網路平台之創新商業模式─以EZTABLE為例

Abstract

近年來由於資訊科技的發達，人們的生活與網路的關係越來越緊密。企業紛紛發展出不同的網路平台商業模式，提供消費者創新的服務體驗。網路平台具有快速複製、大量傳播與大幅降低經營成本的特性，加上平台本身的網路效應，使得網路平台迅速擴張，不僅讓企業獲取大量的利潤，也對許多傳統產業造成威脅。因此，如何設計網路平台的商業模式，幫助企業在變化快速的環境中維持公司的競爭優勢，對於新創公司或是傳統產業而言，都是相當重要的議題。 過往平台相關的文獻包含概念性論述、使用者層面以及生態系統層面。使用者層面的研究主要在探討顧客願意使用網路平台的意圖與行為；生態系統層面的文獻則大多在探討訂價策略的制定與平台生態圈的管理。這些文獻並沒有對網路平台的商業模式進行探討。因此本研究以台灣知名的線上餐廳訂位平台EZTABLE作為實例，透過訪談與次級資料蒐集進行個案分析，深入探討網路平台的創新商業模式。 研究結果發現，商業模式要素中的價值主張、目標客群、關鍵合作夥伴是網路平台能否成功的關鍵。由於不同地區之間的文化差異，不論是新創公司或力圖轉型的傳統企業，都應該實際觀察當地的需求與環境特性，事先進行商業模式的規劃，以了解企業營運的獲利來源，並且配合外在環境的改變做出適當的調整。

With the rapid development of information technology, Internet has already become a part of our daily life. Many enterprises develop platform-based business models to provide innovative customers service experience. Internet platforms have the feature of reproducing and transmitting easily, and also have lower operating costs compared to physical platforms. Besides, the network effect makes the platform expand rapidly, which helps enterprises gain lots of revenue. At the same time, Internet platforms also pose a threat to traditional industries. Therefore, it is an important issue to understand how to design platform-based business models. Prior studies on platforms focused on three dimensions: conceptual studies, user behavior and ecosystem. There were very limited studies analyzing business models of Internet platforms. Hence, this research aims to conduct a case study on one Taiwan famous online restaurant-reservation platform EZTABLE, to investigate its innovative platform-based business model. The empirical results indicate that value propositions, customer segments, and key partnerships are key success factors of Internet platforms. Because of the cultural difference, a business model may succeed in some countries but fail in others. Thus, enterprises should observe and plan carefully in advance to organize resources effectively and adjust quickly with the change of environment.