Development of a coding instrument to measure interactivity of websites

This study aims to develop a new coding instrument to investigate the interactivity of brand websites. The new coding instrument contains 47 interactive functions and is directly linked to three theoretical interactivity dimensions: two-way communication, synchronicity, and active control. Application of the instrument shows that the instrument can be used in different contexts. In addition, the content analysis reveals interesting differences between American and Dutch websites, and between websites of durable goods, non-durable goods, and services. The developed coding instrument can be used in future research, for example to assess which interactive functions contribute to perceived interactivity of a website.