Platform Economy – The Game Changers Are Already Among Us

“Quo vadis? Platform economy as part of the New Economy” – this was the motto of a specialist session at the German Logistics Congress 2021. Indeed, this topic is important and should increasingly come into focus for the economy. Just consider the enormous potential of platforms in the B2C e-commerce sector – Amazon, Alibaba & Co. send their regards.

Von Lisa Reitz

(Dortmund) Upon closer inspection, it also becomes evident that a clear differentiation is necessary: a pure online shop in itself has nothing to do with lived platform economy or a digital ecosystem. While providers also pursue economic interests, they do not offer an open marketplace where offers are bundled, people can meet virtually, and business relationships can be established. The platform concept is based precisely on this principle. The goal is to network and make accessible data, resources, and services so that participants can interact in a common, market-specific value creation network.

Consistently Keeping Market and Customer Compliance in Mind

But what prerequisites must such a platform provide, and what opportunities arise concretely? The central advantage lies in sustainably optimizing the efficiency and competitiveness of one’s own organization while also being able to establish new data-driven business models or services. To enable this, platform providers should consistently keep the market and the specific needs of the targeted customers in mind. It is not about what is feasible, but what benefit the customer derives from it. Consequently, it is important to offer participants easy, barrier-free access while simultaneously designing the service offering so that a direct utility is achieved in a short way. The “user experience” as a success criterion should also be in focus by simplifying the operation.

Smart Ecosystem for Combined Transport (KV)

This works excellently in social networks, where users can exchange and share content with each other. This concept is also the basis for catkin! The patented logistics platform, specifically developed for Combined Transport (KV) for automated order processing and communication, enables seamless, cross-company collaboration by networking complete workflows. The customer and service provider portal connects users with clients, partner companies, and their own employees, thus ensuring uniform and clearly structured communication among all parties involved. catkin creates transparency about the current order status and supports the deployment planning of mobile resources at personnel and machine levels. Feedback on orders is provided through the dynamic catkin app.

Real-time information exchange saves time and improves data quality. Integrated into the application are, among other things, applications for time tracking and continuous invoice verification. The initial added value is thus directly given. The patented all-in-one solution reduces the workload associated with order processing, facilitates scheduling, and provides a comprehensive overview of events, even on a global level. All of this pays off particularly in Combined Transport (KV), where division of labor processes determine the business.

Data-Driven Balancing of Supply and Demand

At its core, logistics platforms are about bringing together relevant actors in an ecosystem for order processing, all of whom ultimately benefit from increased transparency – keyword Supply Chain Visibility – and cost efficiency. At the same time, (multimodal) transport chains can be made significantly more robust through portal support. A prerequisite for this is that the technology used allows for complete data integration. The aggregated information must also be visualized and validated. This is crucial to ultimately make effective decisions and, ideally, to generate and provide new services.

Act Boldly Instead of Sticking to the Past

These accumulated benefits are responsible for the steadily growing economic significance of digital platforms. Good examples are online giants like Amazon, which have disruptively changed markets, as well as organizations often referred to as game changers like Uber, Airbnb, or Immobilienscout 24. They are also a clear signal that success in the platform economy requires a change in mindset. Especially in Germany and Europe, there are still numerous companies that have been successful with their business model for many decades and therefore see no reason to question it. However, the ongoing dynamics of change will ultimately force them to open up to innovation and thoroughly engage with the importance of software and data.

The newly gained perspective will be crucial in aligning their value creation networks with the new reality and directly benefiting from the New Economy. The saying “Never change a running system” has always been to be taken with caution, but today it is completely outdated. The necessary scalability must also be taken into account. Processes must be continuously adapted to changing conditions. The same applies to platforms like catkin in the field of transport logistics. The ecosystem is constantly being expanded with new features and applications through which the connected participants can respond appropriately and efficiently to new market requirements and customer wishes.

Lisa Reitz is the Marketing Manager at the Dortmund logistics software company catkin. She is particularly interested in the field of Combined Transport and enjoys focusing on the positive influences of new innovative logistics technologies. In her articles, she primarily addresses the questions of what logistics of the future might look like, what advantages digitization offers, and how companies can leverage these advantages.www.catkin.eu / www.speditionssoftware.eu