Abercrombie & Fitch chairman reveals a disturbing 'reality check' that is spurring major change at the company

Abercrombie & Fitch is in the midst of a turnaround.

According to the American Consumer Satisfaction Index, the retailer got the lowest score out of all specialty retailers. Fortune went so far to call it America's "most hated retailer."

But the brand is trying to changing all of that.

Though Chairman Arthur Martinez told Business Insider that the survey was a light bulb moment for the retailer.

"It it was a reality check for us that we have a long way to go to really elevate the experience to be best in class," Martinez said.

That said, "the score we got was not a surprise to us," he said, emphasizing how Abercrombie & Fitch has been focusing on a need to improve shoppers' experiences.

Perhaps most notably, the brand switched up its products to be more on-trend. The stores were previously full of loud logos and graphic t-shirts.

It also nixed its infamous carnal advertising campaigns for tamer marketing schemes.

The retailer recently reported earnings that show some promise. Though sales for Abercrombie & Fitch are still down, they've improved. The parent company reported its first quarter of positive overall comparable sales (up 1%) since the third quarter in 2012.

Martinez is confident that the retailer's changes will pay off, as he promised that "when that survey is done again, we'll be much further up the charts."