A survey by the Luxury Institute finds that wealthy U.S. shoppers rank Nordstrom highest among luxury retailers.

The Institute’s survey, the 2012 Luxury Consumer Experience Index, queried shoppes with incomes of $150,000 and above.

Nordstrom earned the highest overall score of 8.41 out of 10, followed by Neiman Marcus’ Bergdorf Goodman subsidiary, and Barneys New York.

Nordstrom also ranks the highest in the customer loyalty category. Ninety-six percent of high-income shoppers plan to shop at Nordstrom again, while 94 percent recommend Nordstrom to others.

“Retailers, especially in luxury, are selling experiences to customers more than they are selling any particular good,” Luxury Institute CEO Milton Pedraza said in a statement. “In the case of a retailer like Nordstrom, we see that a program of continuous improvement in the customer experience can lead to higher degrees of loyalty and improved financial performance.”

JCK