Big ticket web shoppers prefer Nordstrom.com and SaksFifthAve.com

Affluent shoppers are extremely brand conscious when shopping online and give the highest marks for site performance and design to Nordstrom.com and SaksFifthAve.com.

In a recent survey from The Luxury Institute, 93% of individuals worth $10 million or more said that they purchased a luxury product over the Internet in the past 12 months. The survey from The Luxury Institute, a ratings and research institution that tracks high net worth consumers, also rated Nordstrom.com, No. 40 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide to Retail Web Sites, as the top luxury retail site based on the usefulness of content, the ease of navigation, the overall look and feel and trust in safeguarding personal information.

"Nordstrom`s web site is the clear winner in 2006," says Milton F. Pedraza, CEO of The Luxury Institute. "Wealthy responders cite the excellent customer service and ease of use. They say the site is intuitive, well-organized and has great products."

The survey, which is based on responses from a nationally representative sample of 1,611 wealthy consumers, rated SaksFifthAvenue.com, No. 54 in the Internet Retailer Top 500 Guide to Retail Web Sites, as the luxury goods site providing the best purchasing experience. “The web site ranks first for easily tracking product shipments, receiving an e-mail order confirmation, having a shopping cart that is easy to use, and products arriving as ordered,” says Pedraza. “Nordstrom`s web site ranks second overall on the e-commerce index and first for comfort providing credit card information, ease of returning products, and likelihood of repeat purchases.”

For its survey The Luxury Institute collected additional feedback on other high end retail brands, including Bloomingdales.com, BrooksBrothers.com and NeimanMarcus.com. The survey participants have an average household income of $298,000 and an average net worth of $2.9 million, says The Luxury Institute.