Return visits: a review of how Web site design can engender visitor loyalty

Research article

Return visits: a review of how Web sitedesign can engender visitor loyaltyDianne CyrBeedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Surrey, Canada

Correspondence:Dianne Cyr, Beedie School of Business, Simon Fraser University, 250 – 13450 102nd Avenue, Surrey, BC V3T 0A3, Canada.Tel: 604.552.9504;E-mail: [email protected]

AbstractBoth the use of Web sites and the empirical knowledge as to what constitutes effective Website design has grown exponentially in recent years. The aim of the current article is to outlinethe history and key elements of Web site design in an e-commerce context – primarily in theperiod 2002–2012. It was in 2002 that a Special Issue of ISR was focused on ‘Measuringe-Commerce in Net-Enabled Organizations.’ Before this, work was conducted on Web sitedesign, but much of it was anecdotal. Systematic, empirical research and modeling of Website design to dependent variables like trust, satisfaction, and loyalty until then had not receivesubstantial focus – at least in the information systems domain. In addition to an overview ofempirical findings, this article has a practical focus on what designers must know about Website elements if they are to provide compelling user experiences, taking into account the site’slikely users. To this end, the article elaborates components of effective Web site design, usercharacteristics, and the online context that impact Web usage and acceptance, and designissues as they are relevant to diverse users including those in global markets. Web siteelements that result in positive business impact are articulated. This retrospective on Web sitedesign concludes with an overview of future research directions and current developments.Journal of Information Technology (2014) 29, 1–26. doi:10.1057/jit.2013.25;published online 21 January 2014Keywords: Web site design; user characteristics; user content; Web site localization

Why does Web site design matter?

Online vendors are increasingly concerned about how tobest attract and retain satisfied, trusting and loyalcustomers. It is important that users perceive Web sites

as appropriate, private and secure if they are to be revisited.According to Reichheld and Schefter (2000), an increase incustomer retention rates by only 5% can increase profits byanything from 25 to 95%. Further, return on investment (ROI)related to the creation of effective user experiences is substan-tial: an increase of 10% in spending can lead to an 83% gain inprofitability (Neilson, 2008). Therefore, the development ofloyal customer behavior through effective Web site design is avalued goal for Chief Information Officer (CIOs), as well as formanagers, marketers, and strategists. While this article isfocused on e-commerce Web sites, it is expected that the samedesign elements that appeal to users apply in other types ofWebsites such as those for not-for-profit organizations, news sites,or other contexts where the intent is to retain user interest andloyalty.

The number of people shopping or searching for productinformation online continues to surge. In June 2012, Internet

users were over 7 billion strong, up from 1.8 billion in 2009.These users hail from virtually every corner of the globe. Ofthese Internet users, the majority reside in Asia (44.8%),followed by Europe (21.5%), North America (11.4%), LatinAmerica/Caribbean (10.6%), Africa (7%), the Middle East(3.7%), and Oceania/Australia (1.0%). In the last 2 years,Internet growth in Asia and Africa has gone up, while growthin North America and Europe has retreated. Latin America,the Middle East, and Oceania/Australia are unchanged. Aremarkable statistic is the increase in penetration and growthin certain regions in the period from 2000 to 2012. Forinstance, in Africa the growth of Internet users is 3606.7%and in the Middle East growth is 2639.9% (Internet UsageStatistics, 2012).

According to Nielsen Online (2013), in 2012 ‘more than 85percent of the world’s online population has used the Internetto make a purchase, increasing the market for online shoppingby 40 percent in the last two years. Globally more than half ofInternet users have made at least one purchase online in thepast month.’ Historical trends also elaborate the rapid growth

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of online sales. For instance, in 2008 over 875 million con-sumers had shopped online, up 40% from 2006. AmongInternet users with Internet access using it to shop, the highestpercentage of shopping online is found in South Korea (99%),the United Kingdom (97%), Germany (97%), Japan (97%),and the United States (94%) (Multilingual Search, 2008).

On the basis of data in the Internet Retailer’s 2011 Top 500Guide, one trend is evident – Web merchants took businessaway from the rest of the market with US$194.5 billion spentonline in 2011 (Internet Retailer, 2011). Reported annual Websales increased 32.9% to $46.53 billion in 2010 from $35billion in 2009. Amazon.com leads in online growth with a41% jump in sales in 2011, increasing revenues from $34.2billion in 2010 to $48.1 billion in 2011 (Feedplatform, 2012).In comparison, according to the National Retail Federation,total retail sales grew about 3% to $2.4 trillion in 2010 from$2.33 trillion in 2009 (Internet Retailer, 2011). The 10 mostpopular items purchased online in 2012 are: airline tickets(54%), holidays (42%), books (40%), concert/theater/festivaltickets (38%), clothing (33%), electronic equipment (33%),CDs (23%), cinema tickets (23%), DVDs (21%), and musicdownloads (19%) (EzineArticles, 2013). With the tremendousgrowth of online shoppers translating into massive revenuesfor vendors, the design of effective Web sites is of significantimportance to companies in the e-commerce domain.

Although the world of e-commerce is decidedly global asindicated in the country-based statistics above, some vendorsstill have Web sites that cater to only one cultural group orlanguage. However this is changing – at least for somecompanies. The best global companies aim to offer multiplelanguages and localized Web content. Localization is theprocess of adapting a product or service to a particularlanguage, culture, and desired local ‘look and feel.’ In localiz-ing a product, in addition to language translation, details suchas currency, color sensitivities, product or service names,images, gender roles, and geographic examples are considered.On the basis of the Web Globalization Report Card (2012), topmarks go to Facebook, Google, and Cisco Systems. Facebookgarners high ratings for its multilingual social plugins,improved global gateway, and multilingual user profiles. Allthe top Web sites provide users with multiple languages – infact the average is 58 languages.

Beyond global differences, adapting to other forms of userdiversity contributes to effective Web site design. For instance,there are differences in Internet use between men and womenthat require adaptation – referred to here as ‘gender localiza-tion.’ More specifically, women have different preferences forshapes, colors, and images than men (Moss et al., 2006). Sincethe top activity for women using the Internet is shopping1, andbased on a British sample showing that overall women nowspend more time online than men (57% vs 43%)2, it wouldseem that creating Web sites in alignment with preferences ofwomen makes good business sense. Similarly, it is essential totake into account the needs of users based on age (Djamasbiet al., 2010a, 2011) or ability such as the visually impaired(Djamasbi et al., 2006). Strong collaboration is requiredbetween IT professionals, Web site designers, and the market-ing/advertising group in order to develop and design Websites that enhance the user experience. Regarding culturaladaptation, according to CIO.com (2010), ‘Localization is akey ingredient to success and, though it may seem like adaunting task for any CIO or IT professional, it’s attainable for

those who choose partners that enable seamless outreach tocustomers and demonstrate an understanding of and respectfor regional and cultural differences.’

Related to the preceding, this article is focused on how tobuild positive relationships with online consumers – with afocus on effective and impactful Web site design. To begin,some of the challenges and trends in Web site design areelaborated and a description of some of the most importantoutcomes of positive Web site design such as online trust,satisfaction, and loyalty are considered. This leads to anoverview of components of effective Web site design –detailing numerous studies by key researchers and what theydiscovered as primary dimensions of effective design. Theemergence of utilitarian vs hedonic (or affective) Web sitecharacteristics is part of this discussion. User characteristicssuch as biological sex, age, consumer characteristics (e.g.,Internet experience and innovativeness of shoppers), or visualimpairment are then elaborated. Issues concerning Web sitecontext (e.g., e-government or product types) are brieflydiscussed, and how user expectations or requirements changein these contexts. Further, since online shopping is growing sorapidly globally, attention is focused on designing for interna-tional markets and some of the challenges of Web sitelocalization. This article concludes with an overview of howWeb site design is emerging as a differentiating factor inrelatively new areas such as e-health or mobility, and offersdirections for future research in the realm of Web site design.

Challenges for Web site design

While all experiences aren’t created equally, all mustcompete for the attention of the audience and participants…. The most important aspect of any design is how it isunderstood in the minds of the audience.

Nathan Shedroff (2009)

In an e-commerce context, the vendor is in a position to createa satisfying experience for the consumer resulting in loyalcustomer behavior, in which the user returns to the Web siteto browse, or purchases from it in the future. Web site design isthe underpinning of that experience, and falls in the realm ofusability or human–computer interaction (HCI), and morespecifically in the area of experience design. While there arevarious factors to consider in Web site design, key designelements are visual design and how attractive the Web site is,navigation design and how easy the site is to search andmaneuver, and information design representing whether infor-mation is clear and available. However, there are numerouschallenges to creating an ideal online user experience – largelydue to two factors: (1) multiplicity of user goals, experiences,and contexts; and (2) complexity of the design development,and how to measure the effectiveness of implemented designs.

Designing for diverse usersTo elaborate the first point, Bloch wrote a seminal article in 1995about how to produce products that result in either a positive ornegative consumer response. In his article, Bloch develops aconceptual model that is reproduced in Figure 1. In the figure,he outlines various design goals and constraints that mayinclude achieving functional or esthetic goals, design creation inthe context of technical and cost constraints, requirements for

Return visits Dianne Cyr2

ergonomics and ‘ease of use,’ abiding by regulatory and legalrequirements, and achieving design in a context where designersoften have differing objectives. Of importance, Bloch identifiedtwo main psychological responses to product design – cognitiveand affective responses – topics that have received considerableattention in the last dozen years. In the model, these psycholo-gical responses result in either approach or avoidance outcomes.Finally, Bloch includes in the model various moderating influ-ences such as individual characteristics and preferences, situa-tional factors, and the social/cultural context – all of whichreceive current attention by researchers. Collectively, Blochprovides prescient insights that underpin ongoing topics andconsiderations of Web site design – even though the paper waswritten 18 years before this review.

In this paper, the model proposed by Bloch (1995) isapplied more specifically to Web site design. As such, it formsa sort of ‘mind map’ for the outline of key issues discussed inthe paper. That is, design characteristics and their subsequentimpact on Web site users are examined. While earlier work onWeb site design primarily focused on cognitive (or utilitarian)responses to design, more recently focus has been on affective(or hedonic) responses as elaborated in later pages. In thee-commerce literature, Web site design has the potential toimpact behavioral responses of users often related to usertrust, satisfaction, and loyalty as also elaborated in subsequentsections of this paper. Consistent with the model developed byBloch, diverse user characteristics (such as biological sex, age,ability etc.) are discussed as they influence user perceptions ofWeb sites.

Design development and measurementWith respect to the second key challenge for design – thecomplexity of design development and measurement – thischallenge began with designers in the practitioner communityand gradually became the focus of information systems

researchers. For example, in 2000 an article appeared in thepractitioner-oriented Design Management Journal titled ‘Per-formance Metrics to Measure the Value of Design’ (Paul,2000). The author, a research associate at Eastman Kodak,suggested that designers had failed to establish how to value adesign or product. He collected information from designersfor 3 years, and determined the following as impediments toeffectively measuring design characteristics: arrogance andsimply knowing what good design is; lack of a cohesive theoryfor how buyers/users are related to products; companyorganization and whether performance metrics for design arevalued; an absence of clear definitions of what constitutesdesign; an expectation that a small number of metrics can beuniversally applied; ‘formidable complexity’ resulting indiverse views of what design is, or should be; and finally aknowledge void in which ‘measurement as a discipline fallsoutside the training and experience of design practitioners’(72). It appears that the design community was concernedabout the effective measurement of design, although preciselyhow to do this had not yet been quantified.

Shortly after the preceding article appeared, in 2002 theSpecial Issue on how to measure e-commerce effectivenessappeared in the premier quality journal Information SystemsResearch. In this issue, researchers were challenged to buildtheories and test them, and further, to engage in the creationof metrics to measure ‘net-enabled’ online environments.Further, the senior editors (Straub, Hoffman, Weber, andSteinfield) outlined ‘(1) the phenomenon of net-enablementis an enduring change, probably led in the future by “bric-cum-click” firms; (2) some new and old measures need to bedifferentially applied; and (3) the papers in this special issueare not the end of metrics creation, but just the beginning.’Key topics covered included how to develop unique metricsfor the Internet, what leads to e-commerce success, and howcan metrics help online businesses generate success. Sixarticles appeared in the journal issue, two of which focused

Figure 1 Bloch’s model of consumer responses to product form (1995).


on innovation cycles and strategy. However, most relevant tothe discussion of designing effective Web sites, the remainingfour papers were focused on usability issues. Refer to Table 1for an outline of the various design metrics (both designcharacteristics and outcomes) as examined in these fourpapers.

While this list of studies and design metrics examined is byno means exhaustive, it does serve to illustrate the variety andcomplexity of constructs used to measure effective Web sitedesign. Related to the earlier article by Bloch (1995), thesemetrics also support how a user’s unique perception of theshopping environment includes both utilitarian and hedonicperspectives. It is noteworthy that roughly 10 years postpublication these four papers have received over 3000 citationson Google Scholar – indicating the wide interest of thesetopics in a variety of domains.

Another milestone related to design measurement appearedinMIS Quarterly with the publication of the article titled ‘DesignScience in Information Systems Research’ by Hevner et al.(2004), in which the call was issued to designers and researchersto more clearly design, execute, and evaluate design-focusedresearch. The authors emphasized the need to build and developinformation systems theories, and importantly the artifacts thatare the subject of the research. Relevant to the current discus-sion, a vendor Web site is a sample of such an artifact. Further,Hornbæk (2006) published a paper in the International Journalof Human-Computer Studies in which he reviewed 180 studies incoreHuman–Computer Interaction (HCI) journals and proceed-ings to determine practices that measure usability, as well as howartifacts were categorized. While the author acknowledgednumerous problems with how usability is measured – includingthe validity of objective and subjective measures – the tablesincluded in the paper provide a useful compendium of usabilitymeasures (e.g., trust, effectiveness, and user attitudes toward theinterface). Most recently, a call for papers was issued (September2012) for a Special Issue of HCI on ‘Understanding DesignThinking.’ As outlined in the call: ‘Design plays a significant rolein people’s decision about what artifacts and services they use

and how they use them. Designers must combine technicalcapabilities, user experience, esthetics, and statements aboutculture and values. Design and designers are playing largerleadership roles in many organizations, and many organizationsbelieve good design offers an important competitive advantage.’The scope for enhancing design of Web sites that leveragecompany visibility and profitability is indeed very large – and isongoing. On the basis of the proceeding, systematically under-standing user requirements and preferences, and creating andmeasuring design metrics for success are essential in thisequation.

SummaryThis section serves to underscore the complexity inherent increating effective Web sites. Over the years, both practitionersand researchers have aimed to test metrics that result in Website success. Related to the world of IS research, superiorjournals such as ISR and MISQ have challenged researchers tobuild new theories and understanding of how design operates.In turn, this research has implications for design practice. Asnoted by Bloch, Web site design is complicated by thediversity of users – including women and those from diversecultural backgrounds, among others. However, only recentlyhas research systematically begun to delve into how Web sitedesign accommodates these unique groups. Further, Web sitedesign elements are numerous. Most practitioner studies andacademic research test different design characteristics, and theoutcomes of those studies likewise vary. To date, there is noconsistent set of criteria used to measure effective Web sitedesign. This signals a need to build design theories that are co-created and tested by practitioners and academics – and whichare relevant in diverse contexts.

Outcomes of Web site designWhile there are many possible outcomes of Web site design,certain outcomes appear frequently in the literature and areempirically linked to online customer loyalty. In the following

Table 1 Design metrics (ISR 2002)

Author(s) Design characteristics Outcomes

Agarwal and Venkatesh (2002) Content (relevance, media use, depth/breath, currentinformation), ease of use (goals, structure, feedback,promotion), made for the medium (community,personalization, refinement), emotional elements (challenge,plot, character strength, pace)

Overall Web site quality

Koufaris (2002) Product involvement, Web skills, value-added searchmechanisms, challenges

Perceived control, shoppingenjoyment, concentration,perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use,unplanned purchases,intention to return

Palmer (2002) Web site download delay, navigability, content, interactivity,responsiveness

Frequency of use, satisfaction,likelihood to return

Torkzadeh and Dhillon (2002) Product choice (i.e., availability and variety of products),online payment (i.e., privacy and security of personalinformation), Internet vendor ( i.e., legitimacy andcredibility), shopping travel (i.e., time and distance),shipping errors

Vendor trust, e-commercesuccess


sections, a description of loyalty is provided, along withoutcomes that result in loyalty. Since the literature related tosuch outcomes is extensive, this is not meant to be anexhaustive or comprehensive inventory, but rather an over-view of common user reactions to Web site design – ultimatelyleading to loyal online behavior.

Web site loyaltyOnline loyalty has been described as an enduring psycholo-gical attachment by a customer to a particular online vendoror service provider (Butcher and Sparks, 2001; Andersonand Srinivasan, 2003). In online settings, ‘understandinghow or why a sense of loyalty develops in customers remainsone of the crucial management issues of our day’ (Laurn andLin, 2003: 156). Delivering value-added services, with easilyaccessible capabilities related to information design ornavigation enables online vendors to build sustaining rela-tionships with customers (Flavián et al., 2005). If onlineshoppers like the design and capabilities of a Web site thenthey are more likely to revisit the Web site (Rosen andPurinton, 2004). In electronic environments, loyalty (alsotermed e-loyalty) can refer to a virtual shopper’s intention tovisit a Web site again, or to consider purchasing from it inthe future (Koernig, 2003; Cyr et al., 2005). There is animplied ‘likelihood of a purchase decision,’ rather than arequirement for an actual purchase (Devaraj et al., 2003).

Trust and online loyaltyIn online environments, numerous researchers have endea-vored to unravel the complexities of trust (Gefen, 2000;Jarvenpaa et al., 2000; Bhattacherjee, 2002; Yoon, 2002; Chenand Dhillon, 2003; Gefen et al., 2003; Komiak and Benbasat,2004; Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Rattanawicha andEsichaikul, 2005; Wang and Benbasat, 2005; Cheung and Lee,2006; Everard and Galletta, 2006).3 Online trust relates toconsumer confidence in a Web site and willingness to rely onthe vendor in conditions where the consumer may be vulner-able to the seller (Jarvenpaa et al., 1999). Corritore et al. (2003:740) provided a definition of online trust that includescognitive and emotional elements, with trust encompassing‘an attitude of confident expectation in an online situation; orthat one’s vulnerabilities will not be exploited.’ Unlike thevendor–shopper relationship established in traditional retailsettings, the primary communication interface with the ven-dor is an information technology artifact, the Web site. Anabsence of trust is one of the most frequently cited reasonswhy consumers refrain from purchasing from Internet ven-dors (Grabner-Kräuter and Kaluscha, 2003).

In research in which online trust is the primary focus, it isrecognized that a multi-dimensional construct for trust ismost appropriate. Trust may result from a consumer’s beliefthat an online vendor demonstrates ability, benevolence, orintegrity (McKnight, 2002). Alternately, in studies when trustis one of the several elements included to understand userreactions to a Web site then trust as a single construct has beenused (Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2002; Gefen et al., 2003).Various studies have shown that Web site trust is fundamentalto e-loyalty including online purchase intentions (Gefen, 2000;McKnight et al., 2004; Flavián et al., 2005), and willingness byconsumers to buy from an online vendor (Laurn and Lin,2003; Pavlou, 2003; Flavián et al., 2005). Antecedents to user

trust in Web sites vary, and have included Web site designcharacteristics (Flavián et al., 2005) and design credibility(Green and Pearson, 2011), along with vendor size (Van derHeijden et al., 2001), perceived vendor reputation (Jarvenpaaet al., 2000; Van der Heijden et al., 2001; Koufaris andHampton-Sosa, 2004), service quality (Gefen, 2002), socialpresence (Gefen and Straub, 2003), perceived security control(Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004), among other things.

To more specifically illustrate – Web sites must be accurateand credible looking if trust is to be created with the users.Everard and Galletta (2006) conducted a study in which theyexamined how presentation flaws on Web sites (e.g., errors,poor style, and incompleteness) influence user perceptions. Websites were experimentally created to demonstrate good vs poorquality (Figure 2). Results of the investigation found that userperceptions of flaws on the Web site were related to perceivedquality – which was in turn directly related to trust and intentionto purchase from the store. Thus, careful attention to detailand the elimination of design flaws has a positive impact onthe user.

Web site effectiveness, enjoyment, and online loyaltyThe Technology Acceptance model (or TAM) as conceived byDavis (1989) has a history of use in the information systemsfield including e-commerce. According to TAM, the intentionto accept or use a new technology such as a Web site isdetermined by its perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived easeof use (PEOU) of the technology. In e-services environments, apositive relationship has been demonstrated between PEOUand PU, and PU and purchase intentions such as loyalty to anonline vendor (Gefen and Straub, 2003; Cyr et al., 2007).Aligned to TAM, effectiveness has parallels to PU, whileefficiency is similar to PEOU (Benbasat and Barki, 2007).

In the last decade, the original TAM model has beenaugmented to include a ‘hedonic’ component (Childers et al.,2001; Dabholkar and Bagozzi, 2002) such as enjoyment (Vander Heijden, 2003). Further, enjoyment is positively related to auser’s attitude toward a Web site (Childers et al., 2001), and is apredictor of attitude in online shopping (Van der Heijden,2003). In line with enjoyment, an effectively designed Web sitemay engage and attract online consumers resulting in satisfac-tion with an online vendor (Hoffman and Novak, 1996;Szymanski and Hise, 2000; Agarwal and Venkatesh, 2002; Fogget al., 2002; Koufaris, 2002; Palmer, 2002; Yoon, 2002; Lindgaardand Dudek, 2003; Nielsen, 2004). As one example, Jiang andBenbasat (2007) discovered that design vividness and theability of users to interact with consumer product displays fora watch and Personal Data Assistant resulted in enjoymentand e-loyalty. In a mobile context, the attractiveness of screendesigns (e.g., colors, boxes, and menus) and professionalism ofdesigns positively impacted user enjoyment.

Web site satisfaction predicts vendor loyalty (Lam et al.,2004; Flavián et al., 2005). In some research, Web sitesatisfaction resulting in online loyalty was moderated by trust(e.g., Anderson and Srinivasan, 2003). In other work, satisfac-tion was found to directly impact customer loyalty (Yoon,2002; Laurn and Lin, 2003; Flavián et al., 2005).

SummaryPerhaps Web site trust is the most researched topic relatedto Web site design, including how the presence or absence of


trust directly influences user proclivities toward onlinecustomer loyalty. Our current understanding of Web sitetrust builds firmly on numerous studies anchored in IS –beginning with work by Gefen et al. (2003) and McKnight(2002). Likewise, IS research related to e-loyalty buildson TAM (Davis, 1989), but has branched beyond theoriginal utilitarian model to importantly include affectiveor hedonic elements. As outlined in the preceding, it isposited that loyalty is paramount to online purchasing orintention to purchase. While users may initially purchaseonline related to convenience, necessity, or vendor reputa-tion, if vendors do not engender loyalty, it is unlikely thatusers will return in the future when so many alternative Websites exist.

Components of Web site designOne goal of this paper is to offer guidelines for researchers andpractitioners as to what constitutes effective Web site designleading to loyal online behavior. Several design elements havealready been noted, but these are a subset of the total numberthat exists. On the basis of publications primarily between2002 and 2012, a table was created (see Appendix A) tosummarize multiple dimensions of design in chronologicalorder. Included in the table are key researchers in this area andadditional papers that trace important aspects of design.While the Web site design elements listed are very diverse,there is some commonality in user outcomes that centeraround satisfaction, trust, PU and PEOU, purchase intentionand loyalty.

Figure 2 Samples of Web pages for good (upper) vs poor style (in Everard and Galletta (2006).


Inherent in this overview is a focus on three cornerstones ofWeb site design – Information Design, Navigation Design, andVisual Design. Identified by Garrett (2003), these categories ofdesign are used repeatedly in studies to capture what drives andkeeps users on Web sites (e.g., Simon, 2001; Agarwal andVenkatesh, 2002; Palmer, 2002; Yoon, 2002; Cyr and Trevor-Smith, 2004; Cyr and Bonanni, 2005; Flavián et al., 2005; Cyr,2008). Further, there are ‘frames’ under which diverse elementsof design reside. As already mentioned, two predominantthemes emerging from the literature are utilitarian vs hedonicperceptions of Web site design. A final topic of interest is‘Website responsiveness’ – often achieved through Web sitedesign that allows users to interact with a Web site, andexperience a communication exchange between the user andthe site. These topics are briefly elaborated in the followingsections, and were chosen due to their pervasiveness and impactas evidenced in the literature. Further, this discussion alsohighlights how Web site design elements are related to keyoutcomes as already noted such as trust, enjoyment, effective-ness, and loyalty. Finally, since risk and security are soimportant in online shopping, these topics are addressedseparately as they relate to user Web site perceptions.

Web site cornerstones: information design, navigation design, andvisual designInformation design refers to elements of the site that conveyaccurate or inaccurate information to a user. For instance,the location of an icon on the screen would be the domain ofinformation architecture, but whether or not that iconconveys the right information to a user is the domain ofinformation design (Garrett, 2003). Clear and logical pre-sentation of information about products or services is also acomponent of information design. How appropriate infor-mation is fit to the task, the degree to which information istailored, and online completeness are precursors to Web siteusefulness (Loiacono et al., 2007).4 In most research to date,information is considered an important prerequisite to trust(Flavián et al., 2005; Cyr, 2008; Ganguly et al., 2009) andsatisfaction (Szymanski and Hise, 2000; Flavián et al., 2005).As McKinney et al. (2002: 308) described, ‘[C]ustomersdissatisfied with Web site information contents will leavethe site without making a purchase.’ Alternately, relevantand updated information generates loyal behavior (Mithaset al., 2007).

Elements of visual design deal with balance, emotionalappeal, esthetics, and uniformity of the Web site overall look.This includes colors, photographs, shapes, or font type (Garrett,2003). Some research has established a relationship between the‘esthetic beauty’ of a Web site and trust (Karvonen, 2000). Inother work, esthetics of Web site design were considered relatedto the ‘overall enjoyable user experience’ (Tarasewich, 2003: 12).Specific elements of visual design (such as images) are known toresult in Web site in trust (Fogg et al., 2002; Cyr et al., 2009a;Djamasbi et al., 2010a, b). Color likewise can result in Web sitetrust (Kim and Moon, 1998; Cyr et al., 2010).

Navigation design refers to the navigational scheme used tohelp or hinder users as they access different sections of a Website (Garrett, 2003). ‘No matter how thorough the informationcontent of a site is, a customer who has difficulty in searchingand getting the needed information is likely to leave the site’(McKinney et al., 2002: 308). Harridge-March (2006) argued

that well-designed navigation schemes save time for onlineconsumers leading to trust.

Utilitarian and hedonic perspectivesOnline retail shopping reflects both utilitarian and hedoniccomponents (Babin et al., 1994; Childers et al., 2001; Voss etal., 2003; Tractinsky, 2004; Zhang and Li, 2004; Sun andZhang, 2006; Kim et al., 2007).5 Utilitarian consumption isfocused on achievement of predetermined outcomes typical ofcognitive consumer behavior. Often this is linked to obtaininginformation and how to effectively find it. Alternately, hedonicelements of the consumption experience are focused onaffective consumer behavior as elicited from emotive andmulti-sensory elements.6 This is the domain of visual designand esthetics and is represented by color, graphics, layout, orimages, for example. On both a theoretical and a practicallevel, utilitarian outcomes of online shopping are expected toresult in PU or effectiveness, while hedonic outcomes result inuser pleasure and enjoyment (Childers et al., 2001; Chung andTan, 2004; Bruner and Kumar, 2005). Utilitarian consumptionactivities that appeal to rationality of consumers have beenwell investigated using the TAM to delineate usefulness andease of use (Davis, 1989), among other outcomes.

While the exploration of hedonics, and hence the emotionalexperience of the consumer in online shopping receivedrelatively less attention until approximately 2008 (Van derHeijden, 2003; Kim et al., 2007), this has changed in recentyears. For instance, researchers have now studied image appeal(Cyr et al., 2009a), color appeal (Rosen and Purinton, 2004; Cyret al., 2010), visual complexity (Deng and Poole, 2012), orpresence of faces (Djamasbi et al., 2012) with respect to onlineviewing behavior. Eye-tracking results indicate that users tendto focus more on hedonic zones vs utilitarian zones (i.e., exhibithigher number of fixations and longer viewing times) (Cyr andHead, 2013a). Rather than a focus on utilitarian or hedonicWebsite elements, some researchers (e.g., Kim et al., 2007; Nusair etal., 2008) have advocated a ‘balanced thinking-feelings model’in which both usefulness and pleasure contribute to a user’sattitude and Web site adoption. Van der Heijden (2003) notedthat the presence of a hedonic or utilitarian mechanism does notexclude presence of the other. User impressions are quicklyformed, and may take as little as 50milliseconds (Lindgaardet al., 2006) – hence making an effective first impression ona potential Web shopper critical.

In the context of hedonic consumer interactions, perceivedsocial presence (PSP) has received considerable attention as anantecedent to online consumer enjoyment (e.g., Cyr et al.,2007; Hassanein and Head, 2007). PSP is defined as ‘the extentto which a medium allows users to experience others as beingpsychologically present’ (Gefen and Straub, 2003: 11). PSP isembedded in communication theory (Short et al., 1976), and ischaracterized by some researchers as the capability of themedium to transmit information richness (Straub andKarahanna, 1998). More specifically, PSP implies a psycholo-gical connection with the user who perceives the Web site as‘warm,’ personal, sociable, thus creating a feeling of humancontact (Yoo and Alavi, 2001). Examples of Web site featuresthat encourage social presence include socially rich textcontent, personalized greetings (Gefen and Straub, 2003),human audio (Lombard and Ditton, 1997), or human video(Kumar and Benbasat, 2002). Gefen and Straub (2003)


suggested that pictures and text are able to convey personalpresence in the same manner as do personal photographs orletters. Hassanein and Head (2007) demonstrated that emo-tive text and pictures of humans result in higher levels of PSPfor Web sites. In addition to PSP resulting in online enjoy-ment, it has implications for Web site involvement (Kumarand Benbasat, 2002; Witmer et al., 2005), Web site trust(Gefen and Straub, 2003; Cyr et al., 2007; Hassanein andHead, 2007), and utilitarian outcomes such as PU or effective-ness (Hassanein and Head, 2004, 2006, 2007).

Web site responsivenessVarious characteristics of Web sites can contribute to Website responsiveness. One of these is perceived interactivity. Inearly work, Rice (1984) defined interactivity as the capabilityof a computer-enabled communication system to permitexchanges between the sender and receiver, in real or delayedtime, so that communicators have greater control overthe structure, pace, and content of the communication.Srinivasan et al. (2002) suggested that interactivity is theavailability and effectiveness of customer support tools on aWeb site, and the degree to which two-way communicationwith customers is facilitated. Some researchers have sug-gested that online interactivity helps vendors to build goodcustomer relations (Ghose and Dou, 1998), and convert sitevisitors into loyal customers (Berthon et al., 1996). Specificdefinitions as to what interactivity represents vary (Lee, 2005;Johnson et al., 2006),7 but usually include elements such asuser control of information display and content, Web siteresponsiveness to user queries, personalization tailored tounique users, and a feeling of connectedness often with otherusers (Dholakia et al., 2000; Lee, 2005).8 User control,responsiveness, and connectedness are determinants of trustand behavioral intention such as buying from the vendor(Lee, 2005), as well as user perceptions of Web site efficiency,effectiveness, trust, and enjoyment which in turn influencedconsumer loyalty (Cyr et al., 2009b). Interactivity has alsoresulted in user satisfaction (Teo et al., 2003). Othershave highlighted the importance of interactivity to onlineloyalty in e-commerce (Deighton, 1996; Watson et al., 1998;Srinivasan et al., 2002). Finally, interactivity has an influenceon PSP (Fortin and Dholakia, 2005).

Online shopping assistants are interactive technologicalartifacts that provide information and respond to onlineconsumers. As ‘social actors’ on the electronic stage, onlineshopping assistants potentially build a relationship with theuser that results in enjoyment, trust, PU, and ultimately inreuse intentions (Al-natour et al., 2005). If the personalshopping assistant is perceived by the user to be similar tohim or her both in personality and behaviors then theshopping assistant was more positively evaluated by the user.Additional studies by Benbasat and his colleagues examined‘live help’ functions through instant messaging or text chattingto facilitate interactions between users and online customerservice representatives (Qui and Benbasat, 2005). Rather thantext-based communication, users were exposed to socially richenvironments that include computer-generated voice andhumanoid avatars. These researchers found that text-to-speech voice delivered aloud through a 3D avatar significantlyincreased trust toward the customer service representative.Although these findings are several years old, the use of rich

and personalized service agents still only appears selectively onWeb sites.

Risk and security issuesAs with trust, the scope of online perceived risk is diverse. Acommon definition of perceived risk is a consumer’s percep-tion of uncertainty and adverse consequences when engagingin an activity (Jarvenpaa et al., 1999). More specific to onlinecommerce, perceived risk is the extent to which a user believesit is unsafe to use the Internet for purchasing goods or services(McKnight, 2002). ‘Perceived risk is an important construct ine-commerce research, but it has not been approached in amanner sufficiently systematic, comprehensive, or detailed tobe understood along multiple dimensions instructive forinformation systems designers’ (Glover and Benbasat, 2010).

A number of precursors are identified that result inperceived risk in online environments. These include: functionalrisk, financial risk, or delivery risk (Spiekermann and Parashiv,2002); transaction risk or invasion of privacy, and risksassociated with product or service loss (Park and Jun, 2003); aswell as performance risk that an e-service would not perform asexpected (Featherman and Pavlou, 2003). Glover and Benbasat(2010) validated three dimensions of e-commerce perceivedrisk: functionality inefficiency, information misuse, and user’sfailure to gain product benefit – all related to intention topurchase online. Hoffman et al. (1999) further noted theimportance of information privacy as it relates to buildingcustomer trust and reducing risk. Much has been written aboutthe importance of vendor reputation in online transactions(Egger, 2000; Gommans et al., 2001; Yoon, 2002). Vendorreputation will directly influence user perceptions of the Website (Quelch and Klein, 1996; Lohse and Spiller, 1998; Chen andDhillon, 2003). A positive vendor reputation provides assur-ances of ability, integrity, and goodwill (Jarvenpaa et al., 1999).

Due to ‘separateness’ of buyer and seller, security of thetransaction process is especially important to the buyer andrelates to risk. Historically, online risk is induced by percep-tions of credit card fraud (Ratnasingham, 1998), or insufficientattention by the vendor to payment security, payment-clearingstructures, and privacy policies (Greenfield Online, 1998).Transaction risks are reduced when money spent by thecustomer is held in escrow until the buyer is satisfied with thetransaction. The use of trusted third parties such as VeriSignreduces buyer concerns with transaction security (Palmeret al., 2000). A prominent refund policy, clear statement ofhow consumer information will be used, and logos represent-ing a Web site’s security system contribute to consumersecurity (Palmer et al., 2000). Several studies indicate thatimprovements in security result in increased trust for theonline vendor (e.g., Koufaris and Hampton-Sosa, 2004; Chenand Barnes, 2007).

SummaryThe scope of Web site design is broad, but for our purposes ithas been distilled to three key elements: Information Design,Visual Design, and Navigation Design. Various aspects ofdesign are presented in utilitarian and hedonic frameworks fordesign, and have been expanded to incorporate responsivenessand interactivity of the user with the Web site as important touser perceptions that the Web site is both useful and enjoy-able. As Web sites continue to develop technological


sophistication, new elements of design have appeared such asrecommendation agents that add a sense of social presence ofthe user experience. Risk and security continue to be keytopics for investigation – and are related to multiple char-acteristics of a vendor Web site. It is interesting to note thatevolutions in Web site design have prompted research in theHCI domain, which has served to inform (at least to somedegree) future development of Web sites. A key to this processis that researchers and Web site designers are communicatingwith each other about advances in their respective fields.

User characteristics and the online context affecting Web siteusage and acceptance

Biological sex and masculine–feminine valuesIn 2013, ‘across all ages women interact more online thanmen.’9 Despite this, relatively little is known about Web sitedesign preferences between men and women although overallmen tend to have more positive evaluations of Web sites thanwomen (Rodgers and Harris, 2003). In a study in whichpreferences between men and women were compared, womenhad a more negative evaluation of the presentation of productinformation and site organization, and were significantly lesssatisfied with navigation formats than men (Cyr and Bonanni,2005). Men have more favorable attitudes toward advertisingon Web sites than women (Parsa et al., 2011). In 2004, womenwere found to be less satisfied with Web sites, and trust themless than men (Garbarino and Strahilevitz, 2004) – an outcomethat remains current today. Although more speculation thanscientific fact, there appear to be certain common elementscontributing to effective Web site design that are important toboth men and women. This includes reliable and completeinformation, and ease of navigation. However, the ‘tone’ ofwhat appeals to men and women varies as outlined below. Inthis instance, tone refers to the nuances that appeal to men vswomen. As one example, women generally like emotionalappeal on a Web site often created by the use of images andpictures. Men are more drawn to action in the form ofanimations and interactivity. For a cursory review of thesedifferences refer to Table 2. To my knowledge, few, if any,studies have systematically investigated such differences in tone,and as such this topic could be explored in future research.

To further elaborate, relative advantage and the utility of ane-commerce innovation is more important for men, whilecompatibility and the belief that an innovation fits with theadopter’s needs, values, and experiences is more important forwomen (van Slyke et al., 2010). Regarding information rich-ness, communication effectiveness, and the communicationinterface, women have a lower perception of Web sites thanmen (Cyr and Bonanni, 2005). Accurate product descriptionsand fair pricing are important for men (Ulbrich et al., 2011;Chen and Hu, 2012), while women consider return labels (i.e.,ability to return an item) more important (Ulbrich et al.,2011). Concerning some specific design features, womendislike copious amounts of interactivity on the site, and findanimations less meaningful than men. Visualization charac-teristics such as color, shapes, and use of expert language dif-fer between males and females (Ozdemir and Kilic, 2011).In other work, differences between men and women werefound for use of voice, color, and language (Mahzari andAhmadzadeh, 2013). Women prefer Web sites with less clutter

and fewer graphics. In other work, women shoppers indicatedthat they ‘must have’ online product prices, a list of sale items,and personalized product discounts. More than men, womenare receptive to electronic shopping lists, and having the Website save a list of past purchases. On the other hand, men weremore interested in Web sites that allowed them to customdesign products (Burke, 2002).

Whether a man or a woman designs the Web site alsoimpacts user perceptions, although in 2013 only 5–20% ofsoftware developers are women.10 Men have a preference forWeb site pages produced by men, while women prefer Webpages produced by women. For 30 male-produced and 30female-produced Web sites, significant differences were foundbetween the two sets of Web sites on 13 of 23 factors withrespect to navigation and visual content. Web sites designedby women had links to a larger number of topics than thosedesigned by men. Language was used differently, with morereferences to competitiveness on male-produced Web sites. Offive language elements examined, there were significantdifferences on four of these elements with women more likelyto use abbreviations and informal language. In particular,visual design varied between Web sites aimed at men vswomen, with images of one’s own gender appearing on theWeb site. Women were more likely than males to use roundedrather than straight shapes, more colors, a horizontal layout,and informal images (Moss et al., 2006).

The importance of Web site social presence differs for menand women. For an e-services Web site selling concert tickets,women sought hedonic content to ‘engage’ them, whereas menwere more utilitarian in their comments and focused more oninformation they felt was missing (Cyr et al., 2007). For a Website with minimal social presence, women commented that itwas ‘boring, not enough pictures, no sense of vibrancy,’ that ithad ‘no emotion, it does not evoke any response… a cold non-interactive site,’ that ‘visually it is not very appealing at all …there should be more pictures,’ and that it was ‘not friendly.’ Incontrast, when commenting on the higher social presenceconditions, females noted that they ‘felt relaxed and enjoyedreading it,’ ‘it aroused [their] curiosity of each band, making[them] want to listen to all of their music,’ and it felt ‘more likea party chat room than a cold, impersonal website just sellingstuff/tickets’ (Cyr et al., 2007). Social presence was significantlyrelated to PU, trust, and ultimately loyalty for both men andwomen – although only for women did it result in a significantrelationship of enjoyment to loyalty (ibid).

While the previous discussion is focused on biologicaldifferences as to whether one is a man or a woman, recently

Table 2 Design differences between men and women

Male preferences Female preferences

Animations Social presence and warmthInteractivity More color and informal layoutAccuracy of productdescriptions

Ability to return items

Fair pricing Listing of sale itemsCustom designedproducts

Electronic shopping lists and savedlists of past purchases

More references tocompetitiveness

Personalized product discounts


consideration has been given to socio-cultural forces thatshape online shopping. More specifically, whether one has amasculine or a feminine value orientation – termed psycholo-gical gender – may also be influential concerning the percep-tion of a Web site (Zahedi et al., 2006; Cyr et al., 2009a). Toelaborate, masculine values emphasize work goals such asmaterial success and having challenging work. Recognition,challenge, advancement, earning, and achievement defined byearnings are important. Alternately, feminine values arefocused on quality of life, nurturing, and modesty. Quality oflife work goals emphasizes a supportive and friendly workenvironment, cooperation, job security, and achievementdetermined with respect to work relationships and humancontacts. These value orientations cross gender boundaries.For example, a man may have a feminine value orientation,while a woman may exhibit values that are considered mascu-line in nature. It is possible for men and women to exhibitboth value orientations simultaneously – termed androgyny.With a focus on values of masculinity and femininity, contenton over 90 North American Web pages aimed at either men orwomen was analyzed to identify beliefs, attitudes, and rhetoric– with differences discovered in each category. Numerousvariations in Web site design related to these differing valuesystems were uncovered (Zahedi et al., 2006). For instance, inhigher masculinity cultures, interface design elements arefocused on traditional gender/family/age distinctions; worktasks, roles, and mastery; navigation oriented toward explora-tion and control; attention gained through games and compe-titions; and graphics, sound, and animation used for utilitarianpurposes. Feminine cultures emphasize blurring of genderroles; mutual cooperation, exchange, and support rather thanmastery and winning; and attention gained through poetry,visual esthetics, and appeals to unifying values (ibid). Inanother study, Cyr and Head (2013b) examined InformationContent, Navigation Design, and Visual Design modeled toWeb site trust and Web site Satisfaction with a sample of 955participants located in six countries. The goal of this investiga-tion was to test whether fewer differences exist between menand women in more feminine societies, while more significantdifferences occur in more masculine societies. The moderatingeffect of gender was also tested in the model. As predicted, inhigher masculinity countries there are greater differences inWeb site perception between men and women. In addition,gender is more likely to moderate the relationships in themodel. As such, Web site designers must not only be attentiveto differences between men and women, but to more subtlevalue differences as well.

User age and abilityAge is a common dimension used to segment consumer anduser groups, including in e-commerce and related to Web sitedesign (Goodman and Lundell, 2005; McCloskey and Leppel,2010). Age is important as to how images are appreciated andprocessed. In recent years, studies have examined Generation Y(age 18–31 years) as a large and lucrative online market. Studiessuggest that Web esthetics and visual design may be especiallyimportant to users in this age group (Tractinsky, 2004, 2006). Inother work, visual appeal of the homepage for an online vendorimpacts the impression of vendor image and merchandisequality for Generation Y users (Oh et al., 2008). Users less than25 years of age seek fun when shopping online, and respond

positively to personalized product offers, custom-designingproducts, and seeing the profiles of previous customers whopurchased an item. Compared with older users, younger usersare open to different payment methods, and are more willing touse two-way chat and videoconferencing to interact withcustomer service representatives (Burke, 2002). In a twopronged study that included surveys and investigations whereusers look on a Web page using an eye-tracking device,Generation Y exhibited specific preferences for a large mainpage, images of celebrities, little text, and a search feature(Djamasbi et al., 2010b).

Alternately, some researchers have focused on uniquedesign characteristics required by older adults – especially asthe numbers of aging adults increase (Djamasbi et al., 2006).Hawthorn (2000) listed various physical, sensory, and cogni-tive limitations that may alter with increased age, and whichhave implications for interface design. It is expected that well-designed visual cues such as text links and icons are able tosupport the needs of older users. The format for organizingWebsite contents and the amount of information appearing on ascreen enable higher performance for older users as their visualsearch skills and selective attention diminish (Ellis andKurniawan, 2000; Zajicek, 2004). Older users were interested inproduct specifications, usage instructions, warranty information,product histories, or country of origin (ibid). In a study of virtualagents, characteristics such as agent gender, modality, realism,and animation were studied for the users aged 65–82 years(Chattaraman et al., 2011). Results indicated older users foundmale voices easier to understand; preferred multi-modal com-munication with capability to switch off the voice feature;disliked humanoid agents and liked visual simplicity andsmaller-sized agents (i.e., use face only); and disliked animationand instead opted for static agents or minimal movement. Inanother study comparing three age groups (young: 18–25;mature: 50–69; elderly: older than 70) regarding e-commerceparticipation, differences were found between the groups includ-ing mature users perceiving Web sites as useful but nottrustworthy, and elderly users experiencing less ease ofinformation access (McCloskey and Leppel, 2010).

While personal values have been widely used to investigateconsumer behaviors in a variety of product and servicecategories, little research examines personal values and Inter-net use including online shopping (Schiffman et al., 2003). Inone study focused on how personal values are differentlyrepresented in users for e-commerce activities, findings indi-cated that 83% of users participating in online auctions aseither buyers or sellers scored high on the value ‘a sense ofaccomplishment.’ For users who researched or made travelreservations, they had high scores for ‘a sense of accomplish-ment’ (78%); ‘self-fulfillment’ (77%); ‘fun and enjoyment inlife’ (69%), ‘security’ (66%), and ‘self-respect’ (57%).

Related to consumer characteristics, there are differentpreferences for Web site design depending on whether theuser is a novice or experienced (Blake et al., 2005). Moreexperienced users are those who have greater exposure andlonger experience using the Internet, and are thus more likelyto shop online. More than novices, experienced users focusattention on features related to the purchased item such ascost, product quality, or post-purchase service (ibid). Onlineshoppers may also vary on innovativeness, defined as thedegree to which a user is willing to try a new product orservice. More innovative shoppers exhibit a preference for


processing features involved in the shopping interaction, suchas identifying an appropriate product and usefulness of theordering system (ibid).

Web site categoriesAs indicated above, consumer characteristics are instrumentalin determining user reactions to Web sites. In addition, the typeof Web site has the potential to elicit varying perceptionsamong users. In one of the few studies in which onlineconsumer preferences were considered for different productlines, distinct user preferences occurred depending on theproduct type (e.g., apparel, entertainment products, nondurablegoods such as groceries, and durable goods such as majorappliances or consumer electronics). For instance, for productswith a strong esthetic component such as furniture or apparel,50% of furniture shoppers indicated that the Web site shouldprovide full-page product photographs, and ideally there wouldbe 3D product images that can be rotated 360 degrees. Inaddition, consumers desired the option of having thumbnailphotographs of products for quick search and comparison.Shopping aids to check inventories were considered particularlyuseful for items such as apparel, music, movies, books, toys, andgames. Additional product comparisons revealed the impor-tance of: online expert opinions for product quality and brandfeatures, online product specifications, and usage instructionsespecially for durable goods (Burke, 2002).11

Further, in a study using data from 6831 consumers across25 Web sites in 8 product categories, significant differenceswere uncovered across Web site types regarding character-istics that result in online trust. For example, privacy andorder fulfillment are the strongest determinants of trust ontravel Web sites when information risk and involvement arehigh. Efficient navigation results in trust for information-intensive Web sites such as those for sports or communityactivities (Bart et al., 2005). In another large-scale study ofmore than 12,000 online consumers for 43 Web sites acrossdiverse business domains, depending on the business domain,there were differences in the importance for Web site features(e.g., content and functionality) leading to online loyalty.More specifically, the relationship of Web site contents toloyalty is stronger for information-oriented Web sites (e.g.,financial and health services) than for transaction-orientedWeb sites (e.g., government). In contrast, the relationshipbetween functionality and loyalty is stronger for transactional-oriented Web sites over information-oriented Web sites(Mithas et al., 2006, 2007).12

In addition, differences exist between commercial Web siteswith a goal of marketing and sales compared with governmentWeb sites aimed to provide services to the public. However,little research investigates Web site design elements in ane-government context (Teo et al., 2008; Aladwani, 2013). Inone study on e-government, information quality, system qual-ity, and service quality were positively related to trust (Teo et al.,2008). On the basis of an in-depth case analysis of the tax filingsystem in Singapore, the development of trust is complex withfive modes of trust revealed. Relevant to the current discussion,trust is established when the government Web site is able tocapture details of a transactional activity in order to ensuretransparency, should there be future disputes between users andthe agency. The offer of ‘one-stop’ quality services, and innova-tion in information technologies in order to engage citizens in

candid interactions is likewise important to trust developmentin e-government services (Lim et al., 2012).13

SummaryIt is clear that user characteristics are broad and impact thedesign of Web sites. As documented here, there are differencesin perception of Web site design related to biological sex andwhether one is a man or a woman, psychological genderrelated to sociocultural values of masculinity or femininity,and user age and ability. Further, goals for Web sites differdepending on whether the Web site is designed for publicconstituents as on government Web sites, or commercially tofulfill profit objectives. Further, on commercial Web sites,different requirements prevail depending on the productcategory. Regardless of the type of user or goal of the Website, it appears that designing Web sites that result in trust andloyalty remains a common objective.

Design localization and global marketsOn the basis of the vast number of international consumers asoutlined in the introduction, the effective design of Web sitesfor a given culture should be a prime concern for onlinevendors. When Web sites are culturally appropriate, or ‘loca-lized,’ then users are more likely to visit them, spend time onthe site, and to revisit them in the future (Barber and Badre,1998; Vyncke and Brengman, 2010). Many corporations withinternational reach operate multiple country Web sites, andmany of these Web sites are designed to exhibit localizedcharacteristics. For example, in April 2012 Coca Cola operated157 Web sites for different countries, 52 of which are in Africawhere Internet growth is more than 3000% between 2000 and2012. Although the localization of Web content is desirable,there are also numerous challenges to consider. Among theseare: obtaining corporate-wide commitment to globalization andinternational markets; need for integration of a LocalizationManager with other departments in order to effectively adaptWeb sites for various cultures and countries; deep technologicalexpertise in the area of localization requirements; and costs ofimplementing such a strategy.14

Evidence of cross-country differencesIn the information systems and e-commerce realm, a numberof studies have been published with respect to culture, Website design, and the subsequent effect of Web site localizationon users. Strong empirical support was provided for thepositive impact of cultural congruency on performance mea-sures, including Web site effectiveness, in a study where 27research studies published in 16 different journals wereevaluated for Web site cultural congruency (or localization)(Vyncke and Brengman, 2010).15 Other investigations supportunique user preferences for Web site design characteristics indifferent countries and cultures. For instance, for a study inwhich domestic and Chinese Web sites for 40 American-basedcompanies were systematically compared, significant culturaldifferences were uncovered for all major categories tested(Singh et al., 2003).16 Cyr and Trevor-Smith (2004) examineddesign elements using 30 municipal Web sites in each ofGermany, Japan, and the United States. Use of symbols andgraphics, color preferences, site features (links, maps, searchfunctions, and page layout), language and content were


examined, and significant differences were determined in eachWeb site design category. In other research in which color(Cyr et al., 2010) or human images (Cyr et al., 2009a) werespecifically investigated, cultural differences were likewisenoted across culturally diverse groups.

Summarizing specific cross-country differences in Web sitedesign is difficult since there are many diverse elements ofWeb site design and numerous countries to consider. How-ever, Table 3 presents a synopsis of statistically signifi-cant differences for eight countries for Information design,Navigation Design, Visual Design, Transaction Security, andWeb site Trust (Cyr, 2013b). This table serves to illustrate twopoints: (1) numerous differences exist across countries andtherefore Web site localization is prudent; and (2) there issignificant similarity among users in countries known to bein the same country ‘cluster’ based on cultural values. Onthe basis of numerous design comparisons, there are nodifferences in user perceptions in the North American cluster(the United States and Canada) and the Latin American(Mexico and Chile) clusters. Hence, it appears that there ismerit for designers to localize content for similar culturalclusters, which has the obvious benefit of reduced localizationcosts.

Culture and information design, visual design, and navigation designTo further elaborate, and related to Information Design,differences were found regarding the type and amount ofinformation considered appropriate across cultures (Cyr,2002). In North America, substantial amounts of productinformation are considered desirable, while in France provid-ing too much information is perceived as condescending.Research comparing user preferences for perceived accessand presentation of product information in Canada, theUnited States, Germany, and Japan uncovered few significantdifferences between the United States, Canada, and Germanybut significant differences between these countries and highlycollectivist Japan (Cyr et al., 2005). On the basis of qualitativecomments from the study, there appears a desire on the part ofCanadians, Americans, and Germans for utility – at least as faras obtaining site information is concerned.

Cultural differences also exist related to Visual Design.Color is a common differentiator by culture and connotesdifferent meaning (Barber and Badre, 1998; Singh et al., 2003).Red means happiness in China but danger in the UnitedStates. In collectivist cultures such as China or Japan, usershave a strong preference for visuals (Szymanski and Hise,2000) including pictures, bright colors, and animation (Cyr etal., 2005). Further, in a study comparing Indian and US Websites related to language, pictures, symbols, and colors,substantial differences were found regarding the use of color(Kulkarni et al., 2012). The Indian portal had multiple colorson a white background, while the US Web site hosted onlyblue and red. As the authors explained, the respective colorsare represented on each national flag.

Navigation Design also varies by culture (Ganguly et al.,2010). Germans who are moderately high on uncertaintyavoidance ‘feel anxiety about uncertain or unknown matters’(Marcus and Gould, 2000: 39), and therefore prefer ‘naviga-tion schemes intended to prevent users from becoming lost’(ibid: 41). Simon (2001) found that individualistic Europeansand North Americans prefer navigation that enhancesTa

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movement and makes the Web site simpler to use. Alternately,Asian/Latin and South Americans (generally collectivists)desire navigation aids to change the appearance of the sitewithout particular concern for movement.

Elements of Web site design differently influence user trust,and this too varies by country. In an e-commerce investigationin Canada, Germany, and China, Navigation Design results intrust for Canada and China, Visual Design results in trust forChina only, and Information Design results in trust forCanada only (Cyr, 2008). In related research, Cyr et al.(2005) conducted a study to investigate whether or not localWeb sites engender higher levels of trust for users than aforeign Web site of the same vendor. When comparing thelevel of trust between countries for the local Web site almostno differences are reported between the Canadians, Ameri-cans, and Germans. However, there were large differencesbetween the Japanese with Americans, Canadians, or Ger-mans. Contrary to expectations, Japanese respondents trustedtheir local Web site least, while Germans trusted their local sitemost. Similar results were found for users viewing the foreignversion of the Web site. In a subsequent study, users in Indiapreferred almost all elements of the local Web site over aforeign Web site, which also resulted in greater levels of trust,satisfaction, and loyalty (Cyr et al., 2008).

Hedonic and utilitarian differences across culturesOnly a few studies have been conducted in which hedonicWeb site design features are systematically modeled acrossdiverse cultures – although more recently research in thisarea is beginning to emerge. For instance, Hassanein et al.(2009) aimed to determine if PSP is culture specific oruniversal in online shopping settings. These researchersfound that social presence led to perceptions of usefulnessand enjoyment for Chinese and Canadian users, while forCanadians social presence resulted in trust. Cyr and hercolleagues conducted two separate research investigationswith Canadian, German, and Japanese users regarding theirreaction to Visual Design Web site elements. In the firststudy, survey data indicated that human images universallyresult in image appeal and PSP, while interviews and eye-tracking data suggested participants from different culturesexperience design images differently (Cyr et al., 2009a). Inthe second study, Web site color appeal was found to be asignificant determinant of Web site trust and satisfaction,with differences across cultures (Cyr et al., 2010). The TAMthat represents utilitarian outcomes for usefulness, ease ofuse, and behavioral intention (to use the technology) hasalso received only limited attention in a cultural context(e.g., Straub et al., 1997; Rose and Straub, 1998; McCoy et al.,2005). Although not specific to design elements in ane-business setting, a landmark study by McCoy et al. (2007)examined the viability of TAM with almost 4000 studentsrepresenting 25 countries and found that the model is notuniversal.

SummaryThere are numerous ways in which Web sites can be adaptedto accommodate the preferences of users in different culturesor country locations. On the basis of the preceding, in additionto more obvious modifications such as language translation,there are numerous subtleties that exist related to Information

Design, Visual Design, and Navigation Design, among otherdesign features. While there is a cost attached for companiesthat localize Web sites, this is a necessary component foronline vendors if shoppers are to trust the Web site, and beloyal to the vendor in the future. Of interest, it appears thatthere is a similarity in perceptions from users within the samecountry clusters and therefore with similar cultural values.This suggests that Web site localization for groups of similarcountries may be appropriate, as well as cost-effective. Con-cerning established research models in IS such as TAM, andwith respect to the research by McCoy et al. (2007), it appearsthat such models may not be applicable across cultures andhence there are opportunities for researchers to explore TAMand other IS models in diverse cultures and countries.

New perspectives and research directionsAlthough empirical research onWeb site design has flourishedin the period 2002–2012, there remains considerable scope fornew investigations as the use of the Internet shifts andcontinues to expand. There is a need to better understand theimpact of Web site design and subsequent effect on corporateROI – in both local and international markets. New trends areemerging that require better understanding and investigationusing diverse methodologies.

Innovations in practice and researchThere is no doubt that advances in technology will require Website design to evolve and be innovative. This applies in all areasfrom desktop computing to apps on small devices designedspecifically for smartphones. Despite transitions in Web sitedesign over time, few studies systematically examine trends inWeb site design. One exception: Golander et al. (2012) usedonline archival data to assemble a Web site design trend libraryfor the period from mid-1990 to 2010. Forty-two trends weredetermined that include current, past peak, and faded cate-gories. For example, ‘Current’ Web site trends tend to beminimalistic with huge images and one page limits. ‘Past peak’examples are Web2.0 or stock photographs, while in the ‘Faded’category appear what the authors term ‘Hyper Functionalism’ –in which the design focus is on copious amount of informationonly, or messy design representing too much disorganizeddetail. The Web design trend library with additional informa-tion may be found at http://hci.ise.bgu.ac.il/trends/. The authorssuggest that there is considerable scope for research in numer-ous HCI domains, including interactive software related tosocietal trends in IT – particularly in the area of Visual Design.

As one example of Visual Design in online retail, specialapps are being developed that match exact body measure-ments with clothes that best fit and flatter a body shape. Thegoal is to make online shopping for clothing more accurate.The consumer first needs to have a 10 s fully clothed body scanwith Me-Ality scanners (http://www.me-ality.com/) that areavailable in some shopping malls now, and also have SizeRecommendation Software, an online software solution. Thescan takes place in a circular booth similar to airport scanners,which is able to capture 200,000 measurements in 360 degreesusing low-power radio waves. While virtual fitting rooms haveobvious interface applications on the Web, other opportu-nities for e-commerce innovation also exist for smartphonesand other devices, perhaps yet to be invented.


Further, while video is increasingly used to deliver contentthat is interactive, there is little systematic research on videousability. Web video usability is ‘the practice of influencinghow a person uses and experiences video on a website – testedand measured both as a stand-alone entity and in context withthe website it is presented and played on – for the targetaudience in mind’ (Online Video Industry News, 2012). In thepractitioner community, the following have been identified aspotentially increasing user experience with Web video: tran-scripts and closed captions; time-stamping, which allows moreeffective video search; or video ‘heatmaps,’ which trace wherea user looks on a page and for how long. With respect toheatmaps, in academic research these have been previouslyused to study where users look on a static Web page (e.g.,Djamasbi et al., 2010b). In the commercial design community,heatmaps can be used to determine viewing interactionsbetween the user and video – by recording, rewatching,skipping, and new viewing behaviors (Video Heatmaps,2012). It would appear that there is potential for further useof video as a component of responsiveness in Web site design,although so far this has been limited. In addition, there is ascope for research in the application of video in e-commerce.

To date, video has been used for product and serviceelaboration; however, video can also be applied to researchpresentations. For instance, in the online journal ClinicalGastroenterology and Hepatology, prospective authors areencouraged to provide video abstracts of their research. Further,Canadian Science Publishing has launched a video abstractoption as a way to extend the reach of work by allowinginnovation as to how complex phenomena are presented. Whilethere has been some experimentation of video in the informa-tion systems area, this community has not yet embraced videotechnology for research dissemination. For example, a newVisual Media track was created at the International Conferenceon Information Systems17 in 2011 and 2012, co-chaired byMichel Avital and myself. The intent of the track was to enablepresentation of research results in novel ways including usingembedded video, animation, or visual analytics. However, due tolow number of submissions the track was canceled for 2013. It isexpected that as video (and visual media more generally)continue to develop there may be a place for enhanced use ofthese tools as both topics of research, and as vehicles for researchdissemination.

Extensions to existing researchAdditional opportunities exist to extend research as outlinedearlier in this paper. A sampling of topics includes:

(1) Emotion and Hedonic Responses – While generally under-researched, the use of emotion is gaining prominence andthus deserves future investigation. This may include differ-ent preferences in the use of affective elements in Web sitedesign such as social presence, and how they differ betweenmen and women, or across cultures. This work can build onHassanein et al., (2009) regarding cultural differences or Cyret al. (2007; 2009a) regarding differences between men andwomen.

(2) Personalization –Web site design can be better adapted todifferent user age groups, abilities, and personal values andexperiences. As one example, the reality of aging popula-tions suggests a need to better examine both technical andpsychological requirements of more mature users. As a

second example, and related to individual differences, Website design research could examine how user’s needs (e.g.,for achievement vs social affiliation) can be accommodated.Finally, adaptation of personal shopping assistants to matchthe user could be explored. In previous work, personalshopping assistants were more positively evaluated if theywere perceived to be similar to the user’s personality andbehavior (Al-Natour et al., 2005). While this finding isseveral years old, the use of rich and personalized serviceagents appears only selectively onWeb sites and presents anopportunity for future development and research.

(3) E-health – Although research in e-health is rich andgrowing, there are numerous areas in which Web sitedesign elements leading to e-commerce outcomes such astrust, satisfaction, enjoyment, or loyalty can be applied tohealth-related Web sites. For instance, Crutzen and hiscolleagues have examined online social presence (Crutzenet al., 2013), user control (Crutzen et al., 2012), and onlineloyalty (Crutzen et al., 2011). There is a scope for addi-tional application of Web site models and frameworksconcerning how to encourage users to use health Websites and to visit them again in the future.

(4) Mobility – Related to usability, there are numerousavenues to extend earlier research on design to mobiledevices. Earlier work has examined Visual Design andesthetics resulting in loyalty (Cyr et al., 2006), the effectsof system quality and culture on trust (Vance et al., 2008),or interactivity and trust – all in a mobile context. Futureresearch can extend these works, and also focus onusability and apps, implications for social networking, orcross-country comparisons.

(5) E-government – There is little research on the topic ofe-government. However, with acceleration of users whoaccess public information online, the research could evalu-ate elements of e-government Web sites that make thempersuasive and trustworthy. Aladwani (2013) conducted across-cultural comparison of e-government interface qualityfor users in Kuwait and Britain – which can be extended toinclude a larger sampling of countries.

(6) Masculine–Feminine Values – While there is merit tostudy user preferences between men and women, a newvanguard for research in this area is related to compar-isons and applications of Web site design related to auser’s espoused values for masculinity and femininity.This departs from more traditional research for Web sitedesign based on biological sex – and offers a nuancedapproach with respect to ‘psychological gender.’

(7) Cross-country – While much of the research on Web sitedesign has used culture (particularly Hofstede’s, 1983dimensions) as a differentiator between country groups,more recently there is a call for comparisons based onthe collection of first-hand cultural data on espousedcultural values (i.e., Srite and Karahanna, 2006). Muchlike research into masculine and feminine values asnoted in Item 5 (above), this practice offers an approachthat is driven by values over country affiliation. Further,recent research has used clustering theory (i.e., whereincountries with similar values and beliefs are clusteredtogether) to determine preferences for Web site designacross countries (Cyr, 2013a, b). Remarkable similaritieswere found between certain country groupings (i.e., NorthAmerica and Latin America) and suggest the merit of


additional research in these areas – especially related tolocalization cost savings with a country cluster.

(8) Use of Diverse Methods – Although research on Web sitedesign and IS design has typically relied on surveys withsingle- or multiple-item scales, more recently researchersare diversifying their techniques to obtain different typesof data, and to triangulate data sources. Some Web sitedesign studies have used: neurophysiological techniquessuch as fMRI used for testing reactions to productpackaging (Dimolka et al., 2012; Reimann et al., 2010);an eye-tracking device (Djamasbi et al., 2011; Sheng andJoginapelly, 2012), as well as multiple methodologies suchas an eye-tracker coupled with surveys and interviews(Cyr et al., 2009a, 2010).

(9) ROI – As indicated in the Introduction of this paper,modest increases in expenditure for Web site design canresult in substantial gains based on loyalty from users.However, there is very little research in which ROI isexamined. This is most likely due to the difficulty ofdetermining ROI metrics, as well as the time and costassociated with an assessment of production expendituresfor various design elements. However, given the impor-tance of creating effective Web sites that lead to higherrevenues from online shoppers, further research on thetopic seems merited.

CONCLUSIONIn the last decade e-commerce has increased dramatically, andwith it so has the importance attached to Web site design fordesigners and researchers. Considerable IS research has beendevoted to understanding the impact of Web site design ofloyal online behavior. Theories of trust have been exploredand adapted to accommodate the unique virtual character ofonline shopping. Models such as TAM have enjoyed wide-spread application including in the e-commerce realm. Whilein the early years, Web site design focused more on utilitarianoutcomes such as PU and PEOU, more recently greaterattention has been given to hedonic and esthetic elements ofWeb sites that aim to engage and please the user. It appearsthat the next evolution for design will be geared toward smallscreens and sites that are innovative and responsive. Whilee-commerce has grown locally over the years, so has theinternational reach of vendors who realize the necessity ofexpanding to foreign markets. Through Web site localization,the unique requirements of users are met. While the emphasisthus far has been mostly on cross-county or cross-culturallocalization priorities, it is expected that applications fordiverse users will expand – including appropriate adaptationof Web sites and screens to accommodate psychologicalgender as well as biological sex, and users of different ages,levels of experience, and capabilities. While there are signifi-cant challenges to effective Web site design, the benefits aregreat – and ultimately lead to loyal behavior of onlinecustomers.

AcknowledgementsSupport for this project was provided by the Social Sciences andHumanities Research Council of Canada. Research assistance wasprovided by Carlos Hernandez.

Notes1 http://www.searchenginejournal.com/women-social-networking-behavior/11720/ (accessed 23 June 2010).

2 http://www.barnesgraham.com/Selected-UK-Internet-Statistics-2009.html (accessed 23 June 2010).

3 Web site trust has received ongoing attention concerning Website design, and the literature in this area is vast. For an overviewof online trust, refer to Bhattacherjee (2002), Corritore et al.,(2003), Gefen et al. (2003), Jarvenpaa et al. (1999), or McKnight(2002). A useful outline of trust and dimensions of trust appearsin Gefen and Straub (2004). Closely aligned to trust is credibility.Considerable work on this latter topic has been done by Fogg andhis colleagues, and a summary report appears at http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/news/report3_credibilityresearch/stanfordPTL_abstract.htm also refer to the full report titled ‘HowDo People Evaluate a Web Site’s Credibility?’ at http://www.consumerwebwatch.org/pdfs/stanfordPTL.pdf.

4 Loiacono et al. (2007) used the Theory of Reasoned Action andthe Technology Acceptance Model to develop a WebQualinstrument aimed to determine consumer evaluation of Websites. WebQual has 12 dimensions that can be used to determinewhether a user will reuse a Web site in the future.

5 For a useful review of a cognitive-affective model of organi-zational communication that is broader than Web site design,refer to Te’eni (2001).

6 Refer to Cyr (2013a) for an overview of emotion and Web sitedesign.

7 Refer to Johnson et al. (2006) for a summary of definitions ofinteractivity.

8 To further elaborate, Lee (2005) identified (1) user control, (2)responsiveness, (3) personalization, and (4) connectedness asimportant components to interactivity in a mobile commercesetting. User control refers to the user’s ability to control theinformation display and content. Responsiveness refers to the siteas being able to respond to user queries. Personalization refers to ausers’ ability to purchase products and services that are tailored tousers and their unique desires. Perceived connectedness refers towhether customers share experiences regarding products orservices offered with other visitors to the site. Similarly, Dholakiaet al. (2000) suggested Web site interactivity consists of (1) control,(2) responsiveness, (3) real-time interactions, (4) connectedness,(5) personalization/customization, and (6) playfulness. Related toissues of access and control, Ku (1992) proposed six interactivitydimensions for computer-mediated communication: (1)immediacy of feedback, (2) responsiveness, (3) source diversity,(4) communication linkages, (5) equality of participation, and (6)ability to terminate. Ha and James (1998) outlined five interactivitydimensions aimed to fulfill communication requirements: (1)playfulness, (2) choice, (3) connectedness, (4) informationcollection, and (5) reciprocal communication. In other work, Cyret al. (2009a, b) define perceived interactivity as allowing the user tocontrol and access information on the site in a variety of ways,which is both personal and responsive.

9 http://socialdriver.com/2013/01/the-tech-gender-gap/ (accessed16 March 2013).

10 http://socialdriver.com/2013/01/the-tech-gender-gap/ (accessed16 March 2013).

11 Burke (2002) also provides interesting comparisons betweengoods purchased in online vs in-store environments.

12 Mithas et al. (2006) classify the Web sites in their investigationinto business domains based on ownership (government vscommercial), Web site offerings (goods vs services), and the


degree to which Web sites deliver information or supportcommercial transactions (information- vs transaction-orientedWeb sites). The findings are of interest to those who wish to designfor these differing domains as they result in online customer loyalty.

13 Beyond the scope of this paper, refer to Lim et al. (2012) in whichAppendix A provides a comprehensive summary of the literatureon e-government, although much of the work to date is notsystematically related to Web site design.

14 For a useful guide on localization considerations and practices,including checklists, refer to ‘A Guide to Localization Management’http://www.issco.unige.ch/en/research/projects/ecolore/localisation/Components/White%20Papers/Guide%20to%20Localisation%20Management.pdf, (accessed 13 March 2013).

15 Refer to Tables 1 and 2 in Vyncke and Brengman (2010) for acomprehensive categorization of studies by product or service,countries, Web site design component, and impact. Culturalcongruency was measured on a variety of dimensions asidentified by Singh and his colleagues (Singh and Baack, 2004;Singh and Boughton, 2005) based on the degree to which a Website was localized. Web sites ranged from standardized when therewas no customization across country locations, to highlylocalized. In the Vyncke and Brengman study, Web site effec-tiveness was based on work by Loiacono et al. (2007), andwhether or not users perceive a Web site to be useful, easy touse, entertaining, and facilitating positive attitudes and behaviorsthat result in users wanting to return to the Web site in thefuture.

16 Refer to Table 4 of Singh et al. (2003) for a presentation ofcultural categories and the frequency of items as they appear (e.g.,symbols, type of communication, company hierarchy infor-mation, presentation of gender roles etc.) in each category forboth the Chinese and English Web sites. Further, Singh et al.(2009) created a useful diagnostic framework with which to analyzethe degree to which a company localizes Web site content resultingin overall quality of the localization effort. A scorecard is providedfor practitioners to use in the assessment of Web site localizationwith 12 categories such as content depth and synchronization,navigation, Web page structure, graphics, colors, translationquality, among others. Also of interest may be Smith et al. (2004),who developed a practical ‘process model’ for developing usablecross-cultural Web sites. This includes: conducting an audit ofWebsites; developing a ‘cultural fingerprint’ to determine cultural needsof users; and how to deal with issues associated with userevaluation, as well as a cross-cultural development team.

17 Refer to a description of the Visual Media track at http://icis2012.aisnet.org/index.php/tracks/102-visual-media (accessed 18 March2013).

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About the Author

Dianne Cyr is a Professor in the Beedie School of Business atSimon Fraser University in Vancouver, Canada. She earned aPh.D. from the University of British Columbia. Her research isfocused on how trust, satisfaction, and loyalty are built inonline business environments through Web site design. Morespecific consideration of these topics is related to cross-cultural and gender issues. She is the author of four booksand over 100 research articles. Journal publications appear inMIS Quarterly, Information Systems Research, Journal of MIS,Information and Management, Journal of the American Societyfor Information Science and Technology, Journal of GlobalInformation Management, and the International Journal ofHuman Computer Studies, among others. Her co-authoredpaper published in MIS Quarterly in 2009 received the MISQBest Paper of the Year Award as well as the IS Senior ScholarsBest Paper of the Year Award for 2009 (across all IS journals).Web site: www.diannecyr.com.


Table A1 A chronology of Web site design 2002–2012

Article Year Journal Author(s) Website design elements Outcomes Additional variables

Assessing a firm’s webpresence: A heuristicevaluation procedure forthe measurement ofusability

2002 Information SystemsResearch

Ritu Agarwal,ViswanathVenkatesh

Content (relevance, media use, depth/breath, current information); ease of use(goals, structure, feedback); promotion;made-for-the-medium (community,personalization, refinement); emotion(challenge, plot, character strength, pace)

Usability

Customer loyalty ine-commerce: Anexploration of itsantecedents andconsequences

2002 Journal of Retailing SriniSrinivasan,RolphAnderson,KishorePonnavolu

Customization, contact interactivity,cultivation, care, community, choice,character

E-Loyalty E-Loyalty ->word-of-mouth promotion,willingness to pay more

Measuring factors thatinfluence the success ofinternet commerce


GholamrezaTorkzadeh,GurpreetDhillon

Internet product choice (i.e., availabilityand variety of products), online payment(i.e., privacy and security of personalinformation), Internet vendor trust (i.e.,legitimacy and credibility), shoppingtravel (i.e., time and distance), Internetshipping errors

E-commerce success

Businesses as buildings:Metrics for thearchitectural quality ofinternet business


Jinwoo Kim,Jungwon Lee,KwangheeHan,Moonkyu Lee

Firmness (internal stability, externalsecurity); convenience (informationgathering, order processing); delight(system interface, communicationinterface)

Satisfaction Satisfaction -> loyalty

Technology and thecustomer interface: Whatconsumers want in thephysical and virtual store

2002 Journal of the Academyof Marketing Science

RaymondBurke

Virtual store: Product information (prices,product specifications, list of productpromotions); shopping aids (saved list ofpurchases); clicks-and-mortar integration(product information in closest retailstore, online information on local store’sdirectory); payment, filling, and customerservice (toll-free line, shipping to home oroffice, email order confirmation)

Perceived websiterequirements

Appendix ARetu

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Table A1 Continued


The conceptualization andempirical validation of website user satisfaction

2002 Information &Management

Steve Muylle,RudyMoenaert,MarcDespontin

Layout; information (relevance, accuracy,comprehensibility, comprehensiveness);connection (ease of use, entry guidance,structure, hyperlink connotation, speed);layout; language customization

Satisfaction

The measurement of web-customer satisfaction: Anexpectation anddisconfirmation approach


VickiMcKinney,KanghyunYoon,FatemehZahedi

Understandability, readability, usefulness,access usability, navigation

Understandability,readability, usefulness→ information quality;access, usability,navigation →systemquality

Satisfaction

Web site usability, design,and performance metrics


JonathanPalmer

Web site download delay, navigation,interactivity, responsiveness

Satisfaction, likelihoodto return; frequency ofuse

Web site success

Applying the technologyacceptance model and flowtheory to online consumerbehavior


MarioKoufaris

Product involvement, web skills, value-added search mechanisms, challenges

Product involvement-> shoppingenjoyment,concentration; webskills -> shoppingenjoyment,concentration; value-added searchmechanisms ->shopping enjoyment;challenges -> shoppingenjoyment,concentration

Shopping enjoyment,perceived usefulness ->intention to return

An empirical study of theeffects of interactivity onweb user attitude

2003 International Journal ofHuman-ComputerStudies

Hock-Hai Teo,Lih-Bin Oh,Chunhui Liu,Kwok-KeeWei

Interactivity Satisfaction,effectiveness, efficiency

Satisfaction,effectiveness, efficiency→ value; satisfaction →attitude; value ->attitude

Customer satisfaction andloyalty in online andoffline environments

2003 Research in Marketing VenkateshShankar, AmySmith, ArvindRangaswamy

Ease of obtaining information Satisfaction, loyalty

Retu

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22

Factors influencing theusage of websites: The caseof a generic portal in theNetherlands


Hans van derHeijden

Perceived attractiveness Perceived usefulness,perceived ease of use,perceived enjoyment

Attitude toward use,intention to use, actualusage

Dimensional hierarchy ofretail website quality


Soyoung Kim,Leslie Stoel

Informational fit-to-task, tailoredcommunication, online completeness,relative advantage,Visual appeal, innovativeness, emotionalappeal, consistent image, ease ofunderstanding, intuitive operations,response time

UsefulnessEntertainment

Ease of understanding,intuitive operations →ease of use

Re-examining themeasurement models ofsuccess for Internetcommerce


Jerry Chang,GholamrezaTorkzadeh,GurpreetDhillon

Internet product choice (i.e., availabilityand variety of products), online payment(i.e., privacy and security of personalinformation), Internet vendor trust (i.e.,legitimacy and credibility), shoppingtravel (i.e., time and distance), Internetshipping errors

Satisfaction

A theoretical integration ofuser satisfaction andtechnology acceptance


BarbaraWixom, PeterTodd

Information quality (completeness,accuracy, format, currency); systemquality (reliability, flexibility, integration,accessibility, timeliness)

Informationsatisfaction, systemsatisfaction

Informationsatisfaction, ease of use→ usefulness; systemsatisfaction → ease ofuse; ease of use →usefulness; ease of use-> attitude; usefulness→ attitude, intention;attitude → intention

Are the drivers and role ofonline trust the same forall web sites andconsumers? A large scaleexploratory empiricalstudy

2005 Journal of Marketing Yakov Bart,VenkateshShankar,FareenaSultan, GlenUrban

Privacy, navigation and presentation,brand strength, advice, absence of errors,familiarity, online expertise, shoppingexperience, entertainment experience

Trust Trust, navigation,brand strength, advice,order fulfillment,familiarity, onlineexpertise, shoppingexperience →behavioral intent

How presentation flawsaffect perceived sitequality, trust, andintention to purchase froman online store

2005 Journal of ManagementInformation Systems

AndreaEverard,DennisGalletta

Style, completeness, lack of errors Perceived quality ofonline store → trust inonline store

Intention to purchasefrom online store

Retu

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Table A1 Continued


Interactivity and vividnesseffects on social presenceand involvement with aweb-based advertisement

2005 Journal of BusinessResearch

David Fortin,Ruby RoyDholakia

Interactivity, vividness Interactivity, vividness-> social presence,arousal; interactivity ->involvement

Social presence →involvement;involvement, socialpresence → arousal;arousal→ attitudes,intentions

Online consumer trust andlive help interfaces: Theeffects of text-to-speechvoice and three-dimensional avatars

2005 International Journal ofHuman-ComputerInteraction

Lingyun Qiu,Izak Benbasat

Text-to-speech voice; 3D avatar (forcustomer service representatives)

Cognitive trust,emotional trust

The role played byperceived usability,satisfaction and consumertrust on website loyalty


Carlos Flavián,MiguelGuinalíu,Raquel Gurrea

Usability characteristics (i.e., easy tounderstand and use)

Trust, satisfaction Loyalty

Designing web sites forcustomer loyalty acrossbusiness domains: Amultilevel analysis


Sunil Mithas,NarayanRamasubbu,M.S. Krishnan,Claes Fornell

Perceived quality of content, perceivedfunctionality, perceived structure

Loyalty

Interactivity and its facetsrevisited

2006 Journal of Advertising GraceJohnson,GordonBruner II,Anand Kumar

Nonverbal information; responsiveness;speed of response

Perceived interactivity Attitude to website,involvement

The effects ofpersonalization andfamiliarity on trust andadoption ofrecommendation agents

2006 MIS Quarterly SherrieKomiak, IzakBenbasat

Recommendation agent (perceivedpersonalization, familiarity)

Familiarity, perceivedpersonalization →cognitive trust andemotional trust

Understanding andpredicting electroniccommerce adoption: Anextension of the theory ofplanned behavior

2006 MIS Quarterly Paul Pavlou,MendelFygenson

Beliefs about getting information; beliefsabout purchasing

Trust, perceived ease ofuse, perceivedusefulness

E-commerce adaptation

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The role of social presencein establishing loyalty ine-service environments

2007 Interacting withComputers

Dianne Cyr,KhaledHassahein,Milena Head,Alex Ivanov

PSP PSP → perceivedusefulness, trust,enjoyment, e-loyalty;perceived ease of use →perceived usefulness

Trust, enjoyment,perceived usefulness →e-loyalty

WebQual: An instrumentfor consumer evaluation ofweb sites

2007 International Journal ofElectronic Commerce

EleanorLoiacono,RichardWatson, DaleGoodhue

Info/fit-to-task, tailored information,online completeness, relative advantage,ease of understanding, intuitiveoperations, visual appeal, innovativeness,consistent image

Trust, response time →entertainment,usefulness, reuseintention

Modeling web site designacross cultures:Relationships to trust,satisfaction, and e-loyalty


Dianne Cyr Visual design, navigation design,information design

Trust, satisfaction E-loyalty

Colour appeal in websitedesign within and acrosscultures: A multi-methodevaluation


Dianne Cyr,Milena Head,Hector Larios

Color appeal Trust, satisfaction E-loyalty

Exploring human imagesin website design: A multi-method approach

2009 MIS Quarterly Dianne Cyr,Milena Head,Hector Larios,Bing Pan

Human images Perceived socialpresence, image appeal,trust

Image appeal → trust

Perceived interactivityleading to e-loyalty:Development of a modelfor cognitive-affective userresponses


Dianne Cyr,Milena Head,Alex Ivanov

Perceived interactivity (user control,connectedness, responsiveness)

Efficiency, effectiveness,enjoyment, trust

E-loyalty

Affect in web interfaces: Astudy of the impacts of webpage visual complexity andorder

2010 MIS Quarterly Liqiong Deng,Marshall Poole

Webpage order, webpage visualcomplexity

Arousal, pleasantness Arousal, pleasantness→ approach tendency

Generation Y, web design,and eye tracking


SoussanDjamasbi,Masia Siegel,Thomas Tullis

Main large image, images of celebrities,little text, search feature

User attention

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Table A1 Continued


Integrating websiteusability with theelectronic commerceacceptance model

2011 Behaviour &Information Technology

David Green,J. MichaelPearson

Design credibility, content, interactivity,navigability, responsiveness, downloaddelay, PU, PEOU, satisfaction with design

Design credibility →trust; interactivity,content → perceivedusefulness; navigation,responsiveness,download delay → easeof use

Trust → perceived risk;EOU → satisfaction,perceived usefulness;perceived usefulness →satisfaction; satisfaction→ intention to transact

Faces and viewingbehavior: An exploratoryinvestigation

2012 Transactions onHuman-ComputerInteraction

SoussanDjamasbi,Masia Siegel,Thomas Tullis

Images of faces User attention

Website design in aninternational context: Therole of gender in masculineversus feminine orientedcountries

2013 Computers in HumanBehavior

Dianne Cyr,Milena Head

Information content, navigation design,visual design

Website trust, websitesatisfaction

Website design, trust andculture: An eight countryinvestigation

2013 Electronic CommerceResearch andApplications

Dianne Cyr Information design, navigation design,visual design, transaction security

Website trust

Note: Only significant results reported.

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