Standing on the air of the mobile internet to survive and glow the second spring: the WPS Rebirth Mind

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Critical moment

1995 Microsoft entered the Chinese market, to such as Jinshan software, such as domestic office software manufacturers brought great impact. At the same time, because China's piracy market has not been standardized, Jinshan WPS soon in the "prior to Microsoft, after the piracy," the situation is difficult.

Key choices

WPS decides to innovate in succession and develop in existence. And in the mobile Internet when the arrival of full devotion to seek the development of the new world, cornering overtaking.

Key strategy

WPS to rewrite the original code, and in the business model with "software Free + service value-added" mode. When the mobile Internet arrives, extract the most elite personnel, take the isolated management, and develop the mobile end product in the way of internal entrepreneurship.

Policy Results

WPS PC version of the monthly coverage of users reached 130 million (December 2013 data), installed users 310 million (as of February 2014). Android version of the world's more than 150 million users, covering 51 markets worldwide.

Jinshan Office software CEO Geck hurried to the next meeting, to see another investor. Just a few months ago, Jinshan WPS just financing 50 million U.S. dollars, investors include Morningstar Venture, GGV Capital and the fund. It is being fiercely chased by capital.

This is unusual for a 25-year-old product, the most popular of which is its performance and potential on the mobile Internet: Since its release in May 2011, the WPS Mobile version has harvested 150 million users globally in two years, with andorid versions of Google in more than 40 countries and regions Play the same products ranked first. Even in the overall decline of the PC market, it also bucked the trend. WPS in the PC end of the month active users more than 62 million, and 500,000 times a day to download the volume in the growth, 2012 years it even from the industry hegemony Microsoft grabbed the Chinese market 10% of the share.

The last time it was so brilliant or more than 20 years ago. Before Microsoft entered China in 1995, the product, which was born in the late 1980s, had a cumulative sales of 10 million, which was already popular all over the country. Over the next more than 10 years, however, it faces Microsoft and pirated two big mountains, struggling to survive. "We were almost bankrupt in 1996 and we couldn't live." Lei, chairman of Jinshan Software, recalled in a speech.

There is a company that does not survive. 2011, also has been a concern of the domestic office software manufacturers Yong-China technology into bankruptcy countdown, the challenge to Microsoft Office products, in the short scenery quickly slipped after. Faced with a similar industrial environment, why WPS can survive and glow the second spring?

Innovation in inheritance, development in existence

September 12, 2005, the latest version of WPS Online, and declared permanent free. This is the first compromise of WPS. Its relationship with old WPS may be limited to the continuation of the same name. This version of the WPS does not use the old WPS line of code, all over again, the full use of Microsoft Office standards, the goal is to achieve "one word, a row, a page is not bad" compatibility effect.

Before this, WPS and Microsoft's difference is big to familiar with Microsoft Office users do not know how to use after getting. At this time WPS made a key decision: in the inheritance of innovation, in the survival of the development.

"We were all young men, want to go beyond Microsoft, must be different from Microsoft, so do a lot of special features, but this is not enough to let users abandon the habit of using Microsoft Office." "Geck joined Jinshan Company in 1999, the company that started the application software has a strong engineer atmosphere, hoping to use the products of independent innovation to defeat the opponents."

What is not realised is that the opponents are not Microsoft, but the standards established by Microsoft and the user habits that are accustomed to the standard. WPS chooses to give up resistance and abandon its own standards. Not only that, it has also abandoned the business model that relied on direct selling software to profit, taking the "software Free + service value-added" model. The business model, which has become a commonplace on the internet today, was a radical move, but a pioneer in the industry.

Because Office,wps, who is compatible with Microsoft, found that its rivals were not Microsoft, but pirated Microsoft Office users. Wing-China office had tried to compete with Microsoft at a low price, which sold only one-tenth of Microsoft Office, but still had a bad luck, its founder, Cao, was defeated by Microsoft's pirated software. ”

In this market environment, WPS decided to use free to compete with piracy, which is tantamount to giving up office software in the global 28 billion U.S. dollars market, "We have broken an arm," Geck so evaluation. Fortunately, the arm was later returned in unexpected ways.

WPS has an online template page with a peak of 15 million solar PV. WPS found that users not only have a need for a specific template, but even willing to pay for the template. In addition to the free generic template, the introduction of a pay template provided by professional organizations.

Under the explosive growth of users, templates are just a profit model now being tried, and others include accurate advertising. For example, the use of WPS users, a large part of the office and white-collar people, they generally have the need to learn English, so WPS will be directed to push the English educational institutions advertising.

For the current WPS, the product itself become a contact user channel, in contact with the user, according to user behavior to understand their needs, and then launch targeted services. For example, when a user downloads a resume template, WPs knows he is looking for a job, he can recommend the job site and other information. This undoubtedly brings to the WPS in addition to pure Office software beyond the larger business prospects.

Standing on the air outlet of the mobile internet

"We were always kicked into the mobile internet by Ray," recalls Geck, who recalled the advent of the mobile Internet in the 2011.

July 2011, Lei back to the Golden Hill software company as chairman of the post, each meeting must mention a word is "mobile internet." Lei a well-known metaphor about the matter is that when a typhoon arrives, it can fly even if it is standing on a tuyere.

WPS was even kicked and ran to catch this tuyere. 2011, Geck from the PC department several of the most elite personnel, engaged in the Android Platform Office software development. From the outset, these people were placed in a completely isolated environment. Although they were all the backbone of the PC version, they were completely disconnected from the PC business when they were engaged in mobile business.

The typical manifestation of this isolation is the choice of the engine. There were two options for porting the PC-side office engine to the Android platform and developing new engines. Selecting the previous method can significantly reduce costs, but because of the highly discrete Android device, the C-language PC-side engine encounters many compatibility problems and slows down the entire team. WPS chooses to start from scratch, using the Java language to write a new engine for Andorid, to make sure it runs fast on the mobile internet.

Starting in November 2011, the Android version of WPS maintained a weekly update frequency, which is incredible for PC-side development. Microsoft's Office product rhythm is a year or two to launch a new version of WPS's PC side faster, but also basically is the rhythm of every six months. Mobile Internet is completely different, for WPS, doing mobile internet is not to carry out another business, more like another startup.

Now in retrospect, Geck that everything was right from the beginning. In order to ensure the independence of the team, in the assessment mechanism and other management methods, but also with the other team of the company. The team is still at a loss, and their assessment is to look at user metrics, not profits. In terms of staffing, the team later absorbed a lot of external talent, such as the UI staff.

WPS version of the Android in 2 years to do the PC version of 25 years to do things, which let Geck profoundly realize the meaning of "tuyere", as well as the arrival of the tuyere, must not hesitate to rush up the importance.

The surge in smartphone shipments over the past two years has created unprecedented opportunities for application developers. According to the independent research company Canalys report, 2013 smartphone shipments were 998 million, up 44% from 2012. Android's smartphone, which shipped 785 million units in 2013, grew to 79% from 68% last year.

WPS in the early stand in the Tuyere, then the application of the market competition is not as fierce as today, and its old rival Microsoft is too slow. It was not until June 2013 that Microsoft launched the iOS version of Office Mobile Office suite and launched the Android version in July, but users had to register Office 365 accounts. Mobile Internet has brought a new ecological environment and market patterns, WPS found itself unexpectedly walked in the previous thought invincible opponents.

Looking at today's mobile office market, the main players in addition to Microsoft, WPS, Google, and only exist in the iOS system Apple. Today's WPS is no longer like the previous years to see only the big block in front of the huge Microsoft, feel never the future, and began to look at the opportunity to the next.

"Our position is not the same today, we are competing on the world stage," Geck's voice was agitated. This competition will be the Battle of innovation, with the success of the mobile team, WPS began to explore the future office form. It replicates the independent, isolated work of the mobile team, all from outside recruiting teams, who only consider the future.

Geck that the current mobile end of office software, more like from the PC to the mobile Office migration process of the phased product. The vast majority of office work is still done on the PC, and the mobile end is mostly used to view and perform simple editing operations. What is the future of office? Can be sure that, in the opportunity to come, WPS will not hesitate to jump up.

Now WPS to its own positioning is to help enterprise customers from the PC era transition to the mobile era, so that the office of the matter become easier, anytime. Facing the future, WPS no one can follow, it is walking in a new journey.