Growth Platforms

Organisations are struggling because platforms aren't what they used to be. As platforms increasingly exhibit market type (two-sided) behaviour, organisations need to be particularly agile about deciding how to serve and support future consumers online. The phenomenal growth and propagation of 'ecosystemic platforms' this year, via web services, mobile platforms and media channels, has meant consumers have increased access to more information, at greater speed and lower cost, than ever before. However, the burgeoning complexity of offerings, as well the associated risks and rewards, confounds and frustrates most time-starved consumers. As such, traditional channels mature and consumers’ dissatisfaction for such offerings grow; the second generation of the commercial web is now offering a different promise.

Living in a screen age, where new channels and business models are constantly emerging means that countless opportunities have opened up with an infinite canvass for creative potential. Similarly, as all future platforms increasingly become 'ecosystemic', it’s not about being in one place. It's now about the ability to be anywhere, depending on the context and the moment. Sewing it all together seamlessly in a multi-channel environment has become crucial.

In the same context, because digital services are fundamentally customer- driven, the value-chain starts from the market side. For that reason, strong customer experiences and inexpensive cost structures 'mash' together in a loosely joined architecture, promise to create a rich hybrid of collaborative, new-to-the world platforms.

Yet the challenge on how to evolve business models and create meaningful value remains a mystery to most. The problem isn’t about a lack of new ideas. It’s about creating the processes and methods that uncover relevant ideas and knowing what to do with them.