THE INFLUENCE OF E-MARKETING MIX COMPONENT TOWARDS THE

DECISION IN USING RMOL.CO NEWS SITE/PORTAL

Panca Javandalasta dan Augustina Kurniasih

pancajavandalasta@gmail.com dan augustina.kurniasih@gmail.com

ABSTRACT

The present study aims to analyse the influence E-Marketing Mix component attitude towards the
news sites of Rakyat Merdeka Online (RMOL.co). Furthermore, it analyses the impacts of the
decision to use RMOL.co news sites in Jakarta. In this quantitative research, there are six
independent variables considered; namely Product, Price, Communication, Community,
Distribution, Branding and one dependent variable, namely the decision to use online news site.
The use of variables in this study is expected to explain how influential Product, Price,
Communication, Community, Distribution, and Branding are to the decision of news sites
RMOL.co usage. Nonprobability sampling with multiple linear regression analysis is used to
obtain the relation between variables. Based on respondents who use/read a news site RMOL.co,
there is indication that Product, Price, Communication, Community, Distribution, and Branding
influence the decision in using the sites of online news. Product, Price, Communication,
Community, Distribution, and Branding variables value is significant, which is important as the
improvement in the components of E-Marketing Mix for website/news portal boost the
user/reader visits at RMOL.co.
Keywords: Product, Price, Communication, Community, Distribution, Branding, the decision in
using news sites

ABSTRAK

Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk menganalisis Pengaruh Komponen Bauran E-Marketing terhadap
keputusan menggunakan situs berita online Rakyat Merdeka Online (RMOL.co).Pada penelitian
kuantitatif ini terdapat dua variabel independen dalam penelitian ini, yaitu Produk, Harga,
Komunikasi, Komunitas, Distribusi, Merek.Satu variabel dependen, yaitu keputusan
menggunakan situs berita.Penggunaan variabel-variabel pada penelitian ini diharapkan dapat
menjelaskan seberapa besar pengaruh Produk, Harga, Komunikasi, Komunitas, Distribusi, dan

1
Merek terhadap keputusan penggunaan situs berita RMOL.co.Penelitian menggunakan metode
Nonprobability Sampling dengan analisis regresi linier berganda untuk mendapatkan hubungan
antar variabel.Berdasarkan hasil penelitian terhadap responden yang menggunakan/membaca
situs berita RMOL.co, menunjukkan bahwa variable Produk, Harga, Komunikasi, Komunitas,
Distribusi, dan Merek berpengaruh terhadap keputusan Menggunakan situs berita online. Untuk
variabel Produk, Harga, Komunikasi, Komunitas, Distribusi, dan Merek nilainya berpengaruh
signifikan, hal ini menjadi penting karena dengan perbaikan pada komponen-komponen Produk,
Harga, Komunikasi, Komunitas, Distribusi, dan Merek pada situs/portal berita mendorong
peningkatan kunjungan pada pengguna/ berita online pada RMOL.co.
Kata kunci: Produk, Harga, Komunikasi, Komunitas, Distribusi, Merek, keputusan menggunakan
situs berita.

INTRODUCTION
The need to get information quickly seems to have become the demands of modern
society life recently. Even with the increasingly sophisticated and modern development of
information technology, the presence of the Internet contributes greatly to society, companies,
industry as well as government. One of the noticeable emersions, of course, is the presence of
some Online news sites which not only provide fast information but also the most actual. The
online news site also has its own characteristic which is its rotation of information that enables
us to enjoy within seconds.
The era of the development of online information as it is today, finally demands a lot of
print media to also switch to the Online realm. That reason becomes something that then
underlies one of the big media Jawa Pos Group, Harian Rakyat Merdeka to participate in the
development of the era by taking part in the Online news through a website/news portal named
RMOL.co. The Harian Rakyat Merdeka newspaper was originally called the Koran Harian
Merdeka. This newspaper is the only newspaper of the independence era (1945) that is said to be
remaining. Considering its prominent history in the world of journalism, in Indonesia, it is quite
reasonable if the existence of Harian Rakyat Merdeka should be preserved. The spirit of not to be
outdated also later became the reason for the establishment of website / Online news portal,
RMOL.co.or

2
 Table 1
The Number of Visitor & Pageviews of Daily News in 2015
News Websites Visitor Daily Pageviews
KOMPAS.com 705.021 3.151.444
Tempo.co 292.857 849.287
Republika.co.id 201.294 678.361
JPNN.com 129.228 400.607
RMOL.co 21.365 53.414
Source: Asosiasi Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia (APJII) (2015)

Data released by the Association of Indonesian Internet Service Providers (Asosiasi

Penyelenggara Jasa Internet Indonesia, APJII) shows the list of news sites that are most
frequently accessed in 2015. RMOL.co visitor conditions and page views are low as it only came
in the fifth place. This arose pessimism in RMOL.co management if the website/news portal was
less acceptable by Indonesians. RMOL.co visitors were only as much as 21.365 and its page
views were only 53.414 per day. If it is compared, the number of visitors and pageview
RMOL.co was quite further behind than some other media. From the presented data, it indicated
that RMOL was not able to grab the market share of online information of Kompas and some
other news sites such as Tempo, Republika, and JPNN. Here, there is a huge challenge for
RMOL.co in seizing market share to attract more readers.

Figure 1 The Diagram of Decreasing Visitors of RMOL.co

Sumber: Alexa.com Tahun 2016

In accordance with APJII, the data that was reported by Alexa.com (2016) also showed
that, in fact, RMOL.co not only cannot capture the online market share information but also
experienced decreasing viewers visit up to 25%. The reader's interest is closely related to the
reader's decision in terms of selecting RMOL.co as the desired site as the primary information

3
provider. In the marketing theory, this reader's decision can be associated with purchasing
decision theory. According to Kotler and Keller (2012), consumer decision-making includes all
the processes carried out by consumers in the identification of problems, information search,
alternative assessment, purchasing decisions and post-purchase behavior.
In relation to the purchasing decision process, of course, there are many factors that
affect a person’s decision in reading the site / online news portal. Therefore, the authors do a
preliminary study in advanced to find out the factors that affect the decision making using one of
the website / online news portals. The person's decision in using the internet certainly cannot be
separated from the influence of E-Marketing mixture. The E-Marketing process is like a chain of
supplies where social networking applications and personalities present and promote themselves
and try to connect with targeted audiences. According to Mohammed, et al. (2003) E-Marketing
is internet marketing is a process to build and maintain relationships with customers through
online activities as a means to exchange opinions, products, and services in order to achieve the
common goals of both groups. One of the ways is to create 'buzz' and 'viral' relating a product,
service, business or event which is also the result and influence of the effectiveness of Internet
Marketing. The process of creating buzz and viral does not start from creating blogs or making
videos, but by building a proper mixed strategy of E-marketing (Hasan, 2014). There are six
Components of E-marketing Mixed Concepts that are used to determine the factors that influence
a person's decision to use Online news sites, namely Product, Price, Communications,
Distribution, and Brand.
The description stated in previous paragraphs becomes the concern of the researcher to
conduct a study on the decision using online news site observed from the product, price,
communication, community, distribution and brand variables with the following objectives; 1.
To measure and analyze the effect of the product on the decision to use the site/news portal, 2.
To measure and analyze the effect of price on the decision to use the site/news portal, 3. To
measure and analyze the influence of the community to use the site/news portal, 4. To measure
and analyze the effect of communication on the decision to use the site/news portal, 5. To
measure and analyze the effect of distribution on the decision using the site/news portal, 6. To
measure and analyze the influence of the brand on the decision to use the site/news portal and 7.
To measure the effect of product quality, price, communication, community, distribution and
Brand simultaneously on the decision to use the site/news portal RMOL. Co

LITERARY REVIEW

4
Products, according to Kotler and Keller (2012: 198), is anything which the market offers to be
noticed, obtained and used in order to meet the demand and needs.
According to Mohammed, et al, (2003), products are services or physical goods that are
offered by the company. The various forms of products offered on the Internet include physical
goods (such as clothing), information products (such as online journals or news), and services
(such as online grocer).
The dimensions of information products according to Mohammed, et al, are listed as
follows:
Performance: the most basic dimension and related to the main function of a product. Consumers
will be very disappointed if this dimension does not meet their expectations, Reliability:
indicates the probability of the product failing to perform its function and Feature: This
dimension can be said to be the secondary aspect. Features become the manufacturers’ target to
innovate as an effort to satisfy customers.
To see the effect of the relationship of product variable with purchasing decisions, this
study is conducted based on previous research. Hermawan (2014) found that the product has a
positive influence on the decision to use/purchase made by consumers through online purchasing.
Price, according to Kotler and Armstrong (2011: 349), represents the amount of money charged
for a product or service or the sum of the value exchanged by consumers for the benefits of
owning or using the product or service.
Mohammed et al (2003) said the price is the amount of value that must be paid by
customers to obtain products or services offered by the company either online or offline. Price
dimension in Mohammed's online purchasing includes Price compliance with product quality,
Price competitiveness, Payment Methods
To observe the effect of the relationship of price variable with the consumers’ decision of
using/purchasing in the online realm, this research is conducted based on previous research.
Khalil (2014) found that prices have a positive influence on purchasing decisions/uses made by
consumers in online purchasing.
Communication, according to Terence (2008) is an important aspect of the overall online
marketing mission as well as the decisive success of the marketing of products or services that
are offered.
According to Mohammed et.al (2003), communication is an activity that informs one or
more target groups of customers about the company and its products. The types of
communications between corporate and its customers include public relations, the use of sales

5
employee, and online advertising. Advertising and other forms of communication, such as
television and mail, are able to raise the awareness of target customers about the company offers.
Communication variables are closely related to exploration, commitment, and termination. Leads
to a dialogue between the website and its users. Dimensions of communication consist of the
broadcast which is a one-way information exchange from organization to the user, such as FAQ,
E-mail Newsletter, and interactive that is two-way communication between the organization and
the users, such as E-commerce dialogue, customer service.
To see the effect of the relationship of communication variables to the decision of
using/purchasing consumers in the online realm, this research is conducted based on previous
research. Temma (2011) found that communication has a positive influence on purchasing
decisions/uses made by consumers through online purchasing.
According to Walker, et al. (2007) the community is useful depending on the actors in the
relationship within the community, for example, the community can create content or services
that attract customers to visit the website. Communities can build closer relationships between
customers and companies.
Meanwhile, according to Mohammed, et al., (2003) community is a collection of related
relationships that are formed due to the similarity of interest, which satisfy the needs of its
members that cannot be obtained individually. Communities can build awareness and encourage
exploration as well as commitment from customers. Community awareness can be built through
several dimensions such as, user-to-user: this dimension can make other customers aware of a
product promotion because there is an element of proximity and trust between sellers and buyers
in a small community; user in groups: this dimension is the dimensions of exploration that can
ultimately encourage buyers in one large community (group) altogether to discuss product
choices which should or should not be purchased.
To see the effect of the relationship of community variables to the decision of
using/purchasing consumers in the online realm, this research is conducted based on previous
research. Temma (2011), found that the community has a positive influence on purchasing
decisions/uses made by consumers through online.
Distribution, according to Kotler and Armstrong (2011: 349) is company activity so that
the product or service is easy to be obtained by the target consumers.
According to Mohammed, et al., (2003) distribution is an intermediary between
companies by ensuring both information and products from the company can be delivered to the
customers. Extensive distribution rates have an impact on customer awareness and potential to

6
gain more exploration from customers for companies and their offers. Distribution dimensions
are online/offline intermediaries and wide coverage of channels.
To see the effect of the relationship of distribution variables on the decision of
using/purchasing consumers in the online realm, this research is conducted based on previous
research. Hermawan's research (2014) shows that the distribution has a positive influence on
purchasing decisions/uses made by consumers through online.
Kotler and Armstrong (2011: 360) suggest that brand is the name, term, sign, symbol, or
design, or combination of all of these that are intended to identify the product or service of one
or a group of sellers and distinguish it from a competitor's product. Branding is a key issue in
production strategy. Branding is expensive and time-consuming and can make the product to be
successful or fail. A good brand name can add great success to the product.
According to Mohammed et al, (2003: 534), a brand is a name, form, symbol, or design,
or a combination of all of which aims to identify the goods and services of a seller or group of
sellers and to differentiate their goods and services in competition. The product usually describes
the general category of an item, while the brand refers to all aspects relating to the identity of the
product. According to Mohammed et al, (2003), there are four things that online transactions
must accommodate. The first one is recognition, which is defined as a level of brand recognition
by consumers. If a brand is unknown, then the product of that brand should be sold by relying on
a cheap price. The second one is reputation. It is described as the level or high status for a brand
as it is more proven to have a good track record. The other important thing is affinity. It is known
to be an emotional relationship that arises between a brand and its consumers. A product with a
brand that is preferred by consumers will be easier to sell and a product which is expected to
have a high quality will have a good reputation. The last important thing is loyalty. It concerns
with how big the loyalty of consumers who use that particular brand.
To see the effect of Brand variable relationship to the decision of using/purchasing
consumers in the online realm, this research is based on previous research. Temma (2011)
indicates that the brand has a positive influence on purchasing decisions/uses made by
consumers through online.
Hypotheses and Research Model
Hypothesis 1: Suspected Product (X1), has a significant positive effect on the decision to use the
site / Online news portal (Y1), Hypothesis 2: Suspected Price (X2), has a significant positive
effect on the decision to use the site / Online news portal (Y1), Hypothesis 3: Suspected
Communication (X3), has a significant positive effect on the decision to use the site / Online

7
news portal. (Y1), Hypothesis 4: Suspected Community (X4), has a significant positive effect on
the decision to use the site / Online news portal (Y1), Hypothesis 5: Suspected Distribution (X5),
has a significant positive effect on the decision to use the site / Online news portal (Y1) and
Hypothesis 6: Suspected Brand (X6), has a significant positive effect on the decision to use the
site / Online news portal (Y1).

Figure 2 Research Model

Source: Analyzed premier data 2016

RESEARCH METHOD
Research Design and Variable
This research implemented explanatory research which aimed to explain causally
between variables through hypothesis testing. This type of design is commonly referred to as a
causal design or hypothesis testing design, which is a study that explains certain relationships or
determining differences between groups or freedom (independence) of two or more factors in a
situation (Istijanto, 2008, in Umar, 2013). The research variables that are used in this study
consists of independent variables such as product, price, communication, community,
distribution, and brand. Meanwhile, the dependent variable is the decision to use the site / online
news portal.

8
 Table 2
Operational Variable
Variable Dimension Indicator
Product  Performance  News information accuracy
(X1)  News information speed
 Reliability  The significance of published news information
 The published news information is neutral
 Feature  News variation
 The ease of accessing news

Price  Price compliance  Price is equal to the quality of

(X2) with Product information/news obtained
quality  There is no additional charge to obtain further
news/information
 Price  Cheaper than the price of competitor
competitiveness  The discounts are given
 Payment Method  Easy payment method
 Secure payment method
 Internet quota as the form of payment

Communication  Broadcast  FAQ

(X3)  Email newsletter.
 Interactive  E-commerce dialogue
 Customer service

Community  User to User  Attract Customer

(X4)  Customer Maintenance
 User in group  Group Mail-list
 Product Review Discussion

Distribution  Online/offline  Secure

(X5) channel  Fast
 Wide coverage of  Flexible location when accessing

9
 channel  Flexible time when accessing

Brand  Recognition  The brand is known

(X6)  The brand is easily remembered
 Reputation  Company image
 Track record
 Affinity  The brand is favored
 The brand is qualified
 Loyalty  Loyalty to the brand
 Trust to the brand

Decision in  Problem  Demand for information

using the news Identification  The custom of reading news
website  Search for the  News search based on time
(Y1) information  News search based on categories
 News search based on events
 News search based on figures
 Alternative  Information/news validity check
judgment  Trust in the news
 Usage decision  Using the news site to get information
 The speed in deciding to get the information
 Post-purchase  Becoming a news portal subscriber
behavior  Doing reusing
 Giving recommendation to others by sharing
information
Sources: Mohammed, et al., 2003 and Kotler and Keller 2012: 163

Population and Sample

The population used by the authors quantitatively are RMOL.co users registered through
subscriber RMOL.co. The number of RMOL.Co Subscriber until June 2016 was counted up to
5437 users. Those users became the population of present study. The sampling technique that
was used was nonprobability sampling, which is a sampling technique that does not give equal
opportunity/opportunity for every element or member of the population to be chosen as a sample

10
(Sugiyono, 2012: 120). In this sampling, the Incidental Sampling technique is chosen. It is a
technique of determining samples by chance, such as anyone who by chance / incidentally meet /
can be contacted by the researcher can be used as a sample if they are seen to be suitable as a
source of data (Sugiyono, 2012: 122). As for knowing the sample size, according to Umar (2013:
146 Slovin technique) can be used with the following formula:

…………… (2)

Note: n: Number of sample N: Number of population e: error tolerance

n = 5437 / (5437 (0,05)2 + 1) = 373,58 rounded off 379

Type and Data Source

Data collection is a systematic and standard procedure for obtaining the necessary data in
the research. The type of data used in conducting this study came from two types of data;
primary data and secondary data. Primary data is the data obtained directly from the objects of
the study, which can be a response, statement, and assessment of consumer Rmol.co as
respondents of the news website RMOL.co. Secondary Data is data obtained indirectly from the
data or archives owned by the company and other related sources, such as literature, books, and
journals. Required secondary data is the data related to RMOL.co subscriber/customer from
company PT Wahana Economy Universe which contains subscribers’ personal data such as
name, address, phone number and email address.

Data Collection
The data collection techniques used by the author are listed as follows. The first
technique was the collection of primary data through interviews, surveys and observations. The
next technique was the collection of secondary data consisting of Library Studies and Online
Search

In this research, the instruments that this data collecting technique was used to get data or
information from the first party (respondent) to answer research question is questionnaires.
According to Umar (2013: 167), questionnaire is a means of collecting data by giving or
distributing a list of questions to respondents, in the hope that they can respond to the list of

11
questions. Questionnaires that were spread were as much as 379 questionnaires. The spread
questionnaires were closed model questionnaires which made respondents choose only the
options that have been provided in each questionnaire. There were 33 statements for variables X
and 13 statements for the variable Y that were composed in the questionnaires. In order to
determine the validity of each data that was measured with each item, 30 questionnaires were
spread precedingly on the sites/news portal Rmol. co subscribers or customers to test whether the
instruments could be applied or revision was needed.
Technique of Data Analysis
The technique of data analysis in this study included data quality testing (validity and
reliability testing), classic assumption testing, and hypothesis testing. The technique of data
analysis was conducted with SPSS program version 22.0.

RESULT PRESENTATION AND DISCUSSION

Validity and Reliability Testing
The basis of decision making as a reference to make conclusions is done by comparing
the of r value with r table value obtained from r table of Pearson product moment (two-tailed test
with a significance level of 0.05). Reliability testing used in this research is Cronbach Alpha
technique and it is said to be reliable if its value is ≥ 0,6. Based on the calculation, the results
obtained r table value of 0.126. All calculations for product variables, prices, communications,
community, distribution, brand, and decision using the website / online news portal yields a
value of r that was greater than 0.126, so it can be concluded that the whole items were valid.
The entire statement item for all variables also yields Cronbach's Alpha value greater than 0.6, so
it can be concluded that the whole points of the statement were reliable and could be used as a
measuring tool.
Characteristics of Respondents
The present study was conducted on the RMOL.co. subscribers. In this study, the total
population was 5437 respondents. The sample of this study was obtained using the slovin
formula. After applying Slovin formula, a sample of 379 subscribers was obtained. The number
of questionnaires distributed was as many as 400 questionnaires, this was done to keep the
number of questionnaires remain intact just in case if there were damaged questionnaire or not
being returned. From those questionnaires, only 379 of which that were answered completely
were analysed.
Table 3 Data Distribution Based on Gender and Age

12
 Characteristics Number %
Gender M 246 65
F 133 35

Age < 25 yo 72 19
25 - 35 yo 170 45
36 - 45 yo 98 26
46 – 55 yo 28 7
>55 yo 11 3
Source: processed primary data (2016)

Based on Table 5.1. the number of respondents was dominated by men by 65%. This was
in accordance with the target readers which RMOL.co aims to reach considering RMOL.co is
known to be an online news portal that focuses on political news. Even so, that did not mean
there were no female readers at the RMOL.co news site as the table showed that there were
about 35% of female readers who were interested in following political news information. In the
further study, the results also corroborated with the research conducted by Inside.ID against 273
respondents across Indonesia in March-May 2016. That study showed significant differences
were found concerning the segment of the news that became the interest of men and women.
Men preferred to read the "heavy" news such as political or economic news and news which
denote masculinity. Meanwhile, women preferred to read "light" news such as fashion lifestyle
or tourism. It is also in line with McQuail (2005), a communications expert, who argued that in
choosing news content, readers were very closely related to demographic identities such as age,
gender, and psychological factors. In other words, those were the causes why men prefer
masculine news and women prefer the feminine news, such as beauty and fashion.
Based on Table 5.1., it is shown that 45%respondents in this study are from 25-35 years
old, 26% of them were between 36-45-year-olds, 19% of them were aged <25 years, 7% of them
were aged 46-55 and lastly, 3% were aged > 55 years. This showed that the age of RMOL.co
readers matches the RMOL.co target readers.
Classic Assumption Testing
The classic assumption testing of the present research, such as normality test indicated
that the data in this study was normally distributed. Another classical assumption testing such as

13
multicollinearity test and heteroscedasticity test resulted in the conclusion that the data used in
this study met the requirements of both tests.

Results of Hypothesis Testing for Product (X1), Price (X2), Communication (X3),
Community (X4), Distribution (X5), Brand (X6) in Influencing Decision in using online
news sites/ portal (Y)
The results of hypothesis testing that were related to the four variables analysed in this
study were summarized in the following Table 13.
Table 4 The Results of the influence of E-Marketing mixed component towards the
Decision in Using RMOL.co News Site
Variable Coefficient T Sig
(Constant) -.025 -.306 .759
Product (X1) .367 7.014 .000
Price (X2) .281 6.581 .000
Communication (X3) .912 17.033 .000
Community (X4) .066 1.061 .010
Distribution (X5) .176 1.898 .018
Brand (X6) .305 2.326 .021
R2 .777
F 216.468 .000
Source: Processed Primary Data (2016)
The coefficient of Determination: In table 4, the coefficient of determination or Adjusted R
Square that was obtained was 0.777. It means that the variations of 77.7% of dependent variable
which was Decision in using Online News Site (Y) could be explained by variable of News
Actuality (X1), Mixed E-Marketing (X2) and the rest of it (22.3%) could be explained by
variables other than the variables that were used.
F Test: Based on Table 4, the significance of the F test value is 0,000 which is less than α = 0.05,
therefore the decision was H0 was rejected. So it could be concluded that there was an influence
of Product (X1), Price (X2), Communication (X3), Community (X4), Distribution (X5), Brand
(X6) towards Decision in Using Online News Site (Y).
Regression Equations and T Test: After conducting the Model Test (Coefficient of
Determination, Test F), the next stage was finding the regression equation and T Test. Based on
Table 4, a regression equation was obtained as follows:

14
KMSBO = 0.367*Prod + 0.281 *Hrg + 0.912*Kom + 0.066*Kmt + 0.176*Dist + 0.305*Mrk
Notes:
Prod (X1): Product Kom (X3): Communication Dist (X5): Distribution
Hrg (X2): Price Kmt (X4): Community Mrk (X6): Brand
KMSBO (Y): The Decision in Using Online News Site

Based on the regression equation, T test results showed whether there was the partial or
individual influence of each independent variable towards the dependent variable. The results of
calculations based on data obtained were listed as follows. Table 4 showed the sig value of the
variable X1 = 0.000 <0.05 so H0 was rejected. This means that this independent variable
partially had a positive and significant effect on variable Y. The higher the X1, the higher Y
became and vice versa. Table 4 also showed sig value of variable X2 = 0.000 <0.05 so H0 was
rejected. This means that this independent variable partially has a positive and significant effect
towards variable Y. The higher the X2, the higher Y and vice versa. A similar result was
recorded for variable X3. Its sig value was 0.000 <0.05 so that H0 was rejected. Therefore, X3
had partially positive and significant effect towards variable Y. The higher the X3, the higher Y
and vice versa. In Table 4, sig value of variable X4 = 0.010 <0.05 so H0 was also rejected. This
means that X4 had partially positive and significant effect towards variable Y. The higher the X4,
the higher Y and vice versa. The sig value of the variable X5 was 0.018. Since it was <0.05, H0
was rejected. This means that this independent variable had partially positive and significant
effect towards variable Y. The higher the X5, the higher Y and vice versa. The sig value of
variable X6 was 0.021 which was <0.05 so H0 is rejected. This means that the effect of this
independent variable was partially positive and significant to variable Y. The higher the X6, the
higher the Y and vice versa.
Matrix Analysis of Interdimensional Correlation
The results show that the majority value of Pearson Correlation was > 0.4 which was
considered to be strong enough. The positive mark on the value of correlation coefficient showed
that the relationship between the dimensions of independent variables X and dimensions of the
variable Decision in using online news sites showed a direct relationship.
Table 5.7 Matrix of Interdimension Correlation

Decission in using news sites (Y)

15
 Search of Post-
Problem Alternative Decision
Variable Dimension Informati Purchased
identification Judgement in Using
on Behavior
 Performan
.578 .605 .581 .683 .594
Product ce
(X1)  Reliability .586 .567 .538 .579 .528
 Feature .596 .645 .635 .615 .627

 Price
compliance
with .517 .667 .543 .508 .534
Product
Price quality
(X2)  Price
competitiv .521 .584 .548 .536 .613
eness
 Payment
.521 .510 .540 .572 .564
Method

Communi  Broadcast .571 .645 .541 .684 .514

cation
 Interactive .572 .574 .568 .503 .538
(X3)

 User to
Communit .501 .572 .533 .538 .504
user
y
 User in
(X4) .529 .512 .548 .573 .616
group

 Offline/Onl
Distributio
ine .591 .517 .562 .553 .524
n
Channel
(X5)
 Wide .523 .539 .578 .551 .564

16
 coverage of
channel

 Recognitio
.577 .647 .633 .516 .534
n
Brand
 Reputation .561 .514 .578 .536 .613
(X6)
 Affinity .521 .510 .541 .552 .564
 Loyalty .573 .524 .628 .519 .654

Source: Processed Primary Data (2016)

DISCUSSION
The influence of Product towards The Decision in Using Online News Sites
The results showed clearly that the product performance dimension (X1.1) variables were
strongly related to the decision in using (Y4). This indicated that the RMOL.co site readers paid
close attention to the accuracy and speed of the news, both of which were indicators of the
performance dimension. However, if it was examined further, this was the aspect in which
RMOL.co experienced obstacles. This might occur because RMOL was lack of resources and
hired many part-time reporters from another company. The accuracy and speed of news indeed
affect the performance of RMOL.co products which form was news. Therefore, respondents felt
RMOL.co was not quite accurate and very slow in providing news information needed by
readers. The results of the study were in accordance with some previous theories that said that
Product is an important element in a person's decision to use/access the online news site as a
source of information because it directly related to the quality of information products that were
obtained. According to Mohammed, et al, (2003), products are services or physical goods offered
by the company. The various forms of products offered on the Internet include physical goods
(such as clothing), information products (such as online journals or news), and services (such as
online grocer). The product has an important role in supporting marketing. Products are all that
the market can offer to be noticed, owned, used or consumed that can satisfy the desire or needs
of the consumers. The product is considered to be good if it can meet market needs.
The results were also in accordance with Hermawan (2014). He found that the product
has a positive influence on the decision to use/purchase made by consumers online. Similarly,
Keller (2012) found that the application of improvements in the domain of products in an online
industry could increase consumer visits and ultimate decision to use the online products.

17
 However, the results of this study differ from previous research conducted by
Gangeshwer (2013) where the product does not have a significant influence, because there were
many visitors of news sites in India saw that the online news product had no difference with the
printed products so they felt they would still enjoy the news. The results confirmed the previous
hypothesis that the Product had a significant effect on Decision Using Online News Site.
The Influence of Price towards the Decision in Using Online News Sites
In the aspect of Price, the compatibility of price with product quality (X2.1) also had a
great influence on the effort of the search for information (Y2). This happens because many
readers think that it is important to notice that price is proportional to the quality of
information/news obtained. If the quality of news information is not comparable with the price,
then readers could possibly leave the news site. The results were in accordance with some
previous theories that explained that Price was considered to have an influence on the decisions
that are related to the customer and the owner of the product or service. Corroborates with
Mohammed et al (2003), the price was the amount of value that was paid by the customer to get
the products or services offered by the company whether in the online or offline environment.
The results of this study were also in accordance with Khalil (2014). He indicates that
prices had a positive influence on online purchasing decisions / uses made by consumers (price
had positive influence to decision of customer in online). This was also in line with Yannopoulos
(2011) and Hermawan (2014) who found a large influence of price variables on consumer
decisions in using or doing the transaction on Online sites.
However, this research presented different results with research conducted by Yoldas
(2011) who found that the price variable has no significant effect on purchasing decisions.
Yoldas's research was conducted on an online news site based in Turkey. In the country,
customers considered the price to be not important compared to the practicality of obtaining the
information itself. The results confirmed the previous hypothesis that Price had a positive and
significant effect on Decision in Using Online News Site
The influence of Communication towards the Decision in using Online News Sites
In the communication field, Broadcast dimension (X3.1) has a significant influence on
the decision to use (Y4). This explains that the FAQ, Email newsletter which is an indicator of
Broadcast can be a reference in developing the use of news sites from the communication side.
The results of the research were in accordance with some previous theories which stated that the
elements of communication are important in a person's decision in using/accessing the online
news site as the source of information. Communication in the world of marketing is an attempt to

18
convey a message to the public, especially target consumers about the existence of products in
the market. Communication plays a very important role for marketers. Without communication,
consumers and society as a whole will not know the existence of products in the market.
According to Mohammed et al (2003), Communication is an activity that informs one or more
target groups of customers about the company and its products. The type of corporate
communication with its customers includes public relations, employee use of sales, and online
advertising. Advertising and other forms of communication, such as television and mail, can
make target customers aware of the company offers.
The results of research are also in accordance with some previous research such as
Temma (2011). He found that communication had a positive influence on the decision in
purchasing / using made by consumers through online. In line with Temma, Mujiyana (2013)
also found the influence of communication in making consumers more engaged with an online
site and then increase the visit and the use of these online sites.
But the results of the present research differed from the results of research conducted by
Rudy (2011) where communication was not significantly influential due to differences in form
and understanding of the communication language in used. In beauty products, it was important
to communicate using language that explains the needs of the consumer if it was not then it was
considered hitting the wrong target. The results confirmed the previous hypothesis that the
Communication gave significant effect on Decision in Using Online News Site.
Pengaruh Komunitas terhadap Keputusan Menggunakan Situs Berita Online
On the community side, it appeared that the dimension of the user in the group (X4.2)
gave significant affects the reader in making a decision after using the news site (Y5). Therefore,
if this component was maximized by RMOL.co, it could increase the number of its viewers. This
result was in accordance with some previous theories which stated that in a person's decision to
use/access an online news site as an information source, the Community element was important
because Community was defined as a set of relationships built on the basis of common interests
and intention. According to Mohammed et.al (2003), the community is a collection of related
relationships that was formed by equality of interest that satisfied the needs of its members that
cannot be obtained individually. The community can build awareness, encourage exploration,
and commitment from the customer. This result also corroborated with Temma (2011) who
found that the community gave a positive influence on the decision in purchasing / using made
by consumers through online.

19
 In addition, similar results were also obtained by Pelkonen (2011). He argued that
managing the community could increase the traffic to the site. That study examined the online
site of trading hockey sports equipment that was called hockeystore.fi. In his study, Pelkonen
made improvements in the domain of User in a group and established cooperation with the
hockey community in Finland to hold an event, where the registration was conducted via the web.
So there was a significant increase in site visitors. The results confirmed the previous hypothesis
that the Community gave significant effect on the Decision in Using Online News Site.
The Influence of Distribution on the Decision in Using Online News Sites
On the distribution aspect, the online/offline channel dimension (X5.1) had a significant
effect on the RMOL.co reader on the aspect of Problem Recognition (Y1). The readers
considered the need for information and the reading habits were important aspects of this
dimension to notice. The results of this study were in accordance with some previous theories
which stated that the element of distribution was important in a person's decision to use/access
the online news site as the source of information. This occurred because Distribution is an
organizational structure both within and outside the company that consists of agents, dealers,
wholesalers, and retailers, through marketed commodity, marketable product or service.
According to Mohammed, et al, (2003), Distribution is a channel between companies by
ensuring, both information and products from the company are able to reach the customers. Wide
coverage of distribution has an impact on customer awareness as well as potential to gain more
customer exploration of the company and its offers. A similar result was also stated by
Hermawan (2014). He found that the distribution had a positive influence on consumers’
decisions in purchasing / using through online. The results confirmed the previous hypothesis
that Distribution significantly influenced the Decision in Using Online News Site.
The Influence of Brand on Decisions in Using Online News Sites
Finally, on the brand aspect, the loyalty dimension (X6.4) had a significant effect on
RMOL.co's readership in determining post-purchase behavior (Y5). It is necessary to give more
attention on this issue considering RMOL.co has already had its own characteristics as a news
website leader focusing on political news as it is conveyed in its tagline; "political news leader".
Therefore, it is important to maintain the quality and the trust of the readers that the RMOL.co
brand agrees with the political news or information that are displayed. The results of the study
corroborate with some previous theories which stated that the Brand aspect is important in a
person's decision to use/access an online news site because Brand plays two roles in marketing
strategy. First, the brand is the output or the results of the company's marketing activities.

20
Marketing program affects how consumers assess the Brand and its value. Second, the brand is
part of any marketing strategy. Any marketing strategy will increase if the brand is strong and
will decrease if the brand is weak. Thus, brand variables work together with other online
marketing dimensions to deliver positive results for the company both in terms of financial and
customers. According to Mohammed, et al, (2003), a brand is a name, a form, a symbol, or a
design, or a combination of all that aims to identify the goods and services of a seller or a group
of sellers and to differentiate their goods and services in competition. The product usually
describes the general category of an item, while the brand refers to all aspects relating to the
identity of the product.
The results were similar as Temma (2011) that indicates that brand had a positive
influence on consumers’ decisions in purchasing / using through online. However, the results of
this study were in contrast with the results of research conducted by Kurniawan (2014) in which
stated the brand has no significant effect on the decision to use. This occurred because the
perception regarding the brand will be less to be considered than the price and quality of the
product itself. In the site studied by Kurniawan, in the end, consumers are more concerned about
prices and products than the renownedness of the brand. The results confirmed the previous
hypothesis that Brand has a significant effect on Decision in Using Online News Site.

Table 5.8 The Comparison with Previous Studies

Variable Author Hermawan Temma Mujiyana agree/GAP
(2014) (2011) (2013)
Product V V V V Agree
Price V X V V GAP
Communication V V V V Agree
Community V V V X GAP
Distribution V V X V GAP
Brand V V V V Agree
Simultaneity V V V V Agree
Source: Processed Primary Data (2016)

Note: V: Influencing
X: Not Influencing

21
CLOSING
After hypothesis testing and correlation analysis between the dimensions were
conducted, the conclusions were listed as follows:
1. The product has a positive and significant effect on the decision to use the
RMOL.co. website. The conclusion was there would be an increase in the use of
online news sites because the decision to use would be made if there was an increase
and focus on improving the component of Products on the RMOL.co site. The
powerful dimension is the performance and the highest indicator is the actuality and
the speed at which new or current news quickly becomes a need for information
connoisseurs through RMOL.co.
2. Price has a positive and significant effect on the decision to use online news website
RMOL.co. The conclusion was there would be an increase in site or news portal
visitors if the company's policy focuses on the component Price. Price was a very
strong dimension. The conformity of price with product quality could drive quality
improvement or price adjustment.
3. Communication gave a positive and significant effect on the decision to use online
news website RMOL.co. In conclusion, there would be an increase in site visitors or
news portals if the company's policy focuses on the Communication component.
Broadcast dimension with the FAQ indicator, Email newsletter was a very powerful
dimension. This explains that the FAQ, Email newsletter which is an indicator of the
broadcast can be a reference in developing news site usage from the communication
aspect.
4. Community gave a positive and significant effect on the decision to use online news
website RMOL.co. In short, there would be an increase in site or news portals
visitors if the company's policy focuses on community components. The user was a
very powerful dimension in group dimension. In this issue, it encourages
improvements on embracing the community as a group with activities so that the
RMOL.co engagement with its readers would be stronger.
5. Distribution gave positive and significant effect on the decision to use online news
website RMOL.co. In conclusion, there will be an increase in website or news
portals visitors if the company's policy focuses on the Distribution component. One
of the very powerful dimensions is the online/offline channel dimension. It also

22
 suggests that it is necessary to give more attention to this aspect especially for the
website as an online medium. This was suggested because in currently RMOL.co
site has not adopted Mobile phone view system where sometimes the appearance of
the site on mobile phone is less interesting and less clear.
6. Brands also gave a positive and significant effect on the decision to use online news
site RMOL.co. It implies that there would be an increase in site or news portals
visitors if the company's policy focuses on Brand components. Loyalty (X6.4) is a
very strong dimension that had a significant effect on RMOL.co readers in
determining post-purchase behavior (Y5). This aspect needs to be given more
attention considering RMOL.co has already had its own characteristics as a leading
political news website with its matching tagline "political news leader". Therefore, it
is important to maintain the quality and trust of readers that RMOL.co brand is in
accordance with the news or information political news that it displays.
7. Product, Price, Communication, Community, Distribution, and Brand
simultaneously have a positive and significant influence on the Decision in Using
RMOL.co News Site. The conclusion of correlation analysis between each
independent variable with dependent variable was that they had very strong relation
and positive direction. The strongest was the relationship between Communication
with the Decision in Using Online News Sites and the lowest was the Community
against the Decision in Using Online News Sites. This indicated that Subscribers or
Customers RMOL.co mostly agreed that Communication consisting of User to User
approach and User in group approach gave more determination on one's decision in
using online news website compared to other variables. Communication has an
important role in making the decision in using an online news site. There may be
other variables that are lacking but since the display RMOL.co has adjusted with
Communication component, then they will still use the RMOL.co online news site.

Based on the conclusions, the suggestions and recommendation were listed as follows:
1. As an effort to increase the page views and viewers of internet users who decide to get
information through RMOL.co, PT Wahana Ekonomi Semesta needs to give attention to
the influence of Communication. It is important to establish a good and consistent
communication to the reader through the broadcast dimension aspect by routinely
providing newsletters about the latest information or news and making improvements to

23
 the FAQ so that readers will feel engaged and continue to access the site RMOL.co. In
the aspect of the Broadcast dimension, currently, RMOL.co is experiencing problems on
the human resources who should be in charge of it. Recently, there is no one who is really
responsible for communicating to readers like sending newsletters and updating FAQs so
the closeness of RMOL.co. This causes the engagement of RMOL.co with its readers
starts to be distant. Moreover, newsletter emails are also important since they have
become an attractive and widely used marketing strategy to provide interesting
information for subscribers. A well-designed and clear newsletter email can make people
become more interested in the products or services that the company offers. Since
reporting and sending newsletters email require specialized personnels that are
responsible them, particularly human resources are required to manage and deal with
Broadcast newsletters.
2. The second variable that gives the greatest influence is Product. In Product variables,
the dimension that has the strongest influence is Performance. It is therefore
recommended that improvements to the Product should be made. Currently, RMOL.co
news is considered less actual and fast due to the lack of number and qualified reporters.
RMOL.co often relies on outside reporters/freelancers who sometimes find it difficult to
ensure the actuality and speed of news information. Related to this issue, it is needed to
have recruitment of new reporters and journalistic training for existing reporters with
scientific materials about how to find and report actual and factual news so that the
quality of news can be more interesting for readers RMOL.co.
3. Researchers who are intended to conduct research on decisions using online news sites
should add other factors. The results of research on news sites in other countries show
that the influence of promotion or advertising affects the interest of readers of online
news sites. Research can also use other theories such as Accessibility in measuring
communication variables

24
DAFTAR PUSTAKA
Allan, Stuart. (2006). Online News: Journalism and the Internet. London: Open University Press
Al-Nasser, Mohammad, Rushami Zien Yusoff, Rabiul Islam And Abdullah Alnasser, (2014).
"Effects Of Consumers' Trust And Attitude Toward Online Shopping”, American Journal
of Economics and Business Administration vol 6 (2): 58-71.
Behrouz, Sakineh, et al, (2013)."Comparative Study Of Traditional And Online Marketing Mix
Willingness To Purchase The Cultural Produks”, Kuwait Chapter of Arabian Journal of
Business and Management Review Vol. 2, No.11.Page 16-28
Fang Chen-Ling dan Lie Ting. 2006. Assessment of Internet Marketing and Competitive
Strategies for Leisure Farming Industry in Taiwan. Journal of American Academy of
Business. ISSN 15401200, Volume 8 Issue 2, p. 296- 300. Cambridge
Gangeshwer, D. K. (2013). “E-Commerce or Internet Marketing: A Business Review from
Indian Context”, International Journal of u- and e- Service, Science and Technology,
Vol.6, No.6 (2013), pp.187-194
Hasan, Ali, (2014) Marketing dan Kasus – Kasus Pilihan, Yogyakarta: CAPS,
Hendra, (2012) Analisis Pengaruh Penerapan E-Marketing Terhadap Kepuasan Pelanggan dan
Dampaknya Pada Keputusan Pembelian pada PT. Nutraco Mesindotama. Ebis, Volume 3
Nomor 2.
Hermawan, Andika Rizka. (2014). “Analisis pengaruh harga, keragaman produk, dan
kepercayaan terhadap keputusan pembelian pada toko fashion online ‘namira outlet’”,
Jurnal Manajemen, Vol VI, No 2, pp: 19-36
Istijanto.(2008) Riset Sumber Daya Manusia.Edisi ketiga.Jakarta : PT. Gramedia Pustaka.
Kuncoro. Ari, (2015). Beda dengan Pria, Wanita Lebih Suka Berita Ringan,
http://inside.id/article/beda-dengan-pria-wanita-lebih-suka-berita-ringan (diakses tanggal
29 Oktober 2015)
Keller, Anja Anastasja, (2012), “Zara Strategic E-Marketing Plan”, University of Applied
Sciences Zurich (HWZ) Switzerland Journal, Vol. IV, Issue 3, pp: 23-35
Kennet, John (2015) Check Your Website Free, http://www.informer.com/2015/9/ Check-Your-
Website-Free.html (diakses tanggal 12 September 2015).
Khalil, Nahla (2014), “Factors affecting the consumer’s attitudes on online shopping in Saudi
Arabia”, International Journal of Scientific and Research Publications, Volume 4, Issue
11, pp: 01-08

25
Kotler, Philip dan Kevin L Keller (2012).Marketing Management Edisi 14, Global
Edition.Pearson PrenticeHall.
Kotler, Philip, dan Gary Amstrong, (2011), Dasar-dasar Pemasaran, ed.Kesembilan, jilid 1,
Alih Bahasa : Alexander Sindoro dan Tim Mark Plus, PTIndeks Kelompok Gramedia.
Kurniawan,Yohannes, (2014), E-Marketing Sebagai Alat Bantu Dalam Memperluas Segmen
Pasar. Jurnal Ekonomi, Volume 2 Nomor 1, Hal 26-37
Mc.Quail, D. (2005).Mass Communication Theory Fifth Edition. London: Sage Publications.
Mohammed, Rafi A., Robert J. Fisher, Bernard J. Jaworski, and Gordon Paddison. 2003. Internet
marketing: Building advantage in a networked economy. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-
Hill.
Mujiyana, Ingge Elissa, (2013). “Analisis Faktor-Faktor Yang Mempengaruhi Keputusan
Pembelian Via Internet Pada Toko Online”, Jurnal Manajemen, Vol VIII, No 3, pp: 143-
152
Oghina, Andrei. (2013), “Optimizing engagement in online news”, International Faculty of
Science and Management University of Amsterdam Journal.Volume-2, Issue–1, PP: 01-
66
Panggabean, Tongam E dan Vera Wijaya. (2011). “Analisis dan Perancangan E-Marketing Pada
PT Delion Citra Dinamika”, Jurnal STMIK Kristen Neumann Indonesia, vol 1 no 3, PP:
01-09
Pawar, Amruta Vijay. (2014). “Study Of The Effectiveness Of Online Marketing On Integrated
Marketing Komunikasi”, D.Y. Patil University, School of Management Journal.Volume-
1, Issue–1, PP: 01-29
Pelkonen, Jussi, (2011), “Business Plan for AnOnline Store Hockeystore.Fi”, International
Business Journal, 2011, Vol 3 No 12, PP: 17-29
Peter, J. Paul & Jerry C. Olson.(2008). Consumer Behavior, Perilakukonsumen dan Strategi
Pemasaran.Jilid kedua, Edisi Keempat.Terjemahan Damos Sihombing dan Peter Remy
Yossi Pasla. Jakarta: Erlangga.
Pujadi, Tri dan Rendra Setiadi, (2011). “Aplikasi E-Marketing Pada Pt Buana Jaya Paperindo”,
Jurnal Seminar Nasional Aplikasi Teknologi Informasi 2011 (SNATI 2011), Vol 2 no 5,
Hal: 1-8
Ristania, Novia dan Jerry S. Justianto, (2012), Analisa Pengaruh Harga, Promosi Dan Viral
Marketing Terhadap Keputusan Pembelian Pada "Online Shop" S-Nexian, Journal of
Business Strategy and Execution,5(2),131-161

26
Rudy, (2011), Perancangan E-Marketing Bagi Pemasaran Produk Kecantikan, Jurnal Seminar
Nasional Informatika 2011 (semnasIF 2011), Vol 2, No 9, Hal 126-142.
Sugiyono, (2012). Metode Penelitian Kunatitatif Kualitatif dan R&D. Bandung Alfabeta.
Temna, Tetyana, (2011). “An Internet Marketing Mix Analysis of an Emerging Company”,
Tomas Bata University in Zlin European Journal of Marketing And Business, 2011,
Vol.(1), No 4, pp: 105-123
Terence A. Shimp. 2008. Periklanan Promosi Aspek Tambahan Komunikasi Pemasaran
Terpadu Jilid I. Jakarta: Erlangga.
Umar, Husein (2013). Metode Penelitian untuk Skripsi dan Tesis. Jakarta: Rajawali
Uzun, Hana Dan Mersid Poturak (2014), “Factors Affecting Online Shopping Behavior of
Consumers”, European Journal of Social and Human Sciences, 2014, Vol.(3), No 3, pp:
163-170
Walker, dkk (2007).Marketing Strategy A Decision Focused Approach, 4th Edition, The
McGraw-Hill Companies, New York
Yannopoulos, Peter, (2011), "Impact of the Internet on Marketing Strategy Formulation",
International Journal of Business and Social Science, 2011, Vol. 2 No. 18, Page 1-7
Yoldas, Selda, (2011), “A Research About Buying Behaviours Of Online Customers
Comparison Of Turkey With Uk”, European Journal of Social and Human Sciences,
2011, Vol.(8), No 17, pp: 362-379.

27