What Converts Online Content Consumers from Free to Fee: Perspective from Mental Inertia Based on Value-added Experience

Abstract

Abstract:

The freemium model is an important business model for online content. This mode attracts customers through the free use, then uses value-added services to promote user upgrading service, thus obtaining paid yield. This paper based on the value-added experi-ence strategy, combining mental inertia and perceived value differences as intermediate variables, studies the mechanism of value-added experience factors on upgrade intention of service and tests the moderating effect of free mentality. Empirical results show that mental in-ertia will increase the perceived value differences of free and value-added services and then promote the service upgrade intention; social value elements of value-added experience play a significant role in training users' mental inertia, the role of emotional value elements is weak, and the functional value elements play a strong role in both mental inertia and perceived value differences. Meanwhile, this re-search finds that free mentality has no effect on regulating mental inertia. The results of this study can be applied by service providers to combine value-added experience elements scientifically, make the experience marketing effective, promote free users' service upgrade intentions, so as to gain more profit.

Key words: freemium model, online content, value-added experience, mental inertia, free mentality

Hu Zhenmiao, Cheng Yan, Cui Huayu. What Converts Online Content Consumers from Free to Fee: Perspective from Mental Inertia Based on Value-added Experience[J]. , 2016, 28(11): 116-128.

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