免費增值模式之個案研究

Abstract

隨著科技進步，產品或服務放大規模時之邊際成本越來越低，採用免費增值(Freemium)商業模式的企業愈趨普遍，從雲端服務軟體到音樂平台，陸續出現像是Dropbox、Spotify這樣的成功案例，但也有更多陷入不斷燒錢，卻始終無法轉虧為盈的泥沼中的創業家。本研究透過深入檢視企業如何利用免費增值模式來迅速擴大用戶規模、甚至獲利，並採用多個案研究法，從中歸納出免費增值模式之共通性，再與失敗案例做比較，歸納出以下幾個發現： (1)免費增值模式的動機分成外在市場競爭的壓力，及企業想要快速集眾的內在需求；(2)免費增值模式普遍有大量用戶基礎、低轉換率、及以月費為主要收費方式的特色；(3) 免費增值之成功案例最主要的經營策略包含能快速集眾、提高轉換率。 本文最後將重要發現歸納成免費增值模式的三個發展階段並對未來研究方向提供一些建議。

As the big success of Dropbox and Spotify thrills the market, the future of freemium model seems so promising that no one really try to figuring it out how it operates before entering. Entrepreneur just thrive to join the world made of free and try to apply freemium as their business model but end up into a costly trap. Although the marginal cost sharply reducing due to fast developing technology, star-ups still can’t conquer the threat of new “Free” world. Through collecting and deeply study of successful businesses who mastered with freemium model case by case and comparing with the failure cases as contrary, this paper sum up with three important points as follows: (1) There are two different motivates for using freemium model. First, forced by the competitive market to go with freemium. Second, the inner motivates of enterprise to go viral and be big. (2) There are three characteristics of freemium model which are low conversion rate, millions of users, and fixed monthly fee. (3) The main significant strategies include gathering users as fast as possible and elevating conversion rate. The paper concludes these key findings into a three-stage-developing-model for freemium model and suggest some directions for future research.