Marketplace platforms as game changers: Internationalization of smaller enterprises

Abstract

Despite resource constraints, smaller enterprises (SEs) are increasingly participating in international markets and becoming part of the global economy. E-commerce marketplace platforms are propelling this internationalization of SEs by alleviating SEs' resource constraints. However, there is a paucity of research in the nascent area of platform-based internationalization of SEs. Using an abductive inquiry, the study explores how platforms mitigate SEs' resource poverty, provide access to non-location-bound assets, and enable their internationalization. Accordingly, this study enunciates how platform-specific advantages (PSAs) allow for efficient markets through superior economizing of bounded rationality and reliability while assisting SEs with mitigating their liabilities associated with internationalization.