How complementor partners add value to e-tailers?

2014

The emerging technology and concept of web 2.0 impact the value creation model of

E-tailers nowadays. The past decade has seen the rapid development of

complementors in the e-tailing market. To explore the way how complementor

partners add value to E-tailers, I propose a value added model of complementors

following an induction research approach based on value creation theories and

relevant literature review. The complementors add value to E-tailers through four

value driver factors, namely trust, loyalty, efficiency and innovation. My study also

provides an elaborate explanation for the model mechanism and develops a set of

propositions which reveal the relations between variables. Furthermore, a case study

of two Chinese E-tailers, JD.com and Suning.com, is used to verify and modify the

value added model. The result turns out that most of the propositions are verified in

these two E-tailers.