Multi-sided platforms in B2B contexts: the role of affiliation costs and interdependencies in adoption decisions

Patrick Loux, Mathilde Aubry (), Sébastien Tran and Emmanuel Baudoin ()
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Patrick Loux: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School
Mathilde Aubry: Métis Lab EM Normandie - EM Normandie - École de Management de Normandie = EM Normandie Business School
Sébastien Tran: PULV - Pôle Universitaire Léonard de Vinci
Emmanuel Baudoin: LITEM - Laboratoire en Innovation, Technologies, Economie et Management (EA 7363) - UEVE - Université d'Évry-Val-d'Essonne - Université Paris-Saclay - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris], IMT-BS - MMS - Département Management, Marketing et Stratégie - TEM - Télécom Ecole de Management - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris] - IMT-BS - Institut Mines-Télécom Business School - IMT - Institut Mines-Télécom [Paris]

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Abstract: Multi-sided platforms, enabling interactions between different user sides, hold an important place in the contemporary economy. Current literature, focusing on established and successful platforms, has neglected to study B2B multi-sided platform adoption mechanisms. In this article, we analyze these mechanisms by investigating the case of dematerialization platforms for B2B transactions between the multiple actors involved in public works contracts. Various qualitative materials, including 28 semi-structured interviews, were gathered over a thirty-month period. Adopting a business user perspective, this study contributes to the literature on multi-sided platforms in various ways. We show that platform adoption, in project-based B2B contexts, is mainly constrained by a high level of affiliation costs and the existence of tight-interdependencies between users' activities at project level. Thus, a consecutive adoption path would result in negative cross-group network externalities and undermine the platform's attractiveness. Conversely, a concurrent adoption path would activate positive network externalities and encourage platform adoption decisions.

Keywords: B2B; Interdependencies; Network externalities; Dematerialization; Multi-sided platforms; Affiliation costs; Sustainable Development Goals (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2020-01
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-02376313v1
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

Published in Industrial Marketing Management, 2020, 84, pp.212-223. ⟨10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.07.001⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-02376313

DOI: 10.1016/j.indmarman.2019.07.001

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