Shaping Digital Platforms in E-Commerce: Developing an Architecture Framework

Abstract

In 2024, the global e-commerce revenue is expected to reach USD 6.4 quadrillion, covering 21,8% of overall retail sales. Digital platforms form the core of e-commerce ecosystems, supporting various e-commerce business models with dedicated application services. In e-commerce, there are a variety of platforms with different services and architectures. Currently, however, there is no framework for digital platforms in the specific context of e-commerce. Hence, we apply a design science approach and develop a framework for digital platforms in e-commerce. We analyzed the architecture of selected digital platforms in e-commerce and conducted expert interviews. As a result, our article is the first to propose a tailored platform architecture for the e-commerce context, which is composed of four layers. The framework involves different ecosystem participants and a marketplace for the provision of third-party extensions. Furthermore, we outline future research opportunities and give an outlook on the further development of our framework