Clearly, site quality is a subjective matter with many contributing factors. One useful technique is to visit a site periodically and assign grades for important categories. Given that e-commerce sites typically undergo fairly regular site makeovers and refreshes, it is important to establish a schedule for analyzing sites. Ease of search and navigation. A useful experiment is to examine the log of one's own site to determine the most popular searches and navigation destinations and then to attempt duplication of these destinations on a competitor's site.
Useful management features.
Features such as account summaries or order status are popular among customers. Unfortunately, many of these features are valid only for customers, so an actual purchase may be required. The Internet has spawned thousands of new companies, many of which compete directly with each other. Though these businesses exist only in the virtual world, their desire for competitive intelligence is intense. The Internet's greatest contribution is that it affords users rapid access to information, particularly shopping data.