L.L.Bean bests Amazon in...

For the third straight year, L.L.Bean has beat out Amazon in a customer service ranking.



The outdoor outfitter came out on top in Prosper Insights & Analytics’ annual review of service excellence among retailers, with Amazon a close second. Rounding out the top five; Lands’ End, Fingerhut, and Kohl’s.



"While Amazon has dominated retail headlines lately, our latest list of Champions proves that competitors can still connect with consumers on factors other than price,” said Pam Goodfellow, Prosper’s principal analyst and author of the report. “L.L.Bean’s customer-centric philosophy certainly resonates with shoppers, earning the outdoor outfitter a rare retail bragging right: a first place finish over Amazon.”



The 2016 Customer Service Champions ranking was developed from write-in votes from consumers, and weighted by each retailer’s relative size in annual revenues as well as its fan base.



Others joining this year’s list of 25 retailers include department stores (J.C. Penney, Nordstrom) big-box stores (Best Buy, Lowe’s), supermarkets (Publix, Wegmans), discounters (Target, Walmart), and a warehouse club (Costco).