Lu Shengzhen: WPS, the Logical Dilemma of Office Beasts

As a claim to personal free general office software, WPS has more than 470 million users, and I do not know when to start, the Microsoft office market after cutting out a large piece of WPS, in the rapid expansion of the user base, consumer stickiness has been cultivated, began to dazzle the new features continue to tempt the user, in the unnoticed and unnoticeable, an invisible scissors silently stretched out! ......

Rice Shell Membership WPS Membership Super Membership

-- Behind the 2 billion dollar miracle

As a general office software, Poison King San Francisco's WPS is becoming more and more complete, the sense of technology is getting stronger and stronger, but with the continuous upgrading of the function, WPS is also more and more to show a nearly reaper's posture.

For example, to do a need to submit a document, according to the rules of the line, you need to use a font called "Founder Small Standard Song _ GBK" as the head of the table, but the mouse as long as the font box in the font selection of this font, WPS will immediately appear in a pop-up login box, requiring users to log in to become a registered user.

Registered users of this gourd what is the mystery, most users can guess one or two. There are some countermeasures to avoid being registered, such as installing the required fonts through the font download sources announced by the universities. But this strategy in front of the "King of Poison" is nothing more than child's play - as long as the WPS font box to touch the downloaded fonts, WPS charge pop-up window will instantly be inspired, WPS has counted on someone will be opportunistic.

Of course, WPS practice is the industry practice, get a registered user of WPS to say, at most, will become a Kingsoft data mining team in a cluster, as implied by those potentially useful things will be Kingsoft how to place, the netizens their own brain. In the face of big data such as naked walk in the era, wriggling privacy but is in the eyes of others "huh"!

With the probability that the account should be unimpeded? In fact, this is just a small beginning. Get the registration information, WPS immediately gift permissions: enjoy 1G cloud space to store documents right, have the right to browse the platform document library. However, if the user still wants to use the previous want to use that Founder small standard Song_GBK font, the pay box will still not hesitate to jump out, snapped the door shut to you.

Not to buy a membership is not feasible, in addition to pay for the convenience, there is no shortcut. At this point, users will face two choices: one is the rice shell membership, one is the WPS membership. Rice shell members can get the right to use fonts for free, then the urgent need for fonts users will probably buy a rice shell membership, after spending money, anxiety instantly dissolved, then the user will also get the template to download, PPT intelligent beautification, resume assistant and a bunch of benefits such as free ads pop-up windows. Thereafter, the probability that the user can be in a comfortable mood and WPS peaceful coexistence.

However, this pleasure will not be too long, suddenly at a certain moment, the user urgently need to use a document to a picture format or a table function, the user will suddenly find that the rice husk membership does not support this need.

After a period of frantic, users will suddenly realize that the only way to get these features is to buy the second membership mode of WPS - WPS Member. In order to continue to work, it is unavoidable to buy another WPS membership, which, in addition to image conversion, also includes document conversion, document repair, full-text translation, form tools, data recovery, and other new features that are not available in the rice shell membership.

Roughly speaking, WPS has aimed at the user's cognitive shortcomings of network services, began to set the threshold with professional marketing means, and the more complex the threshold, the less opportunity for users to dip into the bargain. Through different membership settings, an originally generic free software is introduced into a set fee logic. By 2022, more than 29.97 million individual consumers will be included in WPS's user pool by this charging logic.

Regardless of the appropriateness of this approach, in terms of the two membership models, it is difficult for the average user to figure out what kind of membership he or she needs until he or she encounters a certain need. The two memberships are like monsters covering each other, and if you buy any one of them, there will be another set of features that you can't use. This in turn creates a flawless reason for WPS to extend a third fee program - WPS Super Membership.

WPS Super Member, but the rice husk membership, WPS membership two modules packaged, around and around, WPS gourd loaded with nothing but the most expensive this pile of medicine!

Of course, in order to push again, WPS will still give a series of temptation policy: one year 50% off, two years 40% off, monthly, quarterly, annual randomly selected, the longer the payment time, the greater the cheaper. In order to be more attractive to users, WPS will also be sent to merge pdf, template recharge, copyright registration, examination dictionary, application box, cleanup master, ui design and a whole lot of netizens spit out for the chicken ribs of things.

Of course, marketing is a technology, it meets the needs of users at the same time, but also created some non-essential, it is not for real-time available, touching the human nature, but also pinch the lifeblood of people. This pinch, for WPS to bring 2.05 billion yuan of individual user revenue, 2022, in the WPS overall revenue of 3.885 billion yuan, individual users accounted for more than 52%, for a enterprise and public institutions as the main target consumer group of the product, this is not a miracle, but exudes a very strange flavor.

Want to avoid WPS wool shearing is not unavoidable, decisively throw WPS into the recycling bin, and then change to Microsoft or Tencent documents. However, as long as the computer has been installed once WPS, is destined to stick together with WPS, such as the use of WPS viewing tool to open a picture, the computer will be tampered with all the pictures of the default open program, as for the installation of WPS, regardless of the choice did not choose, WPS will automatically take over all the DOC, XLS and PPT files; regardless of the willingness to WPS will be at the right time! disguised as a WeChat pop-up window, not under the control of the user to force file associations, in the face of such a professional BUG, ordinary users can only be angry and can not be, let the ravages.

Even if the criticism is difficult to hide, still can not prevent WPS to get and Microsoft's status, as the market is getting bigger and bigger, more and more complex module functions, the user experience from the friendly but more and more distant, 38 years of history of WPS, just like showing some kind of imperceptible nature.

Is it a commercialized product, or a public product?

-- The Logical Dilemma of WPS

Objectively speaking, WPS is a commercialized product, behind the inclusion of the early Hong Kong Kingsoft, Lenovo, Shunwei, Qifeng N-dimensional and the later Hong Kong Central Clearing House, Shenzhen Tencent, Industrial and Commercial Bank of China Merchants Bank and many other investors, from this point of view alone, WPS is the market-oriented products, from the investment point of view, there is no free lunch, spend money on research and development to do the market, the collection of user money is also in line with the rules. rules.

But there is always straight and narrow, as a matter of fact, as a general-purpose basic software, WPS can not be categorized as a fully commercialized product in the market sense, because, from the day it enters the Chinese people's field of vision, it will spit on the ground to hit the pit of the gesture of the individual user to make a commitment to free of charge, and it is this commitment to the achievement of today's WPS.

◆Free, a panacea for the resurrection of the dead

Permanent free of charge to individual users, is WPS in 2005 has made a commitment.

The reason why it is free, is that the 17-year-old WPS is dying, when Microsoft Word by acquiescing to piracy and computer operating system Windows bundled with the Microsoft monopoly on the sale of the way with the WPS into extinction, and Microsoft office is not compatible with the WPS market share from the previous 90% fell steeply to less than 10%.

Dilemma is not only at that time, before the Kingsoft has long been subjected to the ravages of the market: in 1995, Kingsoft in the WPS on the basis of re-development of office systems - Pangu word processing software, not yet on the market suffered a failure to invest 20 million all hit the water. Directly led to Kingsoft's near bankruptcy, most of the staff left. Immediately followed by Kingsoft and Lenovo jointly invested in the development of a B2C e-commerce site Joyo.com, in the large amount of money burned, is ultimately trapped in a desperate situation, on the verge of closure of Joyo.com was ultimately taken over by Amazon.com in 2004.

In 2005, Kingsoft just rely on some online game products struggling to survive, after a year of continued struggle, Kingsoft had to hope to fall back on the moribund WPS, Kingsoft decided to completely give up the original WPS code structure, with more than 5 million lines of rewriting the cost of deep compatibility with Microsoft Office in exchange for the opportunity to choose the user, for which Kingsoft has given up everything, including free in exchange for user support. free in exchange for user support.

Wool comes out of the cow. Flow = everything, free = flow of the market logic is precisely the period of the Internet industry's common practice. During this period, the faltering WPS to solve the user habits and Microsoft to "steal the rice bowl" two major problems. "Losing money to make money" is the most brutal and effective way to grab users.

Free to use, the flow is king, it is aware of this secret, Kingsoft confidently promised users, WPS free of charge to the Chinese market. Fruit is not expected, pick up the cheap is nature, just 3 months later, WPS downloads exceeded 38 million, WPS hard in the mouth of Microsoft office, to take back a big piece of cake, then the user rocketing, quickly over a hundred million, in 2007, reborn Jinshan once again announced that the WPS personal version of the permanent free of charge.

And it is relying on this strategy, supporting the WPS version from the time when the WPS2005 to today's WPS11.1.0, from a niche product, to the market value of 200 billion office software giant.

◆Who makes WPS salty?

WPS around 2001, has been with Microsoft for up to 10 years of competition, despite the initiative to seek peace (WPS active compatibility with Microsoft Word), but is still forced by Microsoft without the power to fight. At this time, Microsoft office in the office software market has been close to monopoly, at this time followed by Yongzhong technology, red flag two thousand, in the standard Puhua and other more domestic office software domestic office software to join the office software competition, and even the use of the Chinese Academy of Sciences technology Yongzhong office regardless of the compatibility or speed is better than Kingsoft WPS. even if many national brands to support, but still can not shake the! Microsoft, Office 2000, Office XP occupies more than 90% of the domestic computer, WPS lost a mess, domestic office software nearly no grass.

This situation has caused users to be alerted to the national sentiment stirring, while countless users turn to use the imperfect domestic office software, while countless users, experts call on public institutions to purchase domestic office software, which has caused great attention at all levels of management bodies, in 2003, the Government Procurement Act was introduced, WPS with the help of this opportunity, rapid and industrial and commercial, pricing, sanitation and various functional institutions to do business with the docking. Just that year from the mouth of Microsoft, cut out 56.12% of the market cake. 2005, at this time, has been announced free of charge to individual users of WPS almost all the provincial government departments to obtain purchase orders; 2007, the Agricultural Bank of the whole line of procurement WPS, this background, a large number of industrial and commercial enterprises to join the camp in support of the WPS to 2009, WPS has become a centralized enterprise, the first procurement list of state-owned enterprises. Office software of the first procurement list.

In 2008, the resurrection of WPS computer version of the user has more than 132 million, with a stable source of income WPS once again confidently announced to the individual user: permanently free!

This strategy has been recognized by all walks of life. 2010, WPS has received 50 million dollars of funding support from the central government. In 2014, more than 70 central ministries, more than 301 central enterprises all use Kingsoft WPS office software. Since then for several consecutive years, WPS achieved a compound annual growth rate of 300%, a huge number of users to further accumulate, WPS step by step again to the status of parity with Microsoft.

WPS, not bad money, but also more investment in research and development, originally only has a common picture insertion, slide templates, font insertion began to experience since then up to 15 years of functionality upgrades, from the early days of multiple clipboards, online storage, reading PDF documents, UOF format documents gradually evolved out of the PDF conversion, image editing, full-text translation, mind mapping, online documents, thesis tools, text proofreading, one-click beautification, typesetting, and so on, and so on. One-click beautification, one-click layout, screen recording, compression, cloud space and so on.

◆ Metamorphosis

Undoubtedly, free of charge for individual users is the basis for obtaining wide support inside and outside the chain, and it is the core tool that supports WPS to turn defeat into victory.

Although free to help WPS get a huge market, but free is not easily T launched. In the consecutive years of market model exploration, WPS has been also trying to charge individual users to obtain the profit model.

As early as 2007, Kingsoft plans to launch an upgraded version of WPS WPS Online, there have been attempts to provide online material library by way of individual users to charge fees. But the accident is that the software is not yet on the market was exposed in advance, which triggered a personal version of WPS will be charged "speculation and controversy.

Some netizens said, if the charge, will not continue to use WPS, and even some users spit: the charge of the original tactics can not be faulted, but, carrying the banner of free of charge to have been accustomed to the use of the user to implement some kind of harvesting, so that instead of appearing despicable. This public opinion in the network fermentation. At this time, coinciding with the Kingsoft and Japanese venture capital firm UAFCO to negotiate a huge investment, and, Kingsoft is rushing to the Hong Kong Stock Exchange listing, the collapse of a thousand miles of dike in an anthill, the bad public opinion environment will be placed on the brink of doom Kingsoft.

Kingsoft immediately clarified that the personal version of WPS would not be charged for the launch of its Online products, and that the policy of free use would be carried out to the end.

Since then, whenever the market WPS for individual users of the rumors of charges, Kingsoft will come out and swear to the user's commitment to the personal version of the permanent free of charge, of course, at some point, WPS will also add: as long as the individual user does not have too many requirements, then the free version will be enough to win.

However, Kingsoft is finally growing up, in 2008 has been successfully listed in Hong Kong Kingsoft, driven by capital, the profit generated a new demand, Kingsoft began to take the opportunity to launch the online template business, to try to charge the logic of the setup.

In fact, when WPS was first launched, it had already tried a variety of charging models. In the late 1990s, WPS imitated the flood of pop-up window advertising model, launching advertisement spaces, irregular pop-up windows, corner pop-up windows, etc. in its own interface, and then based on the length of advertisement, the number of clicks, the number of registrations, and other information flow, to get a share. In the absence of a profit model for several years, this advertising revenue once accounted for about half of the overall revenue of WPS.

Of course, uninvited pop-up windows have been the existence of street rats, consumer complaints, seriously affecting the brand health of WPS. Kingsoft had to consider a new profit model. At this time, WPS (2008) has been sitting on ten million users, and in the state-owned number of procurement list firmly established, the user base is large enough, the use is also frequent enough, which is for WPS, the capital to gather the "entrance" has been formed, and it would like to try a direct charging model, however, this idea has not been effectively implemented. Effective implementation.

Turning to 2015, WPS registered users have more than 166 million, accounting for 27% of the total size of the domestic office market users, WPS has become the largest domestic office software and service providers. At this time, most of the competitors have been sold on the market, under the roof of Microsoft has also learned to bow down.

Gradual improvement of WPS on individual user fees finally entered a substantial stage, this year, WPS launched a cloud + membership subscription model to replace the previous WPS license model. This subscription covers online templates, online library, Office document resource sharing platform rice shells, cloud synchronization and cloud collaboration and other functions, WPS use this subscription model, the implementation of their own product value empowerment, based on meeting the basic functional needs of individual users outside of the higher needs of the fee model established.

From the beginning of the year, individual users can use WPS free of charge, but the function has been limited only to commonly used document processing functions, enough or not enough, since the user's own experience, such as the new online templates, online library, rice husk all belong to the category of money. Because Kingsoft has long been said in the first: "As long as the individual user does not have too many requirements, then it is enough", with this Golden Bell, WPS completed in silence in the concept of free services and paid services to cut, transition. Even if the user feels that something is not right, but ultimately can not find a reason to find fault, and even, free to use itself is enough to let people produce a sense of guilt like white prostitution.

A user charges and does not charge the coexistence of the era has come. With this theoretical support, WPS can still face to claim that the user is permanently free.

Through this free of charge this tried and true excuse, more consumers are guided to gather in the huge user pool of WPS, and then form product stickiness, feed the dependence on WPS, this means of operation ultimately break through the bottleneck of WPS difficult to profit for many years, for WPS to bring a huge return, 2017-2021, Kingsoft Office revenue grew from 750 million to 3.28 billion, four-year compound Growth rate of 44.61%, 2022 Kingsoft Office revenue of 3.885 billion.

The medicine to solve the problem

From 1988 to 2023, after 35 years of fluctuating course and finally salty WPS, the market valuation of 200 billion.

There is no worry about the collapse of WPS has been only an inch away from dominating the office software market. However, the mountains and rivers are often the beginning of the beginning of the heart is not there. WPS at this time, is not that need to be careful everywhere, everywhere to meet the user's small software. In many strong capital intervention in the WPS, the endless demand for profits has become the driving force for its continued existence. This shift, is the inevitable capital, for which the user is not aware, so that in the face of a variety of membership forms of fees, the network is sometimes high-pitched warm and forthright trolling iterative, and sometimes it is the undercurrent of hatred and abuse, but none of them point to the need to analyze the fine logic behind it.

However, the concept of free is equivalent to the basic functions of the lock, doomed to the user trapped in a small functional area. Things will be uneven, WPS simple and powerful free sign and the charge in a roundabout way, in fact, has been exposed on the logic of the contradiction, from the netizens continue to groove is this contradiction from implicit to explicit direct expression.

This expression, doomed to WPS charge mode, will be in a long time, the brand of WPS, the formation of a reverse deconstruction.

For a commitment to free decades of general-purpose software, any excuse to charge can not cover up the fact that the netizens understand as digging a pit to bury a mine. The ultimate one, in the letter as nine tripods in the discourse of the Eastern consumer culture in the environment, any artificial split on the historical reasons, will be equated with the netizens ungrateful. Membership as a reason for charging rules, will little by little collapse the credit of WPS, and siphoned off its as a national brand should be ethical support.

By the first half of 2023, the use of WPS and other Kingsoft office software users reached 573 million, in the context of everyone can not leave the office software, WPS is no longer a commodity in the pure sense of the word, it is because of the public sector in the early stages of the public sector to continue to support the nature of the public nature of the characteristics of the public, it is also because of the individual user's long term support and use of the mass of the product's qualities, in the strict sense, WPS does not belong to the Kingsoft, WPS does not belong to the public sector, WPS does not belong to the public sector. WPS does not belong to Kingsoft, it is more like a public organization to provide public welfare for all. The value of public welfare is with universal applicability and economy. Any beating around the bush to harvest or to steal the concept to draw off this special attribute, will override the correctness of its market existence. To recognize this is to recognize the essence of the problem.

Countless examples have proved that when a brand into the industry giant stage, relying solely on their own constraints on their own is undoubtedly the supervisor, before countless Internet giants bottomless harvesting of the market, and even forced the phenomenon of the palace repeatedly appeared, all are examples of identifiable.

At this time, the relationship between WPS and consumers must be antagonistic, twisted, rigid. The market must need to appear in the consumers and enterprises outside the third-party forces to guide and adjust, until its return to the true meaning of public products.

Today's WPS has been permeated with too much capital, which is the root cause of its loss of public attributes. At this time, the only way to make its capital public transformation, first of all, to make it in the capital level to complete the self-renovation, and then in the limit of the capital impact of the premise, and then on the commercial part of WPS and public service part of the redefinition, the introduction of a commercial logic and the integration of the logic of the public and the coexistence of the rules of operation.

The end of monopoly is monopoly, and the end of monopoly is harvesting. Before WPS becomes dominant, there is no other way to re-examine its business logic, avoid it from going off the rails, and continue to stimulate its innovation, except to capitalize on its transformation.

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