High customer expectations can never be brushed away, especially when it comes to paint brands and paint retailers. According to the J.D. Power 2024 U.S. Paint Satisfaction Study, when it comes to purchasing paint, it serves shoppers well to do their research beforehand to ensure an understanding of what they want and need—and then engage a retailer to get advice and recommendations. Then, it’s up to the paint brand and paint retailer to deliver on those expectations by establishing trust throughout the shopping and purchase process.
For example, if a sales associate provided very helpful suggestions, trust satisfaction is 791 (on a 1,000-point scale) vs. 616 when suggestions are not completely helpful. Even as the customer heads out the door, if they are thanked by the sales associate, trust scores are 770 vs. 596 if they were not thanked.
“Listening to the customer and providing relevant product information makes a difference,” said Michael Taylor, senior managing director of retail intelligence practice at J.D. Power. “Explaining product benefits and features, keeping the store clean, having supplies at the ready, providing suggestions and interacting in a positive way with customers goes a long way for both the product itself and the retailer.”
Study Rankings
Sherwin-Williams ranks highest in the interior paint segment with a score of 726. BEHR (723) ranks second and Benjamin Moore (717) ranks third.
Benjamin Moore ranks highest in the exterior paint segment with a score of 739. BEHR (725) ranks second. The segment average is 713.
Cabot and Rust-Oleum rank highest in a tie in the exterior stain segment each with a score of 716, Benjamin Moore (710) ranks third.
Sherwin-Williams Paint Store ranks highest in the paint retailer segment with a score of 720. Ace Hardware (717) ranks second and Benjamin Moore independent retailer (715) ranks third.
The 2024 U.S. Paint Satisfaction Study is based on responses from 6,892 customers who purchased and applied interior paint, exterior paint and/or exterior stain in the past 12 months. The study was fielded from January 2024 through February 2024.
