Web site quality: an empirical study of the flower and plant firms in the Convergence objective Regions in Italy

In the last few years the growing diffusion of ICTs has been playing a crucial role in the developmental process of the economic, social and cultural fabric, by deeply affecting organization size of firms. The present research, which is set in the framework of “Business to Consumer” relationships, plans to analyze web marketing strategies adopted by flowers and ornamentals firms of Italian Convergence Regions. In particular, the study aims to analyze the websites factors that are able to draw the consumers’ attention and to influence their decisions, as well as the number of attributes which determine as a whole the “quality” of a website. The knowledge of these aspects is extremely useful to plan out effective online marketing policies. The chapter highlights how the information provided by firms through their own website do not present, in the majority of cases, a significant degree of detail which, on the contrary, might meet the information needs of web users, by helping at the same time to build their loyalty. Simple Internet marketing devices, which improve site usability, are absent as well among the investigated firms, showing a lack of attention by website designers and firms themselves towards some tools of web marketing that on the contrary could improve functionality and visibility of firms in the virtual space. The results obtained indicate a low propensity of firms using tools that are able to interact directly with the web-consumers. These firms have not gained the awareness of the role played by a direct interaction with the user in order to build confidence. It is therefore essential to flower and ornamental firms of Convergence Regions which are going to enter the web, that they acquire awareness of the opportunities the Internet is able to offer them.