Platform-Based Ecosystems

Beyond Super-Apps: An analysis of business-to-business (B2B) cases.

Following the first Arkwright’s “From Platforms to Ecosystems” report, this latest further analyzes the building blocks and the evolution of a platform-based ecosystem (PBE) business model. This second report expands on the frameworks that can be used to map and design an ecosystem value proposition, rather than analyzing the applicability and value of these models, which was covered in the first report.

The previous report outlined numerous examples of successful platform-based ecosystems in the business-to-business-to-consumer (B2B2C) space, such as Grab, K-Plus, and Line. While platform-based ecosystems are commonly associated with super-app value propositions, the model also has business-to-business (B2B) applications that have been pivotal within many industries.

The bundling of products, services, and enablers across company portfolios, along with a seamless and integrated digital solution that gives access to all of them, is the way to meet that demand. PBEs are highly-evolutionary business models, even if they don’t start their life in that form. PBEs benefit from enhanced visibility about the transactions that are taking place within a customer journey. This, in turn, means they keep evolving by attracting complementary solutions and further enriching the PBE value proposition.

A PBE value proposition can be mapped through frameworks such as the Platform Ecosystem Timeline. This provides retail- and business-focused companies with a logical structure to evaluate their options once a target customer journey has been identified. Apart from the difference in the nature of the transactions between B2C and B2B ecosystems, the illustrated examples in this, and the previous, report show that the building blocks, advantages, and challenges of ecosystems are transferable across industries, target groups, and customer journeys.

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