- Publishers who wish to identify their serial publications and incorporate a barcode on the magazine, journal or newspaper for sale via major retailers.

- Libraries that use the ISSN as a fundamental identifier for distinguishing between identical serial titles and facilitating checking and ordering procedures, collection management, legal deposit, digital preservation, interlibrary loans, etc.

- Catalogue databases that use the ISSN as a record control number and can make use of the records from the ISSN register.

- Documentation centres and databases that handle bibliographic references and use the ISSN for more accurate serials citation, abstracting and indexing services, etc.

- Subscription agencies which act as intermediaries between publishers and their customers, use the ISSN to ensure the correct serial publication is delivered.

- Academics who wish to cite publications with full details for research purposes.

- Retailers / wholesalers that use ISSN-based barcodes within their own internal systems in order to assess and control magazine/newspaper circulation.