AN EXPLORATION OF ANTECEDENTS OF WEBSITE OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

This paper presents the results of empirical research that studied the impact of several factors on website operational effectiveness. Eighteen operational variables were identified and tested for their relations with four indicators of website effectiveness: the number of visitors, repeat visits, average time spent on the site, and visitor-to-purchaser ratio. The relative importance of these variables was then examined to uncover factors crucial for a website’s operational effectiveness. The results indicate that the websites that were more secure, more frequently updated, down less, prompt in responding to online inquiries and offered more relevant information and different types of information are more likely to attract the greatest number of new and repeat visitors. These visitors stay longer and are more likely to complete a purchase. Multivariate analyses indicate that website content, entertainment, design awards, and third-party certification are important determinants of each indicator of website effectiveness.

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