EXAMINING DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION AND ECOSYSTEM-CENTRIC MARKETING FOR SUSTAINABLE VALUE CREATION IN THE PLATFORM ECONOMY

Abstract

The platform economy has been growing rapidly, intensifying digital transformation efforts. Still, most platform companies fail to convert technological investments into sustainable value due to disjointed ecosystem coordination and a short-term marketing focus. This paper will explore the role of ecosystem-based marketing, facilitated by digital transformation, in creating long-term value for platform-based businesses. The study is a mixed-method design, which incorporates a quantitative survey involving 312 participants in platform ecosystems, such as platform owners, complementors, and end users, and structural equation modeling with qualitative data from 18 expert interviews. Empirical findings show that digital transformation capabilities account for 47.6% of the variability in ecosystem integration and 52.3% of the variability in sustainable value creation outcomes. The practices of ecosystem-centric marketing have a significantly positive impact on stakeholder engagement (β = 0.61, p < 0.001) and platform trust (β = 0.58, p < 0.01), resulting in a 34-percentage-point increase in customer lifetime value and a 29-percentage-point rise in the rate of partner retention. Additionally, platforms that align data-driven personalization with collaborative ecosystem governance register a 22% increase in innovation adoption compared to transaction-focused platforms. The results support the idea that digital transformation alone is not sufficient, and that its strategic alignment with ecosystem-centric marketing is essential to achieving scalable, sustainable value creation. The paper concludes by providing practical implications for platform managers, highlighting the need for integrated digital infrastructures, co-creation systems, and long-term relationship measures. These understandings are adding to the existing body of literature on platform economies by providing empirical evidence of how platform-enabled ecosystems can transform marketing to create shared and sustainable value.