among consumers who shopped for paint and received assistance or information from retail sales staff, 40 percent received paint application advice, 31 percent received help with color selection, and 18 percent received information about environmentally friendly or “green” attributes of the paint they purchased.

The 2009 Interior Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 8,239 respondents who purchased and applied interior paint within the previous 12 months. The study was fielded between March and April 2009.
 
For more information, visit www.JDPower.com.