Assessing determinants of customer loyalty in an online news service context
News consumption has become a central aspect of everyday life in modern societies and in recent years online news websites have become an increasingly popular source. This thesis examines online news consumption and customer loyalty to online news websites. Using the underlying theoretical perspective developed from the debate between social constructionist and technical determinist stances in technology acceptance and usage, this thesis examines the application of domestication theory to online news service consumption and loyalty. Based on loyalty literature and the conjecture from Oliver (1999) that customers can be enveloped in a community of loyalty which will aid and direct their (purchase) decisions, this thesis additionally looks into the role of an online news site’s community in fostering loyalty. A research model to test the effect of online community participation on the previously empirically supported link between perceived value and loyalty was created. Constructs to support the community variable were derived from literature and refined through exploratory research and are introduced in this thesis. Furthermore, measures for domestication stages were derived from the literature and further developed through exploratory research with online news site users and are also introduced in this research. This research examines the use of domestication theory in understanding news service consumption and adds to the growing body of domestication literature as well as adding to the emerging literature on, and increasing the understanding of acceptance and usage of online news services. The study helps to close a gap in the literature by employing a perceived value – community – loyalty model to identify which perceived value components have an influence on user loyalty to online news services. The loyalty enhancing value of an online community was also tested and supported in a news site context.
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