A design science research approach to website benchmarking

Cassidy, Leonie;Hamilton, John

Abstract

Purpose: The literature identifies current approaches to website benchmarking are time-consuming, generally survey-based, and lack agreement on what website components to measure and how these may be measured. A comprehensive and integrated artifact is developed to evaluate and benchmark websites, thereby allowing possible website repositioning to better fit consumer expectations. A theoretical explanation of website benchmarking is provided. Design/methodology/approach: Design Science Research Methodology (DSRM) establishes a website analysis method (WAM) artifact. This WAM artifact solves the DSRM-identified website benchmarking problem using a six activities process (problem identification, solution objective, artifact design/development, artifact demonstration, artifact evaluation, results communication). Findings: This study's rough-cut, mutually-exclusive, causal-summing, set-theory approach to website benchmarking enables scores and comparisons to be established. Functional and domain scores can then be used to modify the website and to encourage consumers into making behaviorally-related transaction decisions. Research implications: The WAM artifact encompasses 28 functions, and 3 domains. This approach allows new emergent components and/or functions to be included as upgrades and redundant components to be removed. The WAM artifact allows benchmarking comparisons or website upgrades to be optimized. Practical implications: The DSRM artifact WAM is software programmable, easy to implement internally or externally and user friendly. Originality: DRSM identifies the benchmarking problem and uses rough cut set-theory with mutual-exclusivity and causal-summing to enable the WAM artifact as an objective solution. This is a new comprehensive approach to website benchmarking and has competitive and website behavioral implications for corporates.

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Benchmarking

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1463-5771

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Emerald

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DOI

10.1108/BIJ-07-2014-0064