Development of Market-Driven Business Models in the IT Industry. How Firms Experiment with Their Business Models?

Purpose: The purpose of this research is to explore the role of markets in the development of young entrepreneurial startups business models and their subsequent experimentation with business models. We focus on the demand-side to analyze how the market and (potential) customers can influence decisions to develop or innovate a firm’s business model.

Design: Data were gathered from firms through interviews with open-ended questions about the evolution of their business model over time. Data were analyzed using the grounded theory method.

Findings: Two themes emerged, one regarding engaging with the market and another concerning experimentation with business models and changes made after reviewing the situation on the market (firm’s responsiveness). Taken together, rm responsiveness and market engagement were used to establish four categories of rm types: passive, active, unfocused, and focused firms. We observe that experimenting with business models is high initially and diminishes over time.

Practical Implications: Changing the business model is essential for success and survival. Firms will be able to take advantage of new opportunities and expand their products and services. Other firms may pivot into different market spaces than originally intended but by doing so rapidly decrease the time to market.

Originality / Value: Our research fills a gap in the literature by exploring the role of markets in the development of young entrepreneurial IT startups’ business models over time. We propose a framework allowing an analysis of business model innovation in different stages of a firm’s development.

研究目的：本研究旨在探讨市场在青年创业初创企业商业模式构建及其后续商业模式试错过程中的作用。本研究聚焦需求侧，分析市场与（潜在）客户如何影响企业构建或创新商业模式的决策。
研究设计：本研究通过开放式访谈收集企业数据，访谈内容围绕其商业模式随时间的演进展开；数据分析采用扎根理论方法（grounded theory method）。
研究发现：本研究提炼出两大主题，其一为市场参与，其二为商业模式试错及基于市场态势研判后的调整（即企业响应性）。综合企业响应性与市场参与两个维度，本研究将企业划分为四类：被动型、主动型、分散型与聚焦型企业。研究观察到，商业模式试错强度初始阶段较高，随后随时间推移逐渐减弱。
实践启示：调整商业模式对于企业的成功与存续至关重要。企业可借此把握新机遇，拓展其产品与服务边界。部分企业或可突破初始规划，转型至全新市场赛道，且通过快速转型能够缩短上市时间（time to market）。
原创性与价值：本研究聚焦青年创业型IT初创企业，探讨市场在其商业模式随时间演进过程中的作用，填补了现有文献的研究空白。本研究提出了一套分析框架，可用于研判企业不同发展阶段的商业模式创新行为。