Abstract

With the rapid development of digital economy and information technology, platform ecosystem has received many attentions. Many platforms are only valuable when they can be used in conjunction with complementors. However, insufficient attention has been paid to complementor performance. Complementors are influenced by network effects and regulated by platform sponsors in a platform ecosystem, making them different from non-platform firms. We will analyze complementor strategic manoeuvring’s effects and study platform trust strategy’s effects on complementor performance. Specifically, we will use data collected from Alibaba to do quantitative research and explore how entry timing, differentiation and communication with customers of complementors with the different user base can influence their performance. Moreover, this paper will analyze how the platform certifications affect complementors user base and performance.

Researchers: Chengdi Fa, Taghi R. Zadeh

Contact the researcher: c.fa@uva.nl