An Internet browser enables customers to manipulate and customize information.
However, not all of the sites allow the same level of interactivity to customers. A site that allows quick manipulation capabilities is likely to attract customers. Speed of interaction is important for maintaining customer interests on a site. If a Web page takes too long to load, or if it is difficult to manipulate and customize information from a Web site, customers are likely feel frustrated and may never access that Web site again (Dellaert and Khan, 1999).
Although speed of interaction may depend on network bandwidth and information technology sophistication, cluttering a Web page with too much information can also create traffic congestion. Moreover, in various parts of the world, a majority of people still use traditional telephone lines and modems to log on the Internet, so it becomes imperative for dot-coms that they carefully evaluate the mix of information contents into their sites. Another important aspect is the Range of interaction which is especially crucial, when customers want to view unique features of a product or service. If a dot-com provides diverse means of viewing, manipulating, and customizing several features of a product through its Web site, customers are likely to feel more satisfied with their experiences (Laudon and Traver, 2002).
In contrast, a Web site that is inflexible and makes it difficult for customers to manipulate company’s offered products along key dimensions is likely to reduce customer satisfaction (Hoffman and Novak, 2000). By creatively packaging information contents, enhanced through audio and video clips, a dot-com can enhance customers’ perception of reality. For example, an e-catalog can be equipped with the images of product designs, customer reviews, and virtual tours. However, dot-coms need to carefully evaluate the mix of graphics, audio and video clips in a Web page, because graphics, audio and video clips reduce the speed of interactivity. A Web site that impacts maximum number of senses is likely to be far more attractive to customers than a site that impacts fewer senses.
However, there is a trade-off between the vividness and the speed of interactivity. Therefore, the breadth of immersion on a site should be based on the type of the industry. For example, a dot-com, competing in the fashion industry, must organize its contents such in way as to allow customers easy navigational capability to view and compare the colors, looks, and designs of various fashion apparels from different angles. On the other hand, a dot-com competing in the book industry should be less concerned about comparison of various books along color, design, or looks. A Web site that provides a clear picture of its product and service offering is likely to enhance customer satisfaction than a site that does not show the picture of its offering.
For example, a firm doing business in organic farming is likely to paste the pictures of its products on its Web sites (Bhatt, 2004). Connectivity between customers is an important characteristic to promote word-of-mouth advertising (Schuler, 1996). While most of information presented in a Web site is controlled and monitored by dot-coms, connectivity, however, is created by the customers. Below, we describe the measure of the connectivity. Scope of connectivity is characterized by a customer’s ability to engage into different kinds of virtual forum. Therefore, a Web site should encourage dialogue and interactions among diverse groups of customers, by allowing them to access archives, bulletin boards, discussion lists, and news groups (Moore, 2001).
