The goals, questions, indicators, measures (GQIM) approach to the measurement of customer satisfaction with e‐commerce Web sites

Since the mid‐1990s, organisations have spent quite a bit of time, money and effort developing new “e”‐channels and routes to market. With the advent and rapid adoption of e‐commerce in the late 1990s, organisational efforts were largely geared toward customer acquisition with little to no thought given to customer retention and post‐sale service. As the e‐commerce matures, and in the wake of numerous high‐profile business failures, it is time for savvy managers to use the information that is contained within their systems to gain and sustain competitive advantage. Adapted from its original use in software measurement, the GQIM approach has proved effective in helping managers to identify critical business information. Coupled with the five maxims of satisfaction, managers are provided with a complete framework for the development of an e‐commerce customer satisfaction programme.