Digital Platform Strategy and Competitive Positioning in Cloud-Based Software Ecosystems
Keywords:
Digital platform strategy; competitive positioning; cloud-based software ecosystems; platform governance; ecosystem orchestration; technological scalability; digital transformation.Abstract
This study aimed to examine how digital platform strategy contributes to competitive positioning in cloud-based software ecosystems by identifying the strategic capabilities, ecosystem mechanisms, and market differentiation practices through which cloud software firms create and sustain competitive advantage. This qualitative study was conducted using an exploratory-descriptive design. The participants consisted of 18 managers, founders, product strategists, cloud solution architects, business development specialists, and digital strategy experts from Tehran who had direct professional experience in cloud-based software ecosystems. Participants were selected through purposive sampling, and data collection continued until theoretical saturation was achieved. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews focused on platform strategy, value proposition, ecosystem orchestration, technological capability, customer retention, governance, and competitive positioning. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using inductive thematic analysis with the assistance of NVivo software. Credibility was enhanced through repeated review of transcripts, peer checking of selected codes, member checking, and continuous comparison of emerging themes with participants’ narratives. The thematic analysis indicated that competitive positioning in cloud-based software ecosystems is shaped by the alignment of eight core strategic dimensions: platform value proposition, ecosystem orchestration, technological scalability, competitive differentiation, customer lock-in and retention, platform governance, market expansion strategy, and data-driven competitive advantage. The most central inferred finding was that sustainable competitive positioning does not emerge from technological capability alone; rather, it is produced when customer-centered value, scalable cloud architecture, ecosystem coordination, trust-building, data analytics, and differentiation mechanisms operate as an integrated strategic system. The findings also suggested that niche specialization, interoperability, localization, pricing flexibility, user experience, partner integration, and continuous innovation strengthen the defensibility of cloud-based software platforms. The study concludes that digital platform strategy is a multidimensional and dynamic process through which cloud-based software firms transform technological capabilities into sustainable competitive advantage. Firms that align value proposition, technological scalability, ecosystem governance, and market differentiation are more likely to achieve a durable position in competitive cloud software markets.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Seyedeh Mina Salimi (Author); Babak Nouri Moghaddam (Corresponding author); Abbas Mirzaei (Author)
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