La netnografía es una nueva metodología de investigación cualitativa que adapta técnicas de investigación etnográficas al estudio de culturas y comunidades emergentes a través de la comunicación mediada por ordenador, y surge como respuesta al fenómeno cultural del crecimiento de Internet y al creciente número de consumidores que utilizan la Red para mantenerse informados y para crear relaciones y comunidades con otros consumidores que tienen similares estilos de vida y que consumen productos y/o servicios similares. Si bien, desde finales de los noventa la netnografía está tomando mayor protagonismo, se hace necesario un mayor número de trabajos que desarrollen aspectos relacionados con esta metodología; especialmente, en el contexto de la literatura de marketing, donde existen pocos trabajos centrados en la netnografía como herramienta de investigación comercial. Dada la escasez de trabajos, este estudio pretende analizar a nivel teórico la utilidad de la netnografía como herramienta de investigación en contextos on-line. Adicionalmente, se ilustra dicha utilidad a partir de un estudio desarrollado para el análisis de la imagen del servicio de autobuses de la ciudad de Madrid.

Purpose -Internet is set to be one of the main channels of distribution in the future and already greatly facilitates product evaluation thanks to the information available on the net. The main advantages of electronic shopping over other channels include the reduced costs of searching for products and for product-related information. Research has stressed the importance of quality information in web site design. The perceived utility of a web site depends on the perceived utility of its content (i.e. quality of information on product characteristics) and its presentation of that content. This paper compares the ways in which a web site's content and content presentation affect the product choice of two consumer groups from different cultures. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach -The authors conduct an exploratory study to determine the key factors which may be used in a later conclusive research. The authors propose a tool based on the statistical design of experiments to determine the number of significant factors used by two market segments (Spanish and US students) when selecting a bottle of wine sold via a web site. Findings -The authors identify key extrinsic factors of consumers' perceived utility when selecting a bottle of wine from a web site and analyse whether cross-cultural aspects are significant in this choice. The authors assume that web site evaluations made by users from different geographical areas reflect their preferences for more familiar designs.Research limitations/implications -The sample size does not enable us to determine the significance of certain variables. Moreover, the sample is not fully representative of the overall consumer population, and so inferences cannot be made about all consumers. However, since the study is exploratory with a theoretical content, the results can be considered valid. Practical implications -Web page designers need to take into account the cultural characteristics of their target market in the presentation and content of their sites. Originality/value -The internet marketing literature considers cultural differences in web design as a tool to improve user confidence and attitude. However, few studies have examined the effects of the cultural adaptation of web sites on user evaluations. Here, the authors propose a straightforward procedure for calculating the main effects of web site attributes. Yates' algorithm and the normal probability plot, proposed by Daniel, can be implemented in any spread sheet.

Internet has become one of the most important channels for the promotion and sale of services related to tourism. As a result, producers and distributors alike are keen to resolve the question as to which factors will determine website choice by internet browsers. In this paper we develop an experiment to determine the factors that need to be taken into consideration when designing a website for a mature, familiar tourist destination. To this end, the basic factors shaping the architecture of a website are theoretically described and, based on the results of a conjoint experiment, the main factors influencing a website for a classic destination are extracted. Our results suggest that a website that includes objective information (e.g., price, activities of interest, number of rooms) and multiple photos has a positive influence on customer perceptions. The paper also makes an important methodological contribution, as it proposes a new design for calculating the weight of the factors, interactions of two factors and the factors squared.