E-Commerce Analyzing Context and Content

E-Commerce Analyzing Context and Content for e-Commerce Sites The contextual design, structure and workflow of any e-commerce site are just as critical as the content it delivers. Both must combine to lead a website visitor to seek additional information or to make a purchase. The intent of this analysis is to explain the two dimensions of context, specifically function and aesthetics. The difference between context to content are defined, with an analysis of how both must co-exist on the same e-commerce site for it to be effective.

This area is changing rapidly due to the rapid innovation in website development platforms as well. Defining Context The two dimensions of context are function and aesthetics, and both are critical to the accurate and effective positioning of content (Schaupp, Belanger, Fan, 2009). The contextual structure of a site defines its function, in that the constraints, parameters, and user experience are dictated by decisions made regarding structural components and their position in the site.

The functional areas of context must be balanced with the aesthetic to ensure that content is noticed and considered (Jeong, King, 2010). While function defines the structural components, the aesthetics must create a user experience that invokes interest and further action. The balance of function and aesthetics will also be defined by the goals and objectives the website is attempting to accomplish.

Function and aesthetics on a site need to be planned in conjunction with each other to ensure that users find the site relevant, easy to navigate and intuitive in its design and delivering of content. Focusing too much on either aspect of context will serve to attract only a portion of the potential audience an e-commerce site is capable of achieving. The balance of function and aesthetics is critical for an e-commerce site to deliver content that is viewed as credible, valued and trusted (Schaupp, Belanger, Fan, 2009).

Content and its many forms from digital text to video, cannot exist just on its own on any website. Adding in the dimension of e-commerce only makes the role of function and aesthetics even more critical. Content itself is changing drastically, moving away from HTML-based text that is one-dimensional in design to pervasive use of video and interactive infographics. Content is progressing so rapidly that certain areas of it are blurring the lines between function and aesthetics, most notably in interactive e-commerce sites that rely heavily on video.

Conclusion As a result of the rapid maturation of content, contextual structure as defined by function and aesthetics is indispensible for current and future generation content effectiveness. What is going to emerge is a tightly integrated triad of.