互联网平台网络效应的激发：基于社交网络与产品网络的产品推荐策略的作用机理研究

建立激发网络效应的运作机制将对互联网平台企业的成败产生决定性影响。基于社交网络和产品网络的推荐策略已经成为众多互联网公司用以驱动网络效应的重要举措，但现有研究仍聚焦于其对用户决策或需求偏好的影响，忽视了互联网平台的网络效应这一根本特征。本项目将两种产品推荐策略纳入到网络效应形成的情境中，借助社会网络理论解析两种推荐网络在不同平台上的表现形式，采用实验室实验和现场实验，检验两种产品推荐策略分别在产品和行业平台网络效应中的作用机理，不但能明晰产品推荐策略对流行产品和利基产品需求的影响还存在歧义的问题，而且进一步揭示产品推荐策略在两种平台的不同网络效应形成中的作用机理。这样的研究视角，不但提升了产品推荐策略的营销战略价值，丰富互联网平台营销战略和产品战略理论，而且拓展了现有网络效应理论的应用情景和发生条件。研究也将有助于互联网企业认识到外部客户资源的战略价值，以有效利用其来提升互联网平台竞争力。

The survival and development of Internet platforms depend on building the mechanisms that are able to elicit network effects. Many Internet companies are applying the social network based and product network based product recommendation strategies as an important mechanism to drive such network effects. Nevertheless, existing research that mostly focuses on the influence of product recommendation on user purchase decisions or demand preference has neglected the network effects as key characteristics of Internet platforms. To fill this gap, by grounding on social network theories and applying lab experiments and field experiments, this study aims to examine the two types of product recommendation strategies in the context of establishing network effects and particularly, their different functioning mechanisms in both Internet product platforms and industry platforms. This research thus can help solve the controversies on the effects of product recommendation strategy on popular or niche product demands. It can also find out the functioning mechanisms of the product recommendation strategy in forming the different network effect on the two types of platforms. Generally speaking, the research focus of this study will heighten the marketing strategic value of product recommendation strategy and enrich the Internet platform marketing strategies and product strategy theories. The application context and conditions of applying existing network effect theories can be extended, too. Through this study, Internet companies can better understand the strategic value of corporate external resources and better leverage on the social network and customer behavior data to enhance the competitiveness of Internet platforms.