Functional characteristics of commercial web sites: a longitudinal study in Hong Kong

A set of quantitative web site attributes and their corresponding metrics are proposed for better understanding of the evolution of functional characteristics of commercial web sites. This set of metrics can facilitate an objective comparison of commercial web sites developed over time and in different regions of the world. Their use would also help studies on functional classification of web sites. The result of a longitudinal study using the proposed metrics is then presented. This involves a stratified systematic sample of 98 Hong Kong-based commercial web sites measured on three separate occasions during a period of 2.5 years. The results show that, while the sampled web sites generally grew larger in content, their functions were only marginally enhanced over time, in contrast to the general impression of fast growing e-commerce activities. Cluster analysis revealed that the sample was dominated by web sites with low information intensity. The results obtained in Hong Kong were compared with those of related studies in the US and Europe.