Navigating the platform economy: Crafting a customer analytics capability instrument

Abstract

The prevalence of the platform economy is rapidly increasing, primarily driven by the incorporation of big data into the digital business environment. Big data contains substantial customer information, necessitating analytics to process such data. Despite the acceleration in customer data, researchers lack knowledge about the tools that constitute Customer Analytics Capability (CAC) within the online retail business context. Through a multi-phase research design, we develop and test an instrument for CAC within the spectrum of the platform economy. We validate a multidimensional and higher-order CAC framework comprising value creation, delivery, and management. We establish the nomological validity by identifying the instrument's significant impact on customer-related performance. This research contributes to a deeper understanding of the role of CAC in shaping customer-centric outcomes within the expanding platform economy.