Multidimensional model to measure quality in e-commerce websites using item response theory

Abstract The goal of this article is to propose a multidimensional modeling to measure the quality of commercial websites with the use of Item Response Theory (IRT). The quality of a website encompasses technical characteristics (usability-navigability, presentation of information and interactivity) and non-technical characteristics (design, aesthetics, visual appeal, reliability, hedonism, image), theoretically configuring a multidimensional context. The initial hypothesis of the dimensions and the elaboration of the items were based on a bibliographic analysis about the theme of e-commerce website quality. A set of 75 items was prepared and submitted to a sample of 441 e-commerce websites from a wide variety of sectors. The treatment and analysis of data was conducted using IRT. In this step, questions related to dimensionality and the choice of the most suitable model was discussed. Finally, a multidimensional model with four dimensions was adjusted.