Athens.
The next session at WebSci '09 deals with questions of openness and control. We begin with Imma Rodriguez-Ardura, who connects Web science to marketing and consumer behaviour research. If the Web really poses new marketing paradigms, the marketing modelling for the Web can enrich the Web science field as well.
There are several studies of Web-based purchasing processes, which relate consumer behaviour to a number of factors, attempt to understand consumer satisfaction and loyalty, and address the question of consumer confidence as a determinant of purchasing behaviour. Additionally, classical models for explaining consumer actions are also being applied to the study of online consumer behaviour. And finally, the Web is also perceived as a source of consumer empowerment by providing greater transparency for interactions and information.
Imma suggests that Web users should not be seen as users of information systems but as consumers, therefore; it is necessary to create an integrated base in order to put in motion the theoretical and methodological developments to understand the phenomenon of consumption on the Web; and the Web has become a new path for examining many of the traditional concepts, theories and models of marketing and consumer behaviour.
