Abstract
E-marketplace platforms focus on attracting and retaining sellers to secure the platform’s long-term viability and success. Although sellers’ behavioral intentions have been linked to control modes deployed on e-marketplace platforms, little is known about how and why perceptions of input control and clan control affect sellers’ crucial behavioral outcomes. Drawing on IS control literature, we conducted two online surveys with sellers on Amazon (n = 286) and Etsy (n = 185). Our results revealed that perceived input control had a negative effect on sellers’ perceived usefulness, satisfaction, and continuance intentions, whereas positive effects were observed with perceived clan control. In addition, we find that intrinsic motivation mediates the observed direct effects. Our study contributes to the literature by introducing control modes in the context of e-marketplace platforms and examining the effects of input control and clan control on sellers’ beliefs, attitudes, and behavioral intentions. Furthermore, our study has important practical implications for platform providers in how to apply different control mechanisms and increase complementors’ willingness to keep contributing to e-marketplace platforms, thereby nurturing platform health and sustainability.
Highlights
Over the past decade, digital platforms (e.g., Amazon, GoFundMe, Airbnb, and Android) have emerged as some of the most successful business models and venues of innovation, fundamentallyResponsible Editor: Marianna SigalaAs the number of complementors and offered complements grow, platform providers need to exercise control to align their interests and strategies with those of the complementors (Saunders et al 2020)
Part of their central role is attributed to transactions on e-marketplace platforms typically being of higher value than transactions on other digital platforms such as for mobile apps and web browser, where many complements are offered free of charge
We provide practical implications that are critical for platform providers to develop different control mechanisms, which can increase complementors’ willingness to stay on and keep contributing to e-marketplace platforms, thereby nurturing platform health and sustainability
Summary
Digital platforms (e.g., Amazon, GoFundMe, Airbnb, and Android) have emerged as some of the most successful business models and venues of innovation (de Reuver et al 2018; Tan et al 2015), fundamentallyResponsible Editor: Marianna SigalaAs the number of complementors and offered complements grow, platform providers need to exercise control to align their interests and strategies with those of the complementors (Saunders et al 2020). IS research has hitherto neglected the key role of control modes on e-marketplace platforms, which offer a unique and intriguing context for two main reasons: First, the prevalence and size of e-marketplace platforms have led to a tremendous relevance in the digital era (Li et al 2019; Sun et al 2020). Part of their central role is attributed to transactions on e-marketplace platforms typically being of higher value than transactions on other digital platforms such as for mobile apps and web browser, where many complements are offered free of charge. Control on emarketplace platforms differs in its role, importance and implementation from previously investigated platform contexts and requires a more nuanced understanding by IS research
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