Acquisition and symbolic visualization of aggregated customer information for analyzing Web information systems

This paper describes conceptual analysis and design of Web Information Systems (WIS) with a special emphasis on gathering customer data and the integration of adaptive system components for supporting negotiations, market segmentation, and transaction processing. Methods to gather and analyze customer preferences and expectations as well as to visualize the actual behavior of WIS users are identified and categorized according to information source. In analogy to customer tracking in traditional retailing outlets, the paper demonstrates the need to capture and visualize how users approach and navigate through WIS in order to maximize the customer delivered value in global electronic markets.