The Effect of Magazine Web Site Usage on Print Magazine Loyalty

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of magazine Web site usage on print magazine loyalty and word-of-mouth intentions. Thus, the key question is whether active Web site visitors are more likely to buy the magazine in the future. The research framework builds on the literature on relationship marketing and brand relationships, and is tested on a sample of the online users (n = 2,351) of 24 Finnish consumer magazines. This study uses structural equation modeling (LISREL 8.50) and simultaneously tests the hypotheses on 2 sub-samples: current subscribers of the magazine (n = 1,068) and non-subscribers (n = 1,283). Significant differences were found between the 2 samples. Most important, the impact of Web site usage on print magazine loyalty was found to differ. There was a negative effect in the non-subscriber sample, whereas there was no evidence of such an effect in the subscriber sample. Thus, it seems that magazine Web site usage may substitute the print magazine for non-subscribers.