B2C e‐commerce web site quality: an empirical examination

TLDR

The study aims to identify what constitutes web site quality and proposes guidelines for effective web interface design. The authors examined and integrated four IS success model factors—system, information, service quality, and attractiveness—using a questionnaire survey and developed a TAM‑based framework linking web site quality to perceived usefulness, ease of use, attitudes, and revisit intentions. The study developed and empirically validated a set of web site quality instruments, providing a framework and practical guidelines for e‑commerce managers and designers. The findings are limited to a student sample browsing book sites, and future research should collect data from diverse B2C domains such as music, computers, travel, clothing, and flowers.

Abstract

Purpose To identify what constitutes web site quality or what makes a web site effective. Design/methodology/approach This article examines and integrates four sets of factors that capture e‐commerce web site quality using an IS success model: system quality, information quality, service quality, and attractiveness. A questionnaire survey was conducted to verify the measures of web site quality. Based on TAM, a framework is also developed relating web site quality to customers' beliefs (perceived usefulness and ease of use), attitudes (preferences for the site), and intentions (to revisit the site). Findings A set of instruments of web site quality has been developed and empirically validated by factor analysis. Research limitations/implications The research is based on a sample of students browsing several book web sites and they may not sense the web site quality across different B2C commercial web sites such as music, computer, travel, clothes and flowers. Data in these domains should be collected in any future research to examine further the measures developed here. Practical implications Guidelines for web interface design are proposed. Originality/value This paper fulfils the identification of web site quality and the development and validation of its measures and offers a framework and practical guidelines for e‐commerce managers and web designers.