Volume 18, Number 1 Article by Ravi Seethamraju March, 2006
Web Quality – A Study of User Perceptions :
Today, websites serve as an important contact point with stakeholders. Therefore, the quality of the web experience as reflected by its content, usability, security, appearance and service, and the effectiveness of supporting operational policies is critical. Managing the quality of web interface would have a significant impact on sales and overall customer satisfaction.
Ravi Seethamraju reports on a study in which users rated the importance of the various factors contributing to web quality. Extending the work by Aladwani and Palvia, the study validated and revised their web quality model and analysed the influence of various independent variables such as nature of products/services, past online buying experience, value of purchase and access to Internet. The study found that the factors ‘trust’ and ‘accessibility’ were the most important determinants of web quality while the factors ‘appearance’ and ‘personalisation’ were the least important. With the stabilisation of web technologies and design tools, appearance of the website was no longer considered a differentiator in attracting online sales and may just be a qualifier in conducting e-business. The features security, privacy, customer service, ease of navigation, availability and speed of page loading were ranked the most important. The respondents who bought information-based services ranked privacy as more important than those who purchased physical products. On the other hand, features such as content quality, speed of page loading and interactivity were rated more important by the consumers who bought products. Though not conclusive, the study noted that the variables online buying experience, value of purchases and gender have no differentiating influence on the perception of web quality and relative importance of various website features.
In the context of increasingly globalised e-businesses, further understanding of the role of websites in different national and cultural contexts is imperative to increase their business value.
Reprint No 06101
