Website Usability in Marketing Communications: The Case of Airline Companies in Turkey

Eylin BABACAN AKTA޹ and Özge MUTLU^2,

¹Department of Public Relations and Publicity, Pamukkale University, Denizli, Turkey

²Department of Public Relations and Advertising, Institute of Social Sciences, Eskişehir, Turkey

Cite this paper:
Eylin BABACAN AKTAŞ and Özge MUTLU. Website Usability in Marketing Communications: The Case of Airline Companies in Turkey. American Journal of Educational Research. 2015; 3(10A):7-16. doi: 10.12691/education-3-10A-2

Abstract

It is of great importance for the organizations to use internet environment effectively in a market where competition conditions are gradually aggravated and carry out their marketing communication activities in such an environment. Airline companies are the ones that use internet technology most effectively and actively. Thus, website usability is of great importance for airline companies. The aim of this study is to make an analysis concerning website usability as a means of marketing communication. In line with this objective, web site of the airline companies operating in Turkey have been analyzed and the roles assumed by the analyzed websites as a marketing communications tool have been tried to set forth. The methodology of the research is based on scoring system of Gibson et al. . Under the study, web sites of the airline companies in Turkey was monitored for a month between 2012 and 2014 and they were assessed in various dimensions such as functions (information provision, networking, participation, campaigning, online processes, mobile applications, social media applications) and delivery (glitz factor, access, navigability, freshness, visibility). The findings revealed that websites made progress over the years; however, online, mobile and social media applications remained incapable in terms of marketing communications targets.

Keywords:
marketing communications website usability airline industry Turkey

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

References:

[1]	Brunger, W.G. and Pereli, S., “The Impact of the internet on airline fares: Customer perspectives on the transition to internet distribution”, Journal of Revenue and Pricing Management, 8 (2/3), 187-199, 2002.
[2]	Buhalis, D., “eAirlines: Strategic and tactical use of ICTs in the airline industry”, Information & Management, 41 (7), 805-825, 2004.
[3]	Connolly, D.J., Olsen, M.D. and Moore, R.G, “The internet as a distribution channel”, Cornell Hotel and Restaurant Administration Quarterly, 39 (4), 42-54, 1998.
[4]	Doren, D.C.V., Fechner, D.L. and Green-Adelsberger, K., “Promotional strategies on the world wide web”, Journal of Marketing Communications, 6 (1), 21-53, 2000.
[5]	Elkhani, N., Soltani, S. and Jamshidi, M.H.M., “Examining a hybrid model for e-satisfaction and e-loyalty to e-ticketing on airline websites”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 37 (1), 36-44, 2014.
[6]	Esrock, S.L. and Leichty, G.B., “Organization of corporate web pages: Publics and functions”, Public Relations Review, 26 (3), 327-344, 2000.
[7]	Forgas, S., Palau, R., Sánchez, J. and Huertas-García, R., “Online drivers and offline influences related to loyalty to airline websites”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 18 (1), 43-46, 2012.
[8]	Forgas-Coll, S., Palau-Saumell, R., Sanchez-Garcia, J. and Fandos-Roig, J.C., “Airline website loyalty formation and the moderating effects of gender and education”, Service Business, 7 (2), 255-274, 2013.
[9]	Gibson, R., Margolis M., Resnick D. and Ward, S., “Election campaigning on the www in the US and UK: A comparative analysis”, Party Politics, 9 (1), 47-75, 2001.
[10]	Harison, E. and Boonstra, A., “Reaching new altitudes in e-commerce: Assessing the performance of airline websites”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 14 (2), 92–98, 2008.
[11]	Heung, V.C.S., “Internet usage by international travellers: Reasons and barriers”, International Journal of Contemporary Hospitality Management, 15 (7), 370-378, 2003.
[12]	Ihator, A.S., “Communication style in the information age”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 6 (4), 199-204, 2001.
[13]	Jo, S. and Jung, J., “A cross cultural study of the world wide web and public relations”, Corporate Communications: An International Journal, 10 (1), 24-40, 2005.
[14]	Koo, B., Mantin, B. and O’Connor, P., “Online distribution of airline tickets: Should airlines adopt a single or a multi-channel approach?”, Tourism Management, 32 (1), 69-74, 2011.
[15]	Küster, I., “Relational content of travel and tourism websites”, Asia Pacific Journal of Tourism Research, 11 (2), 119-133, 2006.
[16]	Lagrosen, S., “Effects of the internet on the marketing communication of service companies”, Journal of Services Marketing, 19 (2), 63-69, 2005.
[17]	Lang, T.C., “The effect of the internet on travel consumer purchasing behaviour and implications for travel agencies”, Journal of Vacation Marketing, 6 (4), 368-385, 2000.
[18]	Law, R. and Wong, J., “Successful factors for a travel web site: Perceptions of on-line purchasers in Hong Kong”, Journal of Hospitality & Tourism Research, 27 (1), 118-124, 2003.
[19]	Lubbe, B., “The effect of internet apprehension and website satisfaction on air travelers’ adoption of an airline's website”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 13 (2), 75-80, 2007.
[20]	Perdue, R.R., “Internet site evaluations: The influence of behavioral experience, existing images, and selected website characteristics”, Journal of Travel & Tourism Marketing, 11 (2/3), 21-38, 2012.
[21]	Rowley, J., “Remodeling marketing communications in an internet environment”, Internet Research, 11 (3), 203-212, 2001.
[22]	Ruiz-Mafé, C., Sanz-Blas, S. and Aldás-Manzano, J., “Drivers and barriers to online airline ticket purchasing”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 15 (6), 294-298, 2009.
[23]	Sam, M.F.M. and Tahir, M.N.H., “Website quality and consumer online purchase intention of air ticket”, International Journal of Basic & Applied Sciences, 9 (10), 20-25, 2009.
[24]	Shchiglik, C. and Barnes, S.J., “Evaluating website quality in the airline industry”, Journal of Computer Information Systems, 44 (3), 17-25, 2004.
[25]	Tsai, W.H., Chou, W.C. and Leu, J.D., “An effectiveness evaluation model for the web-based marketing of the airline industry”, Expert Systems with Applications, 38 (12), 15499–15516, 2011.
[26]	Xie, Z.C. and Barnes, S.J., “Web site quality in the UK airline industry: A longitudinal examination”, Journal of Computer Information Systems, 49 (2), 50-57, 2008.
[27]	Yoon, M.G., Yoon, D.Y. and Yang, T.W., “Impact of e-business on air travel markets: Distribution of airline tickets in Korea”, Journal of Air Transport Management, 12 (5), 253-260, 2006.
[28]	http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm, [Accessed, Jan. 7, 2015].