Rising Prices to Blame for Decreased Customer Satisfaction

ANN ARBOR, Mich.Customer satisfaction has slipped in the food manufacturers department for the first time in three years but has stayed high and stable for products such as soft drinks and beer, according to the American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI).  

Rising prices are partly to blame as customer satisfaction with food manufacturers falls 2.4% to an ACSI score of 81 on a 0-100 scale. Smaller manufacturers and store brands are down 2% to 80, holding the biggest losses.

For the first time in more than a decade, Heinz (-2%), a constant leader, shares the top spot with General Mills who has increased 5% and Quaker, up 1%. Kraft has shown the most improvement increasing 6% and 86 points and surpassing Campbell Soup (84) and ConAgra (83). Hershey inches up increasing 1% to 86 and beating out Mars and Nestle, who ranks at No. 5 for most loved companies.

Soft drinks stay stable at 84. Soda consumption continues to decline as more consumers are turning to energy drinks, tea and bottled water. Although Dr Pepper Snapple dipped 1%, it beat out Coca-Cola and PepsiCo, however, PepsiCo was the only soft drink producer to improve customer satisfaction, breaking the three-year tie with Coca-Cola, moving up to 85 and leaving Coca-Cola at 84.

 While soda consumption isnt likely to evaporate, soft drink manufacturers are certainly on the right track adding healthier beverages like sport drinks and bottled water to their brands," says ACSI Director David VanAmburg. If soft drink makers are going to continue to enjoy high levels of customer satisfaction, it will be critical that they adapt to changing consumer preferences. In the bottled water segment, Coca-Colas Dasani and PepsiCos Aquafina brands already dominate the US market."

Beer breweries stay at a flat score of 81, with very little differentiation between the largest brands. MillerCoors improves slightly (+1% to 82), taking the lead over Anheuser-Busch InBev (81).