Selling Books Online: An Evaluation of Australian and Swiss E-Shops

Abstract

The Extended Web Assessment Method (EWAM) is an evaluation tool specifically created for the assessment of electronic commerce applications. One of the oldest evaluation methods of its kind, EWAM has been revised and improved over the years. The method is based on an evaluation grid that includes a set of criteria with which to appraise the quality and success of e-commerce applications. The focus is on consumer perspectives and the specific features of the Internet as a medium. In this paper, we used the EWAM tool for the comparative analysis of Australian and Swiss Web sites in the retail sector, more specifically for the evaluation of e-shops whose main business is selling books. The findings show that most of the Web sites assessed do not fully meet the expectations of consumers.