Research On The Influencing Factors Of Users’ Willingness To Continue Using Free Reading Platform

With the development of mobile internet and the popularization of intelligent terminals,mobile reading has become a part of people’s daily life.Since the rise of free reading platforms in 2018,the user base of free reading platforms has continued to grow,and free reading platforms have rapidly developed.The competition in the free reading industry is becoming increasingly fierce.The top platforms in the free reading industry control a large number of users,and new entrants to the free reading industry continue to increase.At the same time,in response to the impact of free reading platforms,paid reading platforms are gradually launching free reading services.In the face of such fierce competition in the market environment,enhancing user stickiness to the platform is crucial for free reading platforms.Studying which factors truly affect users’ choice to continue using instead of switching to alternative platforms is of great significance for free reading platforms.This study takes users of free reading apps as the research object,based on expectation confirmation theory,perceived value theory,and information system continuous use model.Through literature analysis and user interviews,combined with the characteristics of free reading platforms themselves,in-depth research is conducted on the usage behavior of free reading platform users,exploring the factors that affect their willingness to continue using.Based on the characteristics of users in the free reading industry,the main research subjects are users of platforms such as Tomato Free Novel,Seven Cat Free Novel,and Shuqi Novel.Through user interviews and questionnaire surveys,information on the use of free reading platform users is collected,and empirical analysis is conducted on the use behavior of free reading platform users to explore the factors that affect their continuous use of the free reading platform.The empirical analysis results indicate that user perceived entertainment,perceived ease of use,and perceived cost have a positive impact on user satisfaction;Users’ perceived usefulness,perceived entertainment,perceived sociability,perceived cost,and satisfaction positively affect their willingness to continue using;Expected confirmation positively affects perceived usefulness,perceived entertainment,perceived sociability,perceived ease of use,and satisfaction.Based on empirical analysis and interview records,this article proposes the following suggestions to improve users’ willingness to continue using free reading platforms: improve the high-quality content production mechanism of free reading platforms,enhance the platform’s ability to produce original content,and enhance users’ perceived usefulness;Innovate profit models,optimize platform advertising monetization methods,and enhance user reading and usage experience;Optimize social functions to improve user satisfaction.