Developing Frugal IS Innovations: Applied insights from Weqia.com

摘要

Frugal IS Innovations refer to innovative information systems that are developed and deployed with minimal resources to meet the needs of their users. While the concept has received an increasing amount of research attention in recent years, there remains little knowledge on how they are developed. This case study seeks to address this knowledge gap through an in-depth applied analysis of Weqia.com, a highly successful Internet startup offering Enterprise Social Networking services and solutions in China. The case study reveals that the effective development of Frugal IS Innovations hinges upon three key factors: (1) Strategic Imitation, (2) Product Virality, and (3) User-Centricity. A number of lessons learned are presented which support the innovative approach adopted by Weqia.