Dive Brief:
- Best Buy’s customer experience investments are paying off as the company's net promoter score climbed and sales stayed in the green for a second consecutive quarter, executives said on a Q3 2026 earnings call Tuesday.
- Among brick-and-mortar locations, customer experience ratings for product availability, store appearance and associate availability all improved year-over-year, according to Best Buy’s 5 Star surveys.
- The retailer’s overall relationship NPS grew year over year, “reflecting improved customer perception on all relationship attributes with the largest gain in ‘meeting my tech needs’ for the second straight quarter,” CEO Corrie Barry said.
Dive Insight:
Best Buy’s first strategic priority for fiscal year 2026 was to drive omnichannel experiences that resonate with customers. Those investments translated to revenue growth across this quarter and last quarter.
The electronics retailer reported revenue of $9.7 billion, up 2.4% year over year, according to an earnings report. Comparable sales growth of 2.7%, driven by both stores and online assets, was better than expected, Barry said.
High online traffic and increased adoption of Best Buy’s app drove online sales for the fourth consecutive quarter, Barry said. App usage in turn feeds into better personalization.
“Usage of our app is growing every quarter, which helps us recognize more customers as they shop with us and gives us the opportunity to provide better personalization and product recommendations,” she said.
In customer support, Best Buy is leveraging AI to provide customers with more self-service options. It drove a 17% decline in the number of customer contacts in the third quarter while CX scores still improved.
Stores continue to be “incredibly crucial assets” that provide differentiated experiences, and the business is continuing to refresh brick-and-mortar locations, Barry said.
"That will continue as we think into next year as we continue to refresh and make sure that we feel like our store updates reflect those great immersive experiences in places like AR and gaming and TVs, small appliances,” Barry said.
Employees are a key part of the in-store experience, and Best Buy vendors are increasing their investment in specialized labor programs so staff can provide expertise on products.
“As always, we have a relentless focus on the employee experience and being the best place to work, which is driving engagement, historically low turnover and healthy applicant pools,” Barry said. “This, in turn, allows us to provide our customers the expert service that Best Buy is known for across stores, online and in homes.”
