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Websites that sell: consumer perceptions and attitudes1. IntroductionAs website and Internet technologies become more established and dependable, attention is turningto the factors that impact website success (Corritore, Kracher and Wiedenbeck, 2003, Hernández,Jiménez and Martín 2009). Previous literature has focused on identifying various website designfactors/variables (controllable, therefore, by the company), which may increase online sales and haveother effects such as satisfaction, trust and perceived risk. This concern is particularly significant forSMEs (small and medium enterprises) interested in maximising the opportunities offered by Internetas a sales channel. So, this study therefore proposes a novel piece of research based onsimultaneously manipulating several variables traditionally considered in the literature as “key”variables for building successful websites (Corritore, Kracher, Wiedenbeck 2003, Hernández,Jiménez and Martín 2009). Four variables have been manipulated in this study: (i) web security, (ii)customer service, (iii) informative content and (iv) usability. So the website was degraded in thesefour directions in order to study the impact on five effects: (i) purchase intention, (ii) satisfaction,(iii) perceived risk, (iv) positive attitudes towards a website, and (v) trust in the website.This paper is based on constructs from information systems (Technology Acceptance Model),marketing (Consumer Behaviour), and psychology (Flow and Environmental Psychology) in anintegrated theoretical framework of online consumer behaviour (Koufaris, 2002). Specifically thiswork focuses on two major objectives which are also the study’s two major contributions. Firstly, tobuild a tool capable of measuring the different desired effects of an ideal website in terms of fiveindicators: satisfaction, online trust, perceived risk, purchase intention. Secondly, this present workseeks an easy way of visually displaying the proximities between the different properties (desiredeffects of a website) and the five websites (low web security, low informative content, low usability,ideal website). In this case, a perceptual map was used, obtained using the ANAFACO technique. Inaddition to the above contributions, we consider that the methodology and the sample used are aninnovation in this field.2. Key variables in ideal website constructionAcademia has offered several contributions on the structure of commercial website design factorswhich influence consumer perceptions, attitudes and behaviours towards the website itself, thecompany and its products (Liu and Arnett, 2000; Cox and Dale, 2002; Lee and Lin, 2005,). Ingeneral, in this work the key factors for successful website design are classified in three majorblocks: system, contents and service. This study follows the proposals of one stream of the research(Liu and Arnett, 2000; Cox and Dale, 2002) which postulates that perceived quality in a website isrelated to how good its system, contents and services are perceived to be (Appendix 1).This present work focuses, therefore, on transactional pages whose end aim is to improve severaloutputs: (i) purchase intention (Ko, Cho and Roberts, 2005; Lee and Lin, 2005; Park, Lennon andStoel, 2005); (ii) attitude towards the website (Belanger, Hiller and Smith, 2002; Aladwani, 2006;Schlosser, White and Lloyd, 2006); (iii) trust (Belanger, Hiller and Smith, 2002 43, Palvia, 2009, 50,58; (iv) satisfaction (Lee and Lin, 2005); (v) and low risk (Park, Lennon and Stoel, 2005;Wakefield, and Whitten, 2006). Thus, a favourable website in terms of usability, amount and qualityof informative content, customer service (before, during and after the transaction), and web security,will be perceived as a quality website.

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FIGURE 1. Key factors for building an ideal website and effects

Source: Own design based on Palvia (2009).Therefore, and based on literature review, the following hypotheses can be stated:H1: The ideal website creates increased purchase intention in comparison to non ideal websites (less

usability, informative content, customer service and web security).H2: The ideal website produces more positive attitudes than non-ideal websites (less usability,

informative content, customer service and web security).H3: The ideal website provides greater satisfaction than non-ideal websites (less usability,

informative content, customer service and web security).H4: The ideal website builds more online trust than non-ideal websites (with less usability,

informative content, customer service and web security).H5: The ideal website causes less perceived risk than non-ideal websites (with less usability,

informative content, customer service and web security).The five concepts contemplated in the five hypotheses (purchase intention, attitude, satisfaction, trustand perceived risk) have been combined in a 21-item single construct designed to measure desiredeffects in an ideal website. (Appendix 2)13. Methodology3.1. Qualitative studyFirstly, 7 focus groups were held in different contexts in order to guarantee the greatest possibleparticipation. On the basis of the qualitative study conclusions, this study focused on developing aclothes website directed at the segment of consumers between 18 and 35 years old. This website wasthe basis for developing four different websites in which one variable was manipulated (usability,web security, informative content and customer service). The present investigation was conducted inthe Spanish textile industry.3.2. Website designInitially, two graphic designers created an “ideal” fictitious website for a non existent clothingcompany: Resaka. The target was the segment of middle class young people. (See Appendix 3).Following literature recommendations, four additional websites were manipulated from the idealwebsites: Low usability website: slow and untidy, Low security web, Low informative contentwebsite, and Low service level website.3.3. Quantitative studyOur experiments are supported by the opinions of 350 interviewees who agreed to participate inexchange for an USB worth 15 euros. The interviewees were contacted in two underground stations.After accepting the invitation, they were taken to a computer room to surf the website of thefictitious company, Resaka. Of the total sample, 110 were exposed to the ideal website, while groupsof 65 interviewees were exposed to each of the four website manipulations described in the abovesection. They were all told that they had a fictitious cheque for 200 euros which they could spend

Ideal WebsiteDesign

DESIREDEFFECTS

USABILITYSYSTEM

RELATEDEasu to use and

quick

SUCCESSFUL WEBPAGEFACTORS

+ Confidence

(-) Perceived Risk

+ On line purchaseintention

+ Satisfaction

CONTENTRELATED

Images, prices, sales,catalogues

SERVICERELATED

Delivery, payment,refunds.

SECURITY

+ Attitude

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shopping on the website. After 30 minutes, they were given a questionnaire to reflect their opinionsafter surfing. To measure the different concepts in the model, several 7-point Likert scales were usedbased on proposals in the literature (Appendix 2).Related to statistical methodology, firstly, related to our first objective, we applied the Rasch Modelusing Linacre’s Winsetp programme version 3.60.01 (Linacre, 2006). Secondly, and to achieve thesecond objective, perceptual maps were obtained which could represent two groups of stimuli bypoints in the same geometric space i.e. the subjects (which in the study are the five segments ofinterviewees exposed to 5 different websites), and the 21 items (which make up the successfulwebsite construct).4. Discussion4.1. Developing a tool to determine website successThe main objective was to provide a measure of the desired effects of a website, or in other words, aninstrument for measuring website success. We have argued that this success will comprise theconcepts of favourable attitude towards the website, satisfaction, trust, low perceived risk andpurchase intention. The information obtained from 350 interviewees was analysed using the RaschModel. In this model, the latent variable “website success” is conceived of as a 21-item conceptmeasured on a 7-point Likert scale, as justified above (Appendix 2). The Rasch model was applied tothe entire sample rather than on each experiment to obtain valid results with a better fit, lowerestimation error and across all the scenarios analysed. However, for experimental purposes, themodel was applied to each subsample independently, and practically equivalent results wereobtained. The likelihood ratio test between the estimations for the whole sample and each of the 4manipulated subsamples shows much symmetry.The Rasch model can be used to establish a hierarchy of website success concepts, defining theirpresence among the participants in the study (Appendix 4). Additionally, as Appendix 4 shows, themost relevant items for measuring success are at the bottom of the map. Thus, the most relevantvariables for measuring website success are: PA.3: Ease of navigating the website, PS.2: Satisfactoryexperience of navigating the website, PC.3: Sensation of sincere promises to customers, and PI.4:Recommendation of this website to others. Regarding validity values in the proposed measurementinstrument, MNSQ statistical values are between recommended values 0.5-1.5 (Linacre, 2006); andPTMEA correlations reach high positive values. However, not all Zstd statistic values exceed 2 inabsolute terms, advising a more detailed study on measurement reliability and validity. Also, we gotsatisfactory results related to the item and interviewee measurement reliability. Therefore, bothinterviewee responses and the measures used to measure website success are consistent and stable.At the same time, and related to measurement validity, a good level of global fit has been obtained asthe INFIT and OUTFIT values for both statistics (MNSQ and ZSTD) are appropriated. Finally, it isinteresting to check instrument one-dimensionality and invariance, as these are the underlyinghypotheses in the Rasch Model. In this regard, explained variance is 54.1% which, together with thehigh reliability levels and high PTMEA values, shows that the one-dimensionality hypothesisrequired by the model has been fulfilled. In view of the above, the proposed instrument isappropriate, reliable and valid for measuring website success from the consumer’s point of view.

5.2. Factor Analysis: 5 websites and 21 items (effects).Having built the tool to measure the construct “desired effects of an ideal website”, CorrespondenceFactor Analysis was applied to achieve the second objective. Thus, it is also possible to verify thehypotheses by examining the relative distance between the ideal website and the different items.Correspondence Factor Analysis shows that two dimensions explain a high variability of the data(80.43%). So, the perceptual map that visually represents both dimensions can be used toaccept/reject our hypotheses as the variance explained (80.43%) is higher than the recommend value(75%) (Hair, Anderson and Black, 1998). Secondly, it is possible to analyse to what extent bothdimensions explain the behaviour of the 5 websites (Appendix 5). In this sense, the horizontal axis

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could be called “long term pleasure versus short term satisfaction”, and the vertical axis could becalled “action versus feeling”, which is the same as “purchase intention versus trust”.To summarise then, and as shown visually in Figure 3 and numerically in Appendix 5, the consideredwebsites seem to emphasise different variables. It should be remembered that the names of thewebsites correspond to the variable that was manipulated to get less customer service, product/firminformative content, web security and usability. The ideal website was named “ideal” because it keptthe highest levels of customer service, product/firm informative content, web security and usabilityaccording to previous literature. The variables that best described each web are the following. TheNO SERVICE WEBSITE is the one most associated with a high purchase intention (actions). So, awebsite could increase purchase intention even when low customer services are offered. Therefore,we must reject H1, since the ideal website does not have the greatest purchase intention in relativeterms. The NON-INFORMATIVE WEBSITE is the one most associated with positive attitudes (longterm pleasure. Also, the NON-USABLE WEBSITE develops positive attitudes. We must thereforereject H2 since in relative terms the ideal website does not produce the most positive attitudes to thewebsite. The NON-SECURE WEBSITE is the one most associated with online trust (feelings). Wemust therefore reject H4 since in relative terms the IDEAL WEBSITE does not have the greatestonline trust in relative terms. The NON-USABLE WEBSITE is associated with a mix of items. Itoffers positive attitudes, although it is also perceived low risk; with purchase intention andsatisfaction. In other words, the non-usable website does not emphasise any property, although it isthe one which comes closest to the majority of them. Its assessment is the most varied, as shown byits proximity to the intersection between the coordinate axes. The IDEAL WEBSITE is the one mostassociated with low perceived risk and with satisfaction. Therefore, we can accept H3 as the idealwebsite does stand out in satisfaction and also H5, as a lower level of perceived risk is associatedwith the ideal website.

FIGURE 3. Representation of the five websites and the desired effects

(*) Asterisc represent the five Websites

6. Conclusions, implications, limitations and future lines for research.The first objective has provided two major conclusions. Firstly, the Rasch Model has proved to be anappropriate procedure for obtaining reliable, valid measurement scales. Secondly, an instrument ableto evaluate website success has been designed which reflects different success-related aspects: lowperceived risk, attitude, trust, satisfaction and purchase intention. Achieving this objective providescompanies with useful information for a better understanding of the key dimensions to successfulonline sales. However, when this instrument is broken down and represented on a perceptual map,the idiosyncrasy of the spatial representation technique disperses the construct components in the

PA.4PA.1

PA.2PR.3

PI.1

PC.1

PC.3PC.2

PA.3PA.5

PI.2

PC.4

PS.1

PS.2PR.2

PR.1

PR.4PS.4

PS.3PI.3PI.4

EJE 1

No SecureOn line trust

IdealLow Risk

Satisfaction

Non InformativePositive attitudes

Non Cust.ServiceBuying Intention

Non usableMixed effects

ACTTION (PURCHASE INTENTION)

FEELING (TRUST)

SHORT TERM SATISFACTIONLONG TERM PLEASURE

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space. Thus, the different websites are associated to the items which are closest to them on the map.This means that the map yields relative results, but this does not invalidate the construct as anabsolute tool for measuring website success.In relation to the second objective, the different websites analysed produce very different effects. Theresults show that an ideal website in terms of web security, customer service, informative quality andusability does not have the best effects in absolute terms. Our study shows that the IDEALWEBSITE is outstanding in items concerning short term satisfaction and low perceived risk. Thus, atechnically perfect website, with good web security indicators and plenty of informative elementssatisfies the user. In contrast, this IDEAL WEBSITE does not carry higher levels of purchaseintention (actions), trust (feelings) or long term pleasure attitudes. The results show that the construct“desired effects of an ideal website” is not uniformly present in an IDEAL WEBSITE. In otherwords, all the desired effects do not associate with a website which in principle is well designed interms of web security (with logos and certifications), customer service (with links on periods,refunds, guarantees, contact, etc.), informative quality (with catalogues, colour options, offers, pricesetc), and usability (with horizontal navigation bars and fast screens).In sum, and as a result of the above, companies cannot pretend to be everything for everybody. Theresults show that young clothing shoppers who value web security are less interested in the serviceoffered or in usability. That is why, when designing an ideal website, although there should be anoptimum balance between the different design variables, the company must know a priori thecharacteristics of its target public in order to develop an informative sales channel appropriate totheir requirements. For that reason, a market study would be useful to provide informative content onthe values and needs of the company’s majority public, before the company’s website is left to thedesigners and experts. The limitations of this study include the fact that it concentrates on theSpanish textile sector which is a mature sector, and so the conclusions cannot be generalised to othersectors with other characteristics. A cross-cultural comparison to analyse the different manipulationsin different cultural contexts would be interesting. Likewise, future studies could contemplateanother type of statistical methodology, for example, multi-sample structural equation modelscapable of analysing cause-effect relationships between several concepts considered simultaneouslyfor different segments/websites.

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REFERENCESAladwani, A.M. (2006). An empirical test of the link between website quality and forward enterprise

integration with web consumers. Business Process Management Journal, 12(2), 178-191.Belanger, F., Hiller, J.S., & Smith, W.J. (2002). Trustworthiness in electronic commerce: the role of

privacy, security, and site attributes. Journal of Strategic Information Systems, 11, 245–270.Corritore, C. L., Kracher, B. & Wiedenbeck, S. (2003). On-line Trust: Concepts, Evolving Themes, a

Model. International Journal of Human-Computer Studies, 58, 737–758Cox, J. & Dale, B.G. (2002). Key quality factors in website design and use: An examination.

International Journal of Quality & Reliability Management, 19(7), 862-888.Hair, J.F.; Anderson, R.L. and Black, W. (1998). Multivariate data analysis. Prentice Hall:

Hardcover.Hernández, B.; Jiménez, J. & Martín, M.J. (2009): “Key website factors in e-business strategy”.

International Journal of Information Management, 29(5), 362-371.Ko, H., Cho, C. & Roberts, M.S. (2005). Internet uses and gratifications: A structural equation model

of interactive advertising. Journal of Advertising, 34(2), 57-70.Koufaris, M. (2002). Applying the Technology Acceptance Model and Flow Theory to Online

Consumer Behavior. Information Systems Research, 13(2),. 205–223.Lee, G.G. & Lin, H.F. (2005). Customer perceptions of e-service quality in online shopping.

International Journal of Retail & Distribution Management; 33(2/3), 161-176.Linacre, J. M. (2006). Winsteps. Rasch measurement computer program. Chicago, Winsteps.com.

http://www.winsteps.com/winman/index.htm.Liu, C. & Arnett, P. (2000). Exploring the factors associated with websites success in the context of

electronic commerce. Information and Management, 38, 23–33.Park, J., Lennon S.J. & Stoel, L. (2005). On-line product presentation: Effects on mood, perceived

risk, and purchase intention. Psychology & Marketing, 22(9), 695–719.Palvia, P. (2009). The role of trust in e-commerce relational exchange: A unified model. Information

& Management, 46(4), 203-258.Schlosser, A., White, T. & Lloyd, S.M. (2006). Converting website Visitors into Buyers: How

website Investment Increases Consumer Trusting Beliefs and On line Purchase Intentions. Journalof Marketing, 70(2), 133-148.

Wakefield, R.L. & Whitten, D. (2006). Examining User Perceptions of Third-Party OrganizationCredibility and Trust. Journal of Organizational and End User Computing, 18(2), 1-19.

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Appendix 1Ideal website design variables

SYSTEM USABILITYSpeed - Waiting time 47, 48, 55, both for downloads and to reach the home page 18.

- Attitude towards waiting time and website delays 47, 48.Easy ofuse/navigability

- A well-structured website is perceived as intuitive, simple, consistent and attractive. In contrast, slow, complicated anddisorganised websites do not encourage navigation and shopping even less so 15, 46

INFORMATIVE CONTENTFull productinformation

- Product assortment, brand and model assortment 16, 31, 34, 52- Enlarge, zoom and rotate functions for the product 44.- New product launches, or changes in current products 31, 52.- Photographs of the products 31, 52 and from different angles so the product can really be appreciated 44.- Price information 31, 52, especially next to the products 52.- Highlight special offers, promotions/discounts 31- Product information next to the photograph and not by the side, to avoid confusing the consumer 52.- Product differentiation and comparisons 31.

Company information - Company history 31.- Company’s mission statement 31.- Company notices, news, etc. 31.

CUSTOMER SERVICEPre-purchaseservices 9, 28, 52

- Information on availability and stock levels.- Preliminary information on terms and conditions of sale, payment etc., with the chance to contact the company and obtain

additional information.- Preliminary information on security and privacy terms.- Commitments on delivery dates and the promises made.

During purchaseservices 9, 28, 52

- Offer convenient times. (ii) Shorten the steps required to complete the transaction.- Allow consumers to change their requirements/orders while the order is being processed.- Use simple, self-explanatory forms when requesting personal data in the corresponding languages and with the appropriate

cultural adaptations.- Help customers during the process without claiming that the system is busy or out of service. A priority is to ensure that the

correct price is calculated when an order is processed.- Provide help to resolve any transaction errors.- Allow consumers to review previous transactions.- Accept several payment methods: credit cards, debit cards, cheques and cash (electronic or digital).

Post-purchaseservices23, 29, 34.

- Offer several delivery periods, at different product prices.- Say thank you for the transaction. (iii) Introduce order tracking mechanisms.- loyalty programmes (frequent miles programmes, customer loyalty programmes and company credit cards for local countries,

programmes for special members, etc.)- Create customer discussion forums/chats. That is, clubs or chat rooms (members clubs, product-based clubs, chats with company

employees, chats with interest groups, discussion groups, live talks etc.)SECURITYSecurity policy - Encrypted technology 52, 62.

- Authentication systems 31.- Approval mechanism 52.- Digital signatures included in the message itself 62- Third party insurance 31.

Privacy policy - Privacy policy on the home page 31, 46, 52.Source: Own elaboration.

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Appendix 2Construct “Desired effects in an ideal website” (desired properties in a web)

PURCHASE INTENTION: 19, 26, 31 SATISFACTION 3, 12PI.1. I would buy from this website PS.1. I think I have taken the correct decision to use this

websitePI.2. I would create a personalised account with

this websitePS.2. Experience of this website has been satisfactory

PI.3. I would use my credit card to shop on thiswebsite

PS.3. In general terms, I am satisfied with the way thiswebsite has managed the transactions

PI.4. I would recommend this website to otherpeople

PS.4. In general, I am satisfied with the service provided bythis website

ATTITUDES TO THE WEBSITE 29 PERCEIVED RISK 58, 21PA.1.I get on well with this website PR.1. It might be risky to buy articles from this websitePA.2. I would like to visit this website again PR.2. It is highly likely I will make a mistake if I buy a

product from this websitePA.3: I feel comfortable navigating this website PR.3. There is a significant risk attached to buying a product

from this websitePA.4: This site is a good place to spend my time PR.4. It is highly likely that the products I buy from this page

will not meet my expectationsPA.5. I consider this website to be a good site

for fashionON LINE TRUST 46, 58, 45

PC.1. This website deserves a lot of respectPC.2. This website is honest and truePC.3. This website appears to be sincere in its promises to

customersPC.4. You can trust this website completely

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Appendix 3

Ideal website (front page) Service section (ideal web site). Low service website

Product information (ideal website). Low informativecontent website

Low usability website (home page)

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Appendix 4Map of items and individuals interviewed

INPUT: 350 individuals, 21 Items MEASURED:

PERSONS INTERVIEWED ITEMS <more>|<rare> 4 +

| | | | . | | | | | 3 + . |

| | | | | | | . | 2 + | . |

# T| .# | .# | # | .# | . | .## | 1 .### S+ ##### | ##### | ###### |

######## |T PA.4 .####### | PI.3 ### | PI.2 .######### M|S .###### | PA.1 PR.1 PR.4 .##### | PC.1 PI.1 PR.2 0 .###### +M PR.3 .### | PA.2 PC.4 PS.1 PS.3 .###### | PA.5 PC.2 PI.4 PS.4 .####### |S ### | PA.3 PC.3 PS.2 .#### S| .## |T ## | .# | .## |

-1 . + ## | . T| . | | . | . | | . | |

-2 + <less>|<frequ>

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Appendix 5

Dimension contributions to website inertia and effect inertia (OTR)

WEBSITES ANALYSED (stimulus)

Horizontal axisof the mapFACTOR 1(OTR%) (*)

Vertical axisof the mapFACTOR 2(OTR%) (*)

IDEAL WEBSITE 60.95 0.89NON-SECURE WEBSITE 0.15 64.13NO CUSTOMER SERVICE WEBSITE 0.44 31.68NON-INFORMATIVE WEBSITE 36.76 0.09NON-USABLE WEBSITE 1.70 3.21WEBSITE EFFECTS (desired properties) Horizontal axis

(OTR%) (*)Vertical axis(OTR%) (*)

PURCHASE INTENTIONPI.1. I would buy from this website 2.62 17.98PI.2. I would create a personalised account with this website 0.48 0.00PI.3. I would use my credit card to shop on this website 0.04 6.02PI.4. I would recommend this website to other people 0.00 8.08ATTITUDES TO THE WEBSITEPA.1. This website connects with me 9.29 0.59PA.2. I would like to visit this website again 5.91 0.15PA.3. I feel comfortable navigating this website 0.02 3.64PA.4. This site is a good place to spend my time 39.33 0.13PA.5. I consider this website to be a good site for fashion 0.43 5.40PERCEIVED RISKPR.1.It might be risky to buy articles from this website 11.02 7.13PR.2.It is easy to make a mistake if I buy a product from this website 7.49 0.19PR.3.There is a significant risk attached to buying a product from this website 7.88 0.06PR.4.It is highly likely that the products I buy from this page will not meet my expectations 2.88 0.02SATISFACTIONPS.1. I think I have taken the correct decision to use this website 1.29 0.01PS.2.Experience of this website has been satisfactory 0.30 0.51PS.3. In general terms, I am satisfied with the way this website has managed the transactions 1.10 13.74PS.4. In general, I am satisfied with the service provided by this website 2.13 0.04ON LINE TRUSTPC.1.This website deserves a lot of respect 0.81 17.02PC.2.This website is honest and true 1.76 5.75PC.3.This website appears to be sincere in its promises to customers 2.72 12.63

PC.4.You can trust this website completely 2.49 0.92(*) The Websites and the desired proprieties which show negative coordinates on the map are shaded.

The numbers in the cell represent the contribution of each point in the map (website or property) to the inertia of the factor/dimension. If a point hasa higher value, it explains better the variance of the factor/dimension. So, it gives a positive or negative direction to the factor.The colours reflect the connection between Websites and properties. Non usable website has a mix of properties.