Journal of Intelligence and Information Systems (지능정보연구)

Korea Intelligent Information System Society (한국지능정보시스템학회)
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Effects of firm strategies on customer acquisition of Software as a Service (SaaS) providers: A mediating and moderating role of SaaS technology maturity

SaaS 기업의 차별화 및 가격전략이 고객획득성과에 미치는 영향: SaaS 기술성숙도 수준의 매개효과 및 조절효과를 중심으로

  • 채성욱 (성균관대학교 경영대학) ;
  • 박승범 (한국정보화진흥원 빅데이터전략센터)
  • Received : 2014.08.14
  • Accepted : 2014.09.16
  • Published : 2014.09.30
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Abstract

Firms today have sought management effectiveness and efficiency utilizing information technologies (IT). Numerous firms are outsourcing specific information systems functions to cope with their short of information resources or IT experts, or to reduce their capital cost. Recently, Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) as a new type of information system has become one of the powerful outsourcing alternatives. SaaS is software deployed as a hosted and accessed over the internet. It is regarded as the idea of on-demand, pay-per-use, and utility computing and is now being applied to support the core competencies of clients in areas ranging from the individual productivity area to the vertical industry and e-commerce area. In this study, therefore, we seek to quantify the value that SaaS has on business performance by examining the relationships among firm strategies, SaaS technology maturity, and business performance of SaaS providers. We begin by drawing from prior literature on SaaS, technology maturity and firm strategy. SaaS technology maturity is classified into three different phases such as application service providing (ASP), Web-native application, and Web-service application. Firm strategies are manipulated by the low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy. Finally, we considered customer acquisition as a business performance. In this sense, specific objectives of this study are as follows. First, we examine the relationships between customer acquisition performance and both low-cost strategy and differentiation strategy of SaaS providers. Secondly, we investigate the mediating and moderating effects of SaaS technology maturity on those relationships. For this purpose, study collects data from the SaaS providers, and their line of applications registered in the database in CNK (Commerce net Korea) in Korea using a questionnaire method by the professional research institution. The unit of analysis in this study is the SBUs (strategic business unit) in the software provider. A total of 199 SBUs is used for analyzing and testing our hypotheses. With regards to the measurement of firm strategy, we take three measurement items for differentiation strategy such as the application uniqueness (referring an application aims to differentiate within just one or a small number of target industry), supply channel diversification (regarding whether SaaS vendor had diversified supply chain) as well as the number of specialized expertise and take two items for low cost strategy like subscription fee and initial set-up fee. We employ a hierarchical regression analysis technique for testing moderation effects of SaaS technology maturity and follow the Baron and Kenny's procedure for determining if firm strategies affect customer acquisition through technology maturity. Empirical results revealed that, firstly, when differentiation strategy is applied to attain business performance like customer acquisition, the effects of the strategy is moderated by the technology maturity level of SaaS providers. In other words, securing higher level of SaaS technology maturity is essential for higher business performance. For instance, given that firms implement application uniqueness or a distribution channel diversification as a differentiation strategy, they can acquire more customers when their level of SaaS technology maturity is higher rather than lower. Secondly, results indicate that pursuing differentiation strategy or low cost strategy effectively works for SaaS providers' obtaining customer, which means that continuously differentiating their service from others or making their service fee (subscription fee or initial set-up fee) lower are helpful for their business success in terms of acquiring their customers. Lastly, results show that the level of SaaS technology maturity mediates the relationships between low cost strategy and customer acquisition. That is, based on our research design, customers usually perceive the real value of the low subscription fee or initial set-up fee only through the SaaS service provide by vender and, in turn, this will affect their decision making whether subscribe or not.

SaaS는 사용자가 필요한 소프트웨어를 인터넷을 통해 원격으로 서비스 받을 수 있도록 하는 모델로 소프트웨어 시장에서 차지하는 비중이 커짐과 동시에 관련 분야의 비즈니스 요구사항의 증가에 따라 지속적인 성장이 기대되는 분야이다. 이에 본 연구는 SaaS 공급업체들을 대상으로 기업에서 추구하는 차별화 전략 및 낮은 가격전략과 고객획득성과와의 관계를 살펴보고 더 나아가 이들 간의 관계에서 SaaS 기술성숙도 수준의 매개효과와 조절효과를 알아보고자 하였다. 이를 위해 SaaS 제공업체 및 국내 CNK(commerce net Korea) 데이터베이스에 등록된 업체의 어플리케이션을 대상으로, 175개 기업 총 199개 SaaS 전략사업단위의 설문결과를 분석에 활용하였다. SaaS 기술성숙도가 차별화전략 및 낮은가격전략과 고객획득성과와의 관계를 매개하는지 검증하기 위해 Baron and Kenny (1986)가 제안한 절차에 따라 회귀분석을 실시하였고, SaaS 기술성숙도의 조절효과를 살펴보기 위해 위계적 회귀분석(hierarchical regression analysis) 방법을 적용한 상호작용효과를 검증하였다. 분석결과, 첫째, SaaS 제공업체가 추구하는 차별화 전략(업종특화, 파트너활용, 전담인력수) 및 낮은 가격전략(월이용료, 초기설치비)과 같은 기업전략은 고객획득에 긍정적인 영향을 미치는 것으로 나타났다. 또한, SaaS 공급업체의 기술성숙도 수준(어플리케이션 서비스 제공, 웹 기본 어플리케이션, 웹 서비스 어플리케이션)과 고객 획득성과 간에 유의미한 긍정적인 관계가 있는 것으로 확인되었다. 마지막으로, SaaS 기술성숙도 수준의 기업전략과 고객획득성과와의 관계에 대한 조절효과는 주로 차별화 전략에 대해 나타난 반면, 매개효과는 주로 낮은 가격전략에 대해 나타남을 확인하였다.

Keywords

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