Optimal Software Free Trial Strategy: Limited Version, Time-locked, or Hybrid?

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Cheng, Hsing Kenneth; Li, Shengli; Liu, Yipeng
• 署名单位: State University System of Florida; University of Florida; Xi'an Jiaotong University; University of Illinois System
• 刊物名称: PRODUCTION AND OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT
• ISSN/ISSBN: 1059-1478
• DOI: 10.1111/poms.12248
• 发表日期: 2015
• 页码: 504-517
• 关键词: network externalities; consumer; PRODUCTS

摘要

Limited version, time-locked, and hybrid are three software free trial strategies employed by software firms to exploit increased installed base and/or reduction of consumers' uncertainty about software quality. We develop an analytical model to examine these three software free trial strategies. We find that the hybrid strategy weakly dominates the limited and time-locked versions, and the intensity of the network effects is a key factor determining which strategy is optimal.