The work we are premiering here on this post is on the topic of growth, network effects, defensibility and product thinking in platforms and is premised on demystifying and democratizing such thinking, opening it to as many people as possible. For similar reasons, in 2013 we created the first version of the Platform Design Toolkit — now adopted by thousands worldwide — and we later released the companion Platform Opportunity Exploration guide (currently under review a new release is expected shortly).

In this blogpost we provide you with a handy recap of recent research updates that we shared on our medium channel chronicling our steps in building a new framework to help our adopters drive Growth in platforms and ecosystems. Here’s a list of posts and what you will find in all of them:

 

Pricing in Platforms and Marketplaces

A primer in understanding all the dimensions of the pricing problem and opportunity in Marketplace-platforms.

This essay presents all the elements of a platform strategy and their relationship to pricing, we cover the take-rate — the common model to price the transactional part of your platform strategy (the “marketplace”) — how to price a SaaS or — more generally — the services side of your platform strategy, and the extension platform side: how do you extract value from the development of extensions, plug-ins and templates. Despite not all platform-marketplace strategies cover the whole set of functionality and pricing opportunities this essay will be a useful dashboard for the platform designers that want to understand better how to leverage a system of pricing strategies to make sustainable choices for their platforms development.

Check it here.

 

Key Metrics for Platform-Marketplaces

A light framework to choose and track the right and most important metrics for your platform and marketplace strategy.

In this essay, we discuss the relevant metrics in platform-marketplaces, set in perspective. We will present an actionable framework for choosing the metrics you will need to measure your platform-marketplace and describe a methodological approach that you can use to further break down those metrics into more manageable leading indicators. Insights on the type of marketplaces and team management around metrics.

Check it here.

 

Growth Engines in Marketplaces & Platforms

A Primer exploring ways to drive Growth in Network-Ecosystems based value propositions.

Check it here.

 

Marketplace Growth: a Strategic approach to Liquidity & the Chicken/Egg problem

Framing the most important challenges in Marketplaces. By Manfredi Sassoli de Bianchi and Simone Cicero.

This essay presents a compendium of the most important growth engines in platforms and marketplaces and provides the reader with a way to navigate an otherwise highly complex landscape of possibilities and choices. We have to thank all the great professionals that have been putting out so much great content on this topic during the years, especially Casey Winters, Kevin Kwok, Lenny Rachitsky, James Currier, Andy Johns and many more.

Check it here.

 

Understand the Network to Design for Growth and Defensibility

A framework for the long term viability of a markeplace-platform strategy.

This essay introduces a framework to think about acquiring relatively sustainable competitive advantage in a marketplace-platform context, ensuring better defensibility through the analysis of the networks of relationships that underlie the platform experiences we bring on the market, a conscientious use of specific flywheels and other tactics. In this post we don’t focus on solving the liquidity problem, and the so-called chicken-egg issue, that will be the subject of the next installment. The Platform Design Toolkit team is now working on a new Guide and a new Learning experience on Growth, Network Effects and Defensibility that will also cover the “product” side of a Platform-Marketplace Strategies.

Check it here.

 

Seeking Sustainable Growth in Platform-Marketplaces

Framing the new growth landscape for growth, network effects dependent Value Propositions.

This essay presents the first framing of an upcoming integration to the Platform Design Toolkit: a new Guide and a new Learning experience on Growth, Network Effects and Defensibility that will also cover the “product” side of a Platform-Marketplace Strategy. 

Check it here.

 

Catch up with the whole series and stay updated.

Catch up with the whole series here and stay tuned for the release of our full growth guide and course by subscribing here!