Recent research at the Stockholm University School of Business has revealed new consumer patterns in the Internet economy and shows us how the consumer now takes a new role. The view of consumers has been changing towards that of a more diverse and actively engaged role in the marketing process. At the same time Internet and new digital technology have given rise to a number of, more or less successful, new variations of revenue models.

The research illustrates how companies on the Internet use Free (as in gratis) products and services to gain economic value. The result is a number of descriptive models constructed from a classic exchange model which has been adapted to comprise a rolebased view of the consumer.

The analysis shows that the exchange of ’Free’ has two functions for the company:
(1) attract volumes of users that can be turned into a value, and
(2) establish a relationship with the consumer that can eventually upgrade him or her to more valuable roles in the exchange system.