The relation between actual and perceived interactivity: what makes the websites of top global brands truly interactive?

To investigate the relationship between actual and perceived interactivity, this study combines a content analysis of interactive functions on the Web sites of the top 100 global brands with a survey (n = 715) that measures the perceived interactivity of the same Web sites. The study has three main findings: (1) there is great incongruence between the level of actual and perceived interactivity, (2) adding interactive functions to a Web site does not guarantee a stronger perception of interactivity, and (3) six unique Web site characteristics contribute positively to perceived interactivity. These novel or unexpected characteristics make the Web sites of global brands truly interactive.