From customer to actor value propositions: an analysis of digital transaction platforms

Digital transaction platforms are reconfiguring how customers and
suppliers interact and transact. This evolution challenges the applicability of some of the canonical concepts and theories inherited
from businesses focusing on dyadic customer-firm relationships. In
this respect, we know very little about the extent to which business
concepts, such as the customer value proposition (CVP), can capture the dynamics of multi-actor digital platforms. The purpose of
this study is thus to explore how value can be proposed in digital
transaction platforms. To illustrate and capture the complexity and
diversity of digital transaction platforms’ current value propositions,
we identify, compare, and analyze the CVPs of 58 digital transaction
platforms worldwide. As a result, we introduce and define the
construct of the actor value proposition (AVP) as a distinct and
critically important concept for understanding and managing
value creation in digital transaction platforms. This study is
among one of the first to uncover the mechanisms and dynamics
of digital transaction platforms from the point of view of different
actors’ value creation.