Multisided Platform (MSP) Strategy

Description
Enabled by new capabilities in the Digital Age, many organizations are trying to shift from a Products to Platform business model.

The drive behind such a shift can also be attributed to the huge success of platform companies--e.g., Amazon, Google, and Apple. These organizations started out as a retailer, search engine, and computer manufacturer, respectively, but later transformed into platform models.

These platforms are referred to as Multisided Platforms (MSPs). MSPs are technologies, products, or services that enable direct interactions between 2 or more customer or participant groups--and include some of the most successful companies in recent decades.

Some of the largest and fast-growing businesses of the recent decades have been MSPs. Examples include:
* Online marketplaces (e.g. eBay, Amazon, Flevy, Etsy, Airbnb, Uber)
* Social networks (Facebook, Twitter)
* Gaming consoles (PlayStation, Xbox),
* Merchants (American Expression, PayPal, Square)
* etc.

In crafting an MSP Strategy, there 4 critical strategic decisions to evaluate:

1. Number of Sides
2. Platform Design
3. Pricing Structure
4. Governance

This framework discusses these strategic decision areas in depth. Additional topics discussed include Cross-side Network Effects, Chicken-and-the-Egg Problem, Economies of Scale, Switching Costs, among other topics.

This deck also includes slide templates for you to utilize in your own business presentations.