Product Strategies

Because the product element of the marketing mix cannot be physically illustrated, the most important instrument at this point is the web sites on which the product is displayed. The significant attributes of web sites, such as convenience and variety together with detailed information about the products, should be presented to prospective customers. This presentation is important because the online shoppers do not evaluate the quality of a product solely on its price and brand (Donthu & Garcia, 1999). Today the Internet has a great potential for improving the image of a product, establishing brand recognition and structuring brand value. The interactive web sites with detailed graphic images attract the attention and interest of potential consumers (Aldridge et al., 1997).

When businesses offering services on the In­ternet and their e-marketers single out females as target consumers, they must find ways of meeting their touching needs. Females prefer and like the physical evaluation of products, such as seeing and feeling the product, before they buy it (Dittmar et al., 2004). The inability to feel the product can be compensated by establishing a more interactive web site, providing more information or using new Internet technologies allowing for virtual senses oftasting and touching (Hui & Wan, 2007). The contents of the web sites may influence the attitudes of the consumers depending on their genders. For instance, in their study on the effects of gender on attitudes towards web site design, Simon and Peppas, (2005) found that males had more positive attitudes compared to their female counterparts for all web sites examined in their study. Moreover, they also found that males had more positive attitudes regarding both rich and plain web sites when compared to females.

Updated: 04.11.2015 — 13:41