SMU's Institute of Service Excellence (ISES) released the findings of its three-month study on the Customer Satisfaction Index of Singapore (CSISG) for the retail and infocommunications sectors. Between e-commerce stores and traditional retailers in the fashion apparel and department stores sub-sectors, customers gave the former group lower scores for perceived overall quality and value. Nonetheless, shoppers spent more on aggregate at and were more likely to make return visits to e-commerce sites, said ISES. ISES Executive Director Neeta Lachmandas said: “We are seeing greater consumption activities being taken online. By introducing an e-commerce sub-sector within the CSISG, we are hoping to glean insights that could help boost the competitiveness of this fast-growing retail segment.” Noting that the distinction between brick-and-mortar retailers and online retailers is blurring as more traditional retailers open online stores, Ms Lachmandas said the challenge was for businesses to integrate the physical shopping experience with the convenience of e-commerce.