Disruptive market-shaping processes: Exploring market formation for autonomous vehicle solutions

In the race toward autonomous vehicle solutions, providers engage in disruptive market-shaping processes to overcome barriers to commercialization and trigger market formation. This study investigates how disruptive market-shaping processes unfold by employing a multiple case study of 10 AVS providers. Our findings reveal a disruptive market-shaping process comprising four dimensions: shaping the value logic, nurturing the demand side, forging ecosystem alliances, and catalyzing institutional changes. Furthermore, we analyze the temporal unfolding of these activities to illustrate a comprehensive market-shaping process comprising three phases: market exploration, market preparation, and market experimentation. We make significant contributions to the market-shaping and AVS literature. By showing empirically how disruptive market-shaping processes unfold, we refine existing knowledge on the broader market formation stage, anchoring it to the emergence of new markets. Our framework offers micro-level insights into the sequencing of activities and phases embedded in shaping new markets. We argue that successful disruptive market shaping is contingent on creating an attractive market value proposition. Finally, we identify the foundational activities required to overcome market barriers and advance the commercialization of autonomous solutions. We find that granular systems logic reveals AVS's true value, questioning traditional market logic and paving the way for a sustainable, autonomous future.