eThesis - School of Business electronic theses

Online portals are one of the most used information products available today. The shift from print media to digital publications and online services has changed the way consumer directed information products are consumed, emerging new business models and ways to cater interesting content to the users. Media companies have adopted online portals as an extension or replacement of decreasing print products, but little has been studied what are the driving factors of consumer interest in online portals.

This thesis examines how to create a successful content and feature strategy for an online portal. Fulfilled in collaboration with a case company, the thesis clarifies what are the most important aspects of constructing a new consumer oriented online portal and which portal features and content types are most prominent for consumer preference in the sector of beauty and cosmetics. The study was conducted as a multiple case study. Using suitable models from the literature, a number of industry relevant portals was benchmarked to learn what the common building blocks of the popular portals in the market today are. These attributes were tested with an online survey for consumer preference in the targeted market.

The results include an evaluation of the most important factors influencing the success of an online portal in the sector of beauty and cosmetics. A comprehensive list of most common features and content types in industry related portals is exhibited, as well as the consumer preference over different features and content types. The results indicate that the consumers prefer user generated content and active functionalities that allows consumer self-expression. The outcomes of this thesis will help the industry practitioners to evaluate the strategies for consumer oriented online portals and information products especially in the related industries, and support creating new online media portals that genuinely attract users.