Comparative evaluation study of the websites of China-based and international luxury hotels

Abstract

Practitioners in the hotel industry constantly seek ways to improve their online and offline presence to improve their competitiveness and profitability. Consumers from different countries differ in their preferences for color, pictures, navigation, and site structure, which affect the performance of hotel websites. To connect industry efforts with consumer requirements, this study adopts a website usefulness framework to compare the websites of China-based luxury hotels with those of international luxury hotels. A fuzzy model is applied to analyze the data collected from online users. Findings of this study will be utilized to assess the perceptions of Chinese and international users and to compare the performance of the websites of China-based luxury hotels with those of international luxury hotels. Results show that Chinese and international consumers significantly differ in their perception of the usefulness performance of China-based and international luxury hotel websites.

The Role of Technology Savviness in Muslim Online Shopping (Mos)

“…Website friendliness is defined as the simplicity in navigating an online platform so that users are able to obtain what they look for within the platform effectively and efficiently (Belanche et al, 2012). Several notable features of a so called friendly website includes credible and up to date information, website speed and easy and fast transaction (Belanche et al, 2012;Qi et al, 2017). In the digital era, website friendliness plays a pivotal role in business; potential consumers may come to learn about a company through online sources, such as their official website and social media platforms.…”

“…Previous studies suggest that website friendliness affects satisfaction with online platforms and the intentions to use them (Lean et al, 2009;Belanche et al, 2012;Qi et al, 2017). Internet users may leave a poorly designed website, especially when they experience difficulties finding what they need (Tan & Wei, 2006).…”

“…The summary of the respondent profile is presented in Table 1. The measurement scale for Technology Savviness (TES) was adapted from Parasuraman (2000), the measurement scale for Website Friendliness (WEF) was adapted from Qi et al (2017), and the measurement scale for Muslim Online Shopping (MOS) was adapted from Overby and Lee (2006).…”

“…Previous studies on online shopping have focused on the features of online shops to attract customers (Belanche, Casaló, & Guinalíu, 2012;Rezaei, Amin, & Ismail, 2014;Qi, Law, & Buhalis, 2017); however, to our best knowledge, no research thus far has linked Muslim Online Shopping (MOS) behavior with Muslims' overall knowledge and ability to utilize digital technology. This study aims to investigate the role of technology savviness and website friendliness in online shopping behavior among Muslims.…”

“…For those who run their businesses online, having potential customers struggle with their gadgets, internet and company websites can certainly pose some challenges. Previous studies indicate that technology savviness and website friendliness play roles in online purchase intention (Lean et al, 2009;Belanche et al, 2012;Qi et al, 2017).…”