Building customer relationships online: the Web site designers’ perspective Available to Purchase

To date, most published work concerning effective Web site design has been based on personal opinion or experience, not on research. Uses 50 in‐depth interviews with Web site designers to identify key design considerations and online customer conversion and relationship strategies. A proposed model illustrates a direct relationship between Web site design and the online customer conversion process. Relationship marketing, integrated marketing communications, and segmenting, targeting, and positioning should guide both Web site design and customer conversion. Ultimately, a Web site should help to establish, build, and maintain long‐term customer relations. Managerial implications are introduced and discussed.