The top-ranking online electronics stores continue to be dominated by Apple and other specialized sites, according to a new study by ForeSee Results. Both Apple and hobbyist computer store Newegg have tied each other for the highest satisfiaction scores in an examination of the top 100 shops in the US, each reaching the 80-point threshold ForeSee says is necessary to be considered "superior." The company doesn't provide specifics as to why these two topped the charts but notes that its rankings are based on both the actual ease of use of the site as well as the ability to find stock and get it at the right price.

For company-specific pages, the ability to convey the brand was also considered important as part of the study.

Most other companies offered significantly lower scores and averaged lower with 74 points out of 100; closest to the two top stores were HP, TigerDirect, and Dell, while the lowest scores came from generic stores such as PCConnection and PCMall, both of which rated a score of just 67. Stores from Best Buy and Sony strictly met the average score but were some of the highest-rising companies on the chart.

The statistics may help explain the success of the companies as a whole, ForeSee says. Customers of the stores who have a good initial experience at a given online store are more likely to be loyal to the company and make repeated visits.