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The Engagement of Complementors and the Role of Platform Boundary Resources in e-Commerce Platform Ecosystems

Author

Listed:
  • Martin Engert

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Julia Evers

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Andreas Hein

    (Technical University of Munich)

  • Helmut Krcmar

    (Technical University of Munich)

Abstract

The success of digital platforms can be attributed to the engagement of autonomous complementors as exemplified by e-commerce Content Management System (CMS) platforms such as WordPress and Shopify. Platform owners provide Platform Boundary Resources (PBRs) to stimulate and control complementor engagement. Despite the increasing scholarly interest in digital platform ecosystems, their exact role in facilitating and channeling complementor engagement remains unclear. Therefore, we conducted an embedded case study on CMS platform ecosystems, comprising a total of 24 interviews with platform owners and complementors. We inductively derive five types of complementor engagement and their respective manifestations and two overarching engagement goals of complementors. Moreover, we determine the different types of PBRs utilized, including their critical effects, and distinguish between uniform and individual PBRs reflecting their respective generalizability and scalability. We discuss the findings by introducing the concepts of complementor resourcing and complementor securing and shed light on the standardization-individualization tension of PBRs faced by platform owners.

Suggested Citation

  • Martin Engert & Julia Evers & Andreas Hein & Helmut Krcmar, 2022. "The Engagement of Complementors and the Role of Platform Boundary Resources in e-Commerce Platform Ecosystems," Information Systems Frontiers, Springer, vol. 24(6), pages 2007-2025, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:infosf:v:24:y:2022:i:6:d:10.1007_s10796-021-10236-3
    DOI: 10.1007/s10796-021-10236-3
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    4. Khan, Zaheer & Zeng, Jing & Knight, Gary & Rajwani, Tazeeb & Pattnaik, Chinmay, 2023. "Non-market strategies and disruptive innovation in the platform economy," Journal of International Management, Elsevier, vol. 29(5).

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