考虑需求端和产出端不确定性的服务平台定价和商业模式研究

Pricing Strategy and Business Model Determination of Service Platform under Demand and Output Uncertainty

同时考虑平台需求端和供给端不确定性,分析此时服务平台的产品定价、最优激励、商业模式和效率损失传导。通过将委托代理理论和平台理论结合的方法进行分析,研究表明:(1)需求端和产出端的不确定性越高,平台对消费端的定价越低;随着需求端自网络外部性增强,需求端不确定对消费端的影响减弱;随需求端交叉网络外部性增强,需求端不确定对消费端的定价影响增强。(2)需求或产出不确定性越大,分成报酬占总报酬比例越低,平台商业模式更接近于雇佣或自营模式;反之接近纯平台模式。(3)产出端不确定性带来的效率损失在平台两端之间传导。当服务端存在不确定性,服务端报酬和需求端定价同时上升,服务提供端的报酬升高幅度大于需求端产品价格升高幅度。同时,平台将部分效率损失内化,平台承担的效率损失与需求端交叉网络外部性成正比。

As the development of information and remote technologies,more and more offline service could be accessed.Someservice providers begun using online platforms to enable themselves to directly connect with customers,but sometend to be hired by platform.For the service provider,the platform like an online labor market now.To some service providers,they are not only using the platform but also being hired by the platform.Then,when the platform wants to drive the service providers to provide the desired outcome after their contract is signed,an ex-post problem arises.Meanwhile,the uncertainty of consumer side would also affect.Considering the cases that uncertainty on two sides,the service pricing,optimal incentive scheme,business model choosing and conduction of efficiency of platforms are analyzed.Unlike the usual platform that charges both sides a fixed fee,the online-hiring platform shares revenue with one sideaccording to service provider’s performance.From equilibriums,it is shown that:(1)When the uncertainty of consumer side is high,pricing of consumer side is low.When the uncertainty of service provider side is high,pricing of consumer side is high.When the self-externality of consumer side is large,the effects of uncertainty of consumer side on service pricing is weakened.When the cross-externality of consumer side is large,the effects of uncertainty of consumer side on service pricing is strengthened.(2)When the uncertainty of consumer side or the uncertainty of service provider side is high,online service firm tend take more risk.(3)When the uncertainty of service provider side exists,the price of consumer side and the salary for service provider are both higher than ever before.And the variance on service provider side is larger than that of consumer side.The platform will take part of the efficiency loss and the amount of this efficiency loss it takes is positive with the cross-externality of consumer side.First,to see the uncertainty’s impact on pricing in reality.Take online knowledge sharing industry for example.According to the reports of"China online knowledge sharing industry and consumer behavior investigation 2020",the main three platforms is Ximalaya FM,Zhihu and Dedao.And they have different business models,including OHP model where platform hire content provider,and Platform Model where platform is just a place for exchange.Although being the same business model,Ximalaya FM and Zhihu Live have different pricing strategy.With more restrictions and low uncertainty on consumer side,Zhihu Live’s pricing on consumer side is higher than Ximalaya FM’s pricing.Second,to see the uncertainty’s impact on business model,a comparison between service industries is given.Household service with low uncertainty level have more cases signing contract directly with customers than that of knowledge sharing or online literature platform with high uncertainty level.Theoretically,by providing a new framework combining the two-sided market and principal-agent theory,the optimal pricing is given under the case of two-side uncertainty,and a conduction mechanism of efficiency loss is presented.In reality,it not only helps platform making pricing decision,but also explains why some kind of online service could not exist due to the heavy moral hazard problem.And,with more uncertainty on both sides,the platform should assume more risk.In more extreme situations,the platform should choose the B2 C mode and assume all risks.