Comparing the Three Major Department Stores: "Hyundai Department Store Ranks First in Consumer Satisfaction"

Hyundai Department Store Ranks First in Overall Satisfaction Among Top Three Department Stores
"Brand and Product Diversity" Considered Most Important When Using Department Stores
Many Consumer Complaints About Parking and Convenience Facilities

According to a survey on consumer satisfaction with the three major department stores, Hyundai Department Store ranked first in overall satisfaction.

On September 19, the Korea Consumer Agency, in collaboration with the Consumer Public Interest Network, announced the results of an online survey conducted with 1,500 consumers who had purchased products at department stores within the past year. The average overall satisfaction score for the three department store companies was 3.81 out of 5. By company, Hyundai Department Store received the highest score at 3.85, followed by Shinsegae Department Store at 3.83, and Lotte Department Store at 3.75.

In terms of service usage, satisfaction with "facilities and environment," such as the exterior of the store and the cleanliness of the interior, was the highest at 4.12 points. In contrast, "customer empathy," including personalized services, was relatively lower at 3.81 points.

Among the core services, "brand and product satisfaction" scored the highest at 4 points. On the other hand, satisfaction with "price" and "parking" were relatively lower, at 3.66 and 3.77 points, respectively. For brand and product satisfaction, Shinsegae Department Store scored 4 points, while for auxiliary facilities such as food and beverage outlets and cultural or experiential programs, Hyundai Department Store had a high satisfaction score of 3.91.

The most important factor consumers consider when using department stores was "brand and product diversity" (40.2%). This was followed by "store accessibility" (23%) and "various benefits" (12.8%).

More consumers viewed "brand and product diversity" as important for Shinsegae Department Store, "store accessibility" for Lotte Department Store, and "excellence in staff response and service quality" for Hyundai Department Store.

The category with the highest average spending during department store visits was "home appliances and furniture," at 1,316,000 won. This was followed by "luxury brand clothing and accessories" (1,181,000 won), "non-luxury brand clothing and accessories" (446,000 won), and "food hall products" (174,000 won).

It was found that 24.9% (374 people) of department store users had experienced dissatisfaction or damage. Among them, complaints about "inconvenience in using parking and convenience facilities" were the most common, accounting for 52.4% (196 people). For specialized stores and pop-up stores, complaints about "congestion and inconvenience in movement routes" reached 42.8% (160 people).

Based on these survey results, the Korea Consumer Agency plans to request that the businesses improve their services by securing more parking and rest areas and strengthening location guidance, as well as by separating movement routes within stores.