October 16, 2024
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. — Lifeway Christian Resources was named to Newsweek’s Best Online Shops for the fifth year in a row. Lifeway.com ranked No. 2 in the media category (e.g., books, CDs, DVDs, software) on the list announced earlier this month.
Lifeway CEO Ben Mandrell praised the contributions of those at the organization who have contributed to the improvements of the website.
“This recognition is the result of the commitment and dedication of so many teams and individual employees at Lifeway who continue to strive to better serve churches and our customers,” Mandrell said. “Making Newsweek’s Best Online Shops list again demonstrates we are making progress toward that goal.”
He also said Lifeway is listening to customers to continue improving the site.
“Customers have shared valuable feedback about Lifeway.com which enables us to design the site to best serve them,” he said. “We will continue working to improve our website to make it as easy and efficient as possible for church leaders to find the help and ministry resources they need to be more effective in the work to which God has called them.”
To create the list and rankings, Newsweek partners with market research company Statista, which screens more than 9,500 online shops in the United States. Shops that pass the initial screening then undergo detailed testing based on 36 objective criteria. Additionally, more than 6,000 American online shoppers evaluate the stores using 10 subjective criteria. Based on the combined evaluations, online shops are assigned a score out of 10, with the highest ranking recognized as one of the Best Online Shops.
For Jamie Adams, Lifeway’s chief information technology officer, the recognition for the fifth year in a row is the culmination of the investment the organization has made in the website. “Providing an exceptional and frictionless online experience has been a big part of our strategy,” she said.
Adams pointed to the recent rollout of product and site ratings and reviews as one of the latest contributors to improvement. “Reviews from customers offer real-world experiences and often address specific concerns, making the buying process more transparent,” she said. “For Lifeway, positive reviews and high ratings build trust and credibility, attracting more customers. Negative reviews, on the other hand, provide opportunities for improvement and feedback on customer needs. This feedback loop fosters a healthier marketplace and ensures products and services continually evolve to create customer delight.”
Earlier this year, Lifeway acted on customer feedback to improve the website’s shopping cart and checkout experience. Since then, Adams said Lifeway has seen a “significant boost in customer satisfaction scores.”
She said her team continues to be humbled by this recognition. “This award is a testament to our customer-centric approach and the exceptional employees at Lifeway. I am honored to serve with teammates who have worked countless hours to execute our strategy and vision for an exceptional online experience.”
