Top 250 Global Retailers: On-Line Features of Retailer Websites‪.‬

INTRODUCTION As the number of Internet users reached almost 194 million in the U.S. (eMarketer 2009) and 1.6 billion in the world by the end of 2008 (Internet World Stats 2009), online retailers seek to offer new features on their web sites to attract and serve online shoppers better and compete effectively. Increased access by Internet users does not necessarily mean increased acceptance of visual displays (St. Amant, 2005) or use of web sites. According to St Amant (2005, p. 77), "the presence or absence of a single design feature can be enough to affect the credibility of an image or of an overall web site." Therefore, an analytical framework that suggests a systematic approach to analyzing global web sites could increase both the acceptance and use of the retailers' web sites. One particular tool that can serve as a useful framework is the online components of the marketing mix, the company and its customer service (Girard, Anitsal and Anitsal 2008).