面向社会化应用、供应链前后端的服务因其较强的网络外部性正被云化转型为saaS(Software as a Service),并提供免费试用策略,来减少用户对服务的不确定,加快SaaS服务的扩散。本文将网络外部性引入存在服务质量差异的寡头竞争市场下SaaS服务的免费试用问题中,通过建立Bertrand竞争模型,研究网络外部性影响免费试用策略的问题。结果表明,网络外部性强度会影响低服务质量SaaS提供商的免费试用时长和市场利润,同时影响到消费者剩余和社会福利的变化幅度。
The software products with strong network externalities are society-oriented applications and located before or after the supply chain. They are transforming to Software as a Service. And those services are also offered for free trial to ease uers' uncer- tainty and help the diffusion of Software as a Service. Taking network externalities into the free trial problem of SaaS with differ- ences in the quality in the duopoly market, this paper studied the free trial problem in the presence of network externalities through the Bertrand competition model. According to the results, the network externality intensity affects the free trial duration and market profit of the low service quality SaaS provider, and also affects the range of consumer surplus and social welfare.