The Impact of Digital Platforms on Romanian SMEs Competitiveness and Market Access

Digital transformation has become a defining feature for small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as the adoption of digital platforms reshapes their market presence and facilitates access to new markets. The objective of this research was to determine the impact of digital platforms on the competitiveness of the surveyed SMEs and, in parallel, on their access to new markets. Specifically, the study examined the relationship between Romanian SME managers self-reported assessments of their firms competitiveness and their firms access to new markets. The four research hypotheses were derived from established theoretical frameworks, namely, the Resource-Based View (RBV), Dynamic Capabilities Theory (DCT), and the theory of digital platform ecosystems. Primary quantitative data were collected through a survey administered to Romanian SMEs during October 2025, with the questionnaire completed either by the company s manager or by another company s representative. The analysis of quantitative data for the sample (150 companies) involved computing Cronbach s alpha coefficients and item total correlations to assess the reliability of the multi-item scales used to measure the impact and benefits of platform use. In addition, Spearman s rank correlation coefficient (rho) and the Mann Whitney U test were employed to evaluate the four hypotheses, given the violation of the normality assumption. To appropriately model the ordinal self-assessment data and to control for firm-level characteristics, we estimated a Bayesian ordered logistic regression model. All four research hypotheses were supported, with the important caveat that the empirical results should be interpreted as associative rather than causal relationships. The main conclusions emphasise the necessity of accelerating digitalisation and formulating integrated strategies or comprehensive digital transformation plans, enabling SMEs to fully exploit the opportunities provided by the contemporary digital economy.