摘要：This post will introduce the abstract of "Free Value-added Competition in Intensive Reading Journal Papers: Digital Competition wi
分享兴趣，传播快乐，
增长见闻，留下美好。
亲爱的您，这里是LearingYard学苑！
今天小编为您带来文章
“喆学（145）：精读期刊论文
《Competing on Freemium: Digital Competition with Network Effects》
摘要”
欢迎您的访问！
Share interest, spread happiness,
increase Knowledge, and leave beautiful.
Dear, this is the LearingYard Academy!
Today, the editor brings the
"Zhexue (145): Intensive reading of journal articles
《Competing on Freemium: Digital Competition with Network Effects》
Abstract"
Welcome to visit!
本期推文将从思维导图、精读内容、知识补充三个方面介绍精读期刊论文《Competing on Freemium: Digital Competition with Network Effects》的摘要。
This post will introduce the abstract of "Free Value-added Competition in Intensive Reading Journal Papers: Digital Competition with Network Effects" from three aspects: mind map, intensive reading content, and knowledge supplement.
一、思维导图（Mind Maps）
二、精读内容（Intensive reading content）
1.研究主题(Research topics)
核心主题是免费增值商业模式及其对公司收入的影响。研究探讨了网络效应在此过程中的作用，特别是在竞争环境下。关注点在于这种策略对市场领导者与市场追随者的不同影响。
The core theme is the Freemium business model and its impact on a company’s revenue. The research explores the role of network effects in this process, especially in a competitive environment. The focus is on the different effects of this strategy on market leaders and market followers.
2.研究背景与动机(Research Background and Motivation)
公司广泛采用免费增值策略以扩大用户基础和利用网络效应。尽管免费增值模式普遍，但关于其如何具体影响公司收入的实证证据仍然有限。在竞争环境中，免费增值策略影响的研究尤为不足。
Freemium strategies are widely adopted by companies to expand their user base and exploit network effects. Despite the prevalence of freemium models, empirical evidence on how they specifically affect company revenues remains limited. The impact of freemium strategies is particularly understudied in competitive environments.
3.研究目的和问题(Research objectives and questions)
实证调查网络效应的增强如何影响采用免费增值策略的公司的产品销售/业绩。
Empirically investigate how the enhancement of network effects affects product sales/performance of firms adopting a freemium strategy.
具体问题如下：
The specific questions are as follows:
（1）苹果应用商店上一项增强网络效应的政策，如何影响市场领导者和追随者的业绩？
(1) How does a policy on Apple’s App Store that enhances network effects affect the performance of market leaders and followers?
（2）这种影响是否因公司是否采用免费增值策略而有所不同？
(2) Does this effect differ depending on whether the company adopts a freemium strategy?
（3）免费增值策略和网络效应的结合，是更有利于市场领导者还是追随者？
(3) Does the combination of a freemium strategy and network effects benefit market leaders or followers more?
4．研究方法(Research Methodology)
实证研究表明研究基于数据分析，而非纯理论推演。对比分析比较了对市场领导者和追随者的影响。特定事件研究：研究了“苹果应用商店上一项导致网络效应增强的政策”作为网络效应变化的触发点。苹果应用商店 (Apple App Store): 这是研究的具体平台和数据来源。这个环境本身具有显著的网络效应特征。
The empirical study shows that the research is based on data analysis rather than pure theoretical deduction. The comparative analysis compares the impact on market leaders and followers. Specific event study: "A policy on the Apple App Store that led to an increase in network effects" was studied as a trigger point for changes in network effects. Apple App Store: This is the specific platform and data source for the study. This environment itself has significant network effect characteristics.
5.主要发现(Main findings)
单纯的网络效应增强本身并不能给市场领导者带来相对于追随者更高的收入。这意味着网络效应并非在所有情况下都能自动转化为领导者的收入优势。当公司采用免费增值策略时，增强的网络效应会极大地放大市场领导者相对于市场追随者的优势。这种优势体现为领导者相对于追随者收入的增加，甚至达到市场主导地位的程度，但这仅在使用了免费增值策略时才会发生。
The pure enhancement of network effects by itself does not bring higher revenue to market leaders relative to followers. This means that network effects do not automatically translate into revenue advantages for leaders in all cases. When companies adopt a freemium strategy, the enhanced network effects greatly amplify the advantages of market leaders over market followers. This advantage is reflected in the increase in revenue of leaders relative to followers, even to the point of market dominance, but this only occurs when a freemium strategy is used.
研究结果揭示了商业模式和网络效应之间的相互作用。并且，在研究设定的环境中，更强的网络效应和免费增值策略的组合，其益处是单向地流向市场领导者的。
The results reveal an interplay between business models and network effects, and that, in the context of the study, the benefits of a combination of stronger network effects and a freemium strategy flow unidirectionally toward market leaders.
三、知识补充（Knowledge supplement）
根据摘要以及对免费增值策略的普遍理解，其适用边界可以从多个维度来看：
According to the summary and the general understanding of the freemium strategy, its applicable boundaries can be viewed from multiple dimensions:
1.市场地位与网络效应强度
1. Market position and network effect strength
对市场领导者更优：摘要明确指出，在具有强网络效应的环境下（如苹果应用商店），免费增值策略与增强的网络效应相结合，主要使市场领导者受益，能够显著放大其相对于追随者的优势，甚至实现市场主导。这意味着，对于市场追随者而言，在同样的环境下简单复制免费增值模式可能效果不佳，甚至可能因成本无法覆盖而面临困境。这构成了基于市场地位的一个重要边界。
Better for market leaders: The summary clearly states that in an environment with strong network effects (such as the Apple App Store), the freemium strategy combined with enhanced network effects mainly benefits market leaders, which can significantly amplify their advantages over followers and even achieve market dominance. This means that for market followers, simply copying the freemium model in the same environment may not work well, and may even face difficulties due to cost non-coverage. This constitutes an important boundary based on market position.
强网络效应环境：该策略的有效性与网络效应的强度紧密相关。在网络效应不明显或较弱的产品/服务中，免费增值吸引大量免费用户可能难以转化为付费用户或显著的竞争优势。
Strong network effect environment: The effectiveness of this strategy is closely related to the strength of the network effect. In products/services with unclear or weak network effects, freemium attracting a large number of free users may be difficult to convert into paid users or significant competitive advantages.
2.产品/服务本身的特性
2. Characteristics of the product/service itself
价值差异化与付费意愿：免费版和付费版之间必须有明确且有吸引力的价值差异。免费版需要足够好用以吸引用户并形成使用习惯，但又不能“过于完美”，以免用户缺乏升级到付费版的动力。如果付费版的价值主张不清晰或不具吸引力，转化率会很低。
Value differentiation and willingness to pay: There must be a clear and attractive value difference between the free version and the paid version. The free version needs to be good enough to attract users and form usage habits, but it cannot be "too perfect" so that users lack the motivation to upgrade to the paid version. If the value proposition of the paid version is unclear or unattractive, the conversion rate will be low.
低边际服务成本：免费增值模式通常意味着需要服务大量免费用户，因此产品/服务的边际成本（每增加一个用户所带来的额外成本）需要非常低，尤其对于免费用户。数字产品、软件、在线服务等通常符合这一特性。
Low marginal service cost: The freemium model usually means that a large number of free users need to be served, so the marginal cost of the product/service (the additional cost for each additional user) needs to be very low, especially for free users. Digital products, software, online services, etc. usually meet this characteristic.
用户体验与习惯培养：产品需要能够让用户通过免费版快速体验核心价值，并逐渐形成使用习惯或依赖，从而增加未来付费的可能性。
User experience and habit cultivation: The product needs to enable users to quickly experience the core value through the free version and gradually form usage habits or dependence, thereby increasing the possibility of future payment.
潜在用户基数：市场需要足够大，以便通过吸引大量免费用户，即使转化率不高，也能获得可观的付费用户数量。
Potential user base: The market needs to be large enough to attract a large number of free users, even if the conversion rate is not high, a considerable number of paying users can be obtained.
3.公司的运营与转化能力
3. The company's operation and conversion capabilities
有效的转化机制：公司需要有清晰、有效的策略和机制来引导免费用户转化为付费用户，例如功能限制、使用量限制、优质内容锁定、去广告、增值服务等。
Effective conversion mechanism: The company needs to have clear and effective strategies and mechanisms to guide free users to convert to paying users, such as function restrictions, usage restrictions, premium content locking, ad removal, value-added services, etc.
数据分析与迭代能力：能够追踪用户行为数据，分析免费用户的痛点和付费用户的需求，并据此不断优化产品和转化策略。
Data analysis and iteration capabilities: Ability to track user behavior data, analyze the pain points of free users and the needs of paying users, and continuously optimize products and conversion strategies accordingly.
财务支撑能力：在实现规模化付费转化之前，公司需要有足够的财务能力来支撑大量免费用户带来的运营成本（服务器、客服、带宽等）。
Financial support capability: Before achieving large-scale paid conversion, the company needs to have sufficient financial capacity to support the operating costs (servers, customer service, bandwidth, etc.) brought by a large number of free users.
4.市场与竞争环境
4. Market and competitive environment
用户付费习惯：目标市场的用户是否具备为同类产品/服务付费的习惯和意愿。
User payment habits: Do users in the target market have the habit and willingness to pay for similar products/services?
竞争对手策略：竞争对手是否也采用免费增值模式，以及他们的免费版和付费版如何设定。如果竞争对手的免费版已经能满足大部分用户需求，后来者将面临更大挑战。
Competitor strategy: Do competitors also adopt the freemium model, and how are their free and paid versions set up? If the competitor's free version can already meet most user needs, latecomers will face greater challenges.
摘要中提及的“竞争”：摘要特别指出“在使用免费增值策略的产品面临竞争的情况下，相关的实证研究有限”，这暗示了竞争环境是理解免费增值策略效果的一个复杂且重要的边界条件。
"Competition" mentioned in the abstract: The abstract specifically points out that "there is limited empirical research on the situation where products using freemium strategies face competition", which implies that the competitive environment is a complex and important boundary condition for understanding the effect of freemium strategies.
5.长期战略目标
5. Long-term strategic goals
免费增值是为了快速获取用户、建立市场壁垒，还是作为长期的核心盈利模式？不同的战略目标会影响策略的设计和资源投入。
Is free value-added for the purpose of quickly acquiring users, establishing market barriers, or as a long-term core profit model? Different strategic goals will affect the design of the strategy and resource investment.
今天的分享就到这里了，
如果您对文章有独特的想法，
欢迎给我们留言，让我们相约明天。
祝您今天过得开心快乐！
That's all for today's sharing.
If you have a unique idea about the article,
please leave us a message,
and let us meet tomorrow.
I wish you a nice day!
翻译：谷歌翻译
参考资料：谷歌、Chat GPT
参考文献：Kevin J. Boudreau, Lars Bo Jeppesen, Milan Miric. Competing on freemium: Digital competition with network effects [J]. Strategic Management Journal, 2021, 43(7): 1374-1401.
本文由LearningYard学苑整理发出，如有侵权请在后台留言！
文案|hzy
排版|hzy
审核|yyz
来源：LearningYard学苑
