The Economics Behavior Analysis of Digital Products in the Electronic Commerce Environment

[[abstract]]本研究以電子商務環境中，數位化產品及服務所呈現的特性為基礎，分別從需求、供給及網路外部性等三方面，以經濟學對產品之基本經濟分析為架構，探討數位化產品與一般實體產品在本質及特性上的差異，並以不同的角度分析相關文獻所提出的論點。 依過去相關研究所得到的結論，數位化產品及服務之特性包括經驗性產品、不易毀損、可變化性、重製性高、高固定生產成本、固定成本為沈沒成本、低邊際成本、變動成本幾乎可忽略、與時間價值關係明顯、客製化程度高、具規模經濟、規模報酬遞增、網路外部性明顯、透過網路傳遞之產品價值其成長近似指數增加等。依前述數位化產品及服務之特性，本研究推論發現與時間價值關係明顯的數位化產品及服務，消費者對產品之效用曲線及需求曲線，與實體產品之間差異明顯，但生產曲線及成本曲線，與實體產品之間差異性不大，且變動生產因素投入所產生的變動成本，可能不如相關文獻所認為低到可以忽略；在未考慮時間價值因素時，數位化產品及服務的生產曲線及成本曲線，產生變動生產因素投入趨近於零的極端現象，與實體產品之間存在明顯的差異；另數位化產品及服務在網路外部性的機制運作之下，其追求臨界數量的銷售門檻，相較實體產品更為明顯，且規模經濟的內涵與實體產品不同，是以需求面為基礎，不再只限於以供給面為基礎的探討。[[abstract]]Based on the characteristics of digital products and service, this paper employs the classical economic analysis method to explore the differences between digital products and physical products. Furthermore, we try to discuss the assumptions proposed by the past literature from aspects of demand, supply, and network externality respectively. Prior studies have reached some conclusions of the characteristics of digital products and service. These characteristics include experienced goods, indestructibility, transmutability, reproducibility, high fixed costs but low marginal costs, almost negligible variable costs, time value, customization, economic of scale, increasing return, network externalities, and the value of a network goes up on exponential rate as the users increased, etc. According to characteristics, we find that digital products and services which is closely related with time value, have obvious difference with physical products in the utility curve and demand curve, but slight difference in the products curve and costs curve, and variable costs can’t be negligible. In the other hand, digital products and services which is not closely related with time value, have obvious difference with physical products in the product curve and cost curve, we further find that economy of scale of digital products and services, is not only in the effect of supply but also the effect of demand