Qualifying for an Award

Bizrate Insights recognizes retailers in its network through the Circle of Excellence Award designation. It’s based entirely on verified customer feedback collected through Bizrate Insights surveys. There is no application, entry fee, or self-nomination. Bizrate Insights calculates the results from the ratings your customers submit, which is why we say retailers earn these awards.

What is the Circle of Excellence Award (COE)

Awarded annually since 2000, the Circle of Excellence honors retailers in the Bizrate Insights network that delivered exceptional customer experiences over the previous calendar year, as rated by their own verified customers. Of all the retailers in the network, only a small group qualifies each year, making it a meaningful trust signal for shoppers.

The award period

The award is based on customer feedback collected from January 1 through December 31 of the award year. Winners are announced the following spring.

How qualification works

To be considered, a retailer must continuously collect verified customer feedback through Bizrate Insights surveys during the award period and earn satisfaction scores that are statistically significantly higher than the Bizrate Insights North American Retail Network average across all eight key satisfaction indicators.

The eight indicators span the full purchase journey and come directly from the two parts of the Online Buyer Survey:

Point-of-Sale (immediately after purchase):

• Overall Satisfaction
• Product Selection
• Ease of Finding
• Checkout Satisfaction

Post-Order Fulfillment (after order receipt):

• Likelihood to Buy Again (Repurchase Intent)
• Product Met Expectations
• On-Time Delivery
• Customer Support and Satisfaction

Because the indicators cover both the on-site experience and the fulfillment experience, retailers running only the Point-of-Sale portion of the Online Buyer Survey will not have the post-delivery data needed to qualify. Collecting feedback across both survey parts throughout the full year is essential.

Platinum status

Platinum is the highest distinction within the Circle of Excellence. To achieve it, a retailer must first meet the standard winner criteria and earn a score of 9.2 or higher (out of 10) in every one of the eight satisfaction categories.

What winners receive

Circle of Excellence winners can promote their achievement across their site and marketing channels. Recognition includes:

• Award badge code for your website (footer, navigation, cart, and checkout placements are common). The badge links to your BizrateSurveys.com store ratings page so shoppers can verify the award and read your reviews. The code is dynamically generated, so it updates automatically if you win in future years.
• A marketing kit with high-resolution award graphics and usage guidelines (separate kits are provided for standard and Platinum winners).
• Recognition on your BizrateSurveys.com store ratings page, where the award appears alongside your customer satisfaction ratings and reviews.

Implementation details for the badge code — including where to find your Merchant ID (MID) and Review Key — are covered in the Circle of Excellence documentation page.

Putting yourself in position to qualify

There is nothing to apply for — qualification comes down to consistently collecting verified feedback and delivering experiences your customers rate highly. Practical steps:

1. Run both parts of the Online Buyer Survey. The satisfaction indicators span point-of-sale and post-fulfillment, so you need feedback from both stages of the journey.
2. Collect continuously across the full award period. Awards are based on the entire calendar year, not a snapshot. Gaps in collection reduce your data and can affect eligibility.
3. Act on what customers tell you. The indicators reward the fundamentals: accurate delivery estimates, a smooth checkout, products that match their descriptions, and responsive customer support. Use VitalSigns to monitor your scores against network benchmarks throughout the year and address friction before it accumulates.
4. Watch your weakest indicator. Qualification requires above-average performance across all eight categories, so a single lagging metric — often on-time delivery or customer support — can keep an otherwise strong retailer out of contention.