Title: Internet Marketing adoption: factors affecting website sophistication

Authors: Maria Teresa Borges Tiago, Joao Pedro Almeida Couto, Flavio Borges Tiago, Jose Antonio Cabral Vieira

Addresses: Department of Business and Economics, University of the Azores, Portugal. ' Department of Business and Economics, University of the Azores, Portugal. ' Department of Business and Economics, University of the Azores, Portugal. ' Department of Business and Economics, University of the Azores, Portugal

Abstract: The continuous growth and evolution of the internet has turned it into a vital resource for organisations and the focus of increasing academic research. This study compares the adoption of Internet Marketing (IM) by 500 major European companies. We analyse different patterns of website sophistication to measure IM and the impact of contextual variables on this process. Considering the existing literature, we propose criteria to analyse the sophistication of the companies| online presence, based on their websites features. Using a probit model we found a correlation between the level of IM utilisation, the nationality of the companies and the type of industry, with relevant effects derived from contextual variables like the number of hosts, internet users, and the company|s dimension, measured by sales volume.

Keywords: internet marketing; marketing strategy; electronic commerce; e-commerce; website sophistication; Europe; website features; online marketing; e-marketing.

DOI: 10.1504/IJECRM.2007.017798

International Journal of Electronic Customer Relationship Management, 2007 Vol.1 No.3, pp.287 - 306

Published online: 14 Apr 2008 *

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