1. Definition and model analysis of the knowledge payment industry
Over the years, free and abundant Internet content has provided users with a convenient way to obtain information, while also increasing the complexity of content screening by users. With the introduction of the membership system of video websites and digital music albums, the level of market education has increased significantly, and netizens have gradually become the habit of paying for high-quality Internet content.
The field of payment for knowledge started in 2015 and gradually evolved to the level of knowledge services. The payment for knowledge industry started in 2015, and with the development of online payment habits, the development of self-media, and everyone’s anxiety about information, a new wave of payment for knowledge has gradually developed. The specific forms include publishing books, doing courses, and creating knowledge. Paid IP, public account live broadcast, content e-commerce, etc.
Main types of knowledge payment
Knowledge payment platforms currently have many modes of content presentation, such as listening to books, Q&A, columns, courses, communities, consultations, etc., and the needs of users are relatively clear. Therefore, a combination of multiple charging modes is adopted to meet the needs of different customer levels . The main production modes of paid knowledge are divided into three types-PGC, UGC and PUGC modes. Among them, the PGC model is for experts, professional teams or professional institutions to settle in. Typical platforms are the knowledge production model of the "Get" platform; the UGC model is based on user needs as a starting point, content producers transition to users, and community Q&A is the main way of expression; PUGC is a combination of professional content producers and ordinary content producers. Among them, the major platforms represented by Himalaya FM and Fenda gradually tend to the PUGC model, which can ensure that users' needs are met until they are met, while strictly controlling the content quality of paid knowledge.
2. Analysis of the development status of the knowledge payment industry
The number of paid knowledge users in China is growing rapidly. In 2018, the number of paid knowledge users reached 292 million. It is expected that the number of paid knowledge users will reach 387 million in 2019. With the development of mobile payment technology and the urgent need for knowledge in the society as a whole, the knowledge payment market continues to expand, and users gradually develop the consumption habit of knowledge payment. In 2015, the number of paid knowledge users was 48 million. In 2018, the number of paid knowledge users reached 292 million, with a compound annual growth rate of 82.55%; it is expected that the number of paid knowledge users will reach 387 million in 2019.
In 2017, the scale of China's payment for knowledge industry was approximately 4.91 billion, a year-on-year increase of nearly three times. Relevant talents will flood into the knowledge service industry with a shorter realization chain and huge room for growth, which will further expand the scale of the knowledge payment industry. With the gradual improvement of the market education level and the growing base of people willing to pay for high-quality knowledge services, the scale of the payment for knowledge industry will maintain high growth in the next three years and continue to expand. It is expected that the scale of the industry will reach 23.5 billion by 2020.
Since 2016, payment for knowledge platforms such as Himalaya FM, Zhihu, and Maker Artisan have emerged one after another. Users of payment for knowledge have grown rapidly, and payment for knowledge products are facing a blowout. The Internet community represented by BAT (Baidu, Alibaba, Tencent) has gathered together to lay out their respective content value platforms. People from all walks of life have made brilliant moves, using column subscriptions, paid courses, content appreciation, paid question and answer, and communities to realize content monetization. At present, the main companies paying for knowledge in my country include Himalaya, Zhihu, Qingting FM, and Maker Artisan.
Our knowledge of the industry major companies pay
The driving force of the mobile knowledge payment industry mainly comes from the upgrading of knowledge demand, policy protection, online payment support, and the demand for national output. Users' willingness to pay for knowledge drives the increase in conversion rate and annual ARPU; behind the change in willingness to pay for knowledge is mainly users' rigid demand for knowledge, increase in disposable income, changes in content payment habits, and awareness of authenticity. In addition, the copyright environment has been further improved. After education on platforms such as video and music, users are gradually developing the habit of paying for knowledge.
3. Prospects for the future of the paid knowledge industry
With the popularization of mobile payment technology and the gradual development of people's concept of consuming content, the foundation for the development of knowledge payment is sound, and the government and people's increasing emphasis on intellectual property rights is also conducive to protecting the rights of content parties. The future development of the knowledge payment industry It is expected to continue to maintain a good momentum. However, there are still big variables in the overall distribution of the industry at this stage. The development of the knowledge payment market has great potential. Each platform has greater development opportunities. The ability to independently manufacture high-quality products and cultivate a large number of good content teams is the key to the future development of the platform .
At present, the consumption of knowledge-paid users is becoming more rational, and knowledge content is also becoming professional. Major platforms in the payment-knowledge industry will continue to focus on specialized content production. For example, Himalaya FM launches a large number of master courses and supports experts in various vertical fields; Maker-Maker’s Maker-Maker Classroom, and cooperation with educational institutions to create an online school platform. The basis of paid knowledge products is different from physical products, and the value of high-quality knowledge content and users' needs are quite different from those of ordinary knowledge content. In the future, each platform needs to build brands in specialized fields, enrich the platform's high-quality professional knowledge content products, and increase platform user stickiness.
For the future of payment for knowledge, the creators of payment for knowledge products must continuously improve the quality of content, enrich the form, and form the effect of "good money driving out bad money"; the legislative department must speed up legislation in the field of knowledge payment, closely follow the development trend of the Internet, and let the knowledge payment industry There are laws to follow for development; the government must improve the market supervision mechanism, severely crack down on piracy and bad content, and create a good market environment for the development of the knowledge payment industry. Consumers should be the masters of the age of paying for knowledge. While purchasing knowledge products, they should improve their ability to screen information and independent thinking.