Success Factor-based Business Models for E-Commerce Platform Providers

Charles, Oliver (2021) Success Factor-based Business Models for E-Commerce Platform Providers. Doctoral thesis, Northumbria University.

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Abstract

E-commerce is booming and has become an integral part of everyday life. Especially the B2B industry is currently demonstrating an immense growth potential not only for the respective trading parties, but also in particular for providers of the necessary e-commerce platforms. Driven by disruptive forces and the accompanying rapid technological progress, the latter face a highly dynamic, complex, and intense competitive environment, which has a significant impact on their business models and its further development. In this context, entrepreneurial decisions are subject to strong uncertainties and risks. In order to support e-commerce platform providers focusing on customers in the B2B segment in their business model decisions, this thesis identifies key success factors specifically for their business models as well as ways for monitoring them.
Using success factor research as research methodology, this applied research project conducted in the real world can be described as both interpretive and subjective and follows a social constructivist stance. In the process, 22 semi-structured interviews with e-commerce platform users operating in the B2B sector are conducted to obtain rich and in-depth information, which are then suitably analysed using template analysis.
Based on the insights gained, the contribution of this research represents i) a blueprint of a success factor-based business model for e-commerce platform providers that also serves as a guide for implementation, ii) a tool for monitoring this model, as well as iii) a suitable business model innovation process model, which supports its proactive and sustainable further development. With that, the results of this work provide new insights for both scholars and practitioners and can have a major impact on the sustainable success of e-commerce platform providers’ business models and thus on corporate success.

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