The impact of surfer/meeker mode on the effectiveness of website characteristics

This research examines how two commercial website design variables, visual complexity and source of interactivity control, are more or less effective depending on a consumer’s purpose for visiting a website (consumer user mode).

The impact of surfer/seeker mode on the effectiveness of website characteristics

Andrea J.S. Stanaland and Juliana Tan

Redford University

Introduction

The internet has long been identified as a unique advertising medium possessing such characteristics as multimedia capacity, audience selectivity, constant message delivery and interactivity (Ju-Pak 1999; Wolin et al.2002). Described as the ‘largest communication network ever created by humans’, the internet is now viewed as an essential element of the advertising media mix (Sohn & Jee 2005, p. 425). Prior research has also emphasised the importance of an advertiser’s website as a marketing communication tool (Berthon...

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