The interactive authority of brand web sites: a new tool provides new insights

This study aims to develop a new coding instrument to examine the interactivity of the Web sites of brands. A new instrument contains 47 interactive functions and is directly linked to theory on interactivity. To test the applicability of the instrument, the study investigates the interactivity of 66 American and 66 Dutch Web sites by means of a content analysis. Results show that the instrument can be used in different contexts. In addition, the content analysis discloses interesting differences between American and Dutch Web sites and between Web sites of different types of products. Practitioners can use the instrument to assess the interactivity of their own Web sites.