An integrative approach to the assessment of e-commerce quality

TLDR

WebQual is an iterative, multi‑domain method that assesses e‑commerce site quality by integrating usability, information quality, and service interaction, and translates subjective user impressions into quantitative metrics such as the WebQual Index. This study applies a new version of WebQual to Amazon, BOL, and the Internet Bookshop to evaluate its effectiveness in assessing e‑commerce capability. The authors validate WebQual’s reliability and identify core quality constructs through factor analysis.

Abstract

WebQual is a method for assessing the quality of Web sites. The method has been developed iteratively through application in various domains, including Internet bookstores and Internet auction sites. In this paper we report on the application of a new version of WebQual to Internet bookstores: Amazon, BOL, and the Internet Bookshop. WebQual draws on previous work in three areas: Web site usability, information quality, and service interaction quality to provide a rounded framework for assessing e-commerce offerings. Although WebQual is grounded in the subjective impressions of Web site users, the data collected lends itself to quantitative analysis and the production of e-commerce metrics such as the WebQual Index. The reliability of the instrument is examined and core constructs of Web site quality identified using factor analysis. The role of WebQual in assessing an organization’s e-commerce capability is discussed.