Adapting to the Digital-Intelligent Era: POOK's Strategy-Organization Alignment

Abstract

From the mid-2000s to the mid-2020s, the digital revolution profoundly disrupted traditional distribution channels for consumer goods. Offline distributors, once essential intermediaries managing sales and logistics between brands and consumers, faced unprecedented challenges. As brands increasingly pursued “disintermediation” and Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) strategies in the digital intelligence era, distributors had to grapple with fundamental questions: What unique value do we offer? How can we remain relevant? This case examines how POOK, a traditional offline distributor of consumer goods and electronics, navigated the threat of disintermediation. Over two decades, founder Yong Yu navigated industry shifts with urgency, driving strategic and organizational transformations to reposition POOK as a digital brand ecosystem service provider. Strategically, POOK evolved from launching online operations to developing a full value chain and ultimately building an ecosystem. Organizationally, it shifted from Amoeba management to a digital middle platform, and eventually, a platform-based ecosystem model. The case provides insights into how companies can use dynamic capabilities to align strategy with organizational growth and establish competitive advantages. It also explores how these advantages evolve from dynamic capabilities into ecosystem-driven data network effects in a shifting competitive landscape. Beyond distribution intermediaries, the case offers valuable lessons for businesses with resource constraints or peripheral roles in an ecosystem, demonstrating how strategic adaptation and organizational alignment drive digital transformation