Table 1 Digital platforms as enablers of... | Emerald Publishing

Table 1

Digital platforms as enablers of SME’s internationalization

Type	Definition	Purpose	Supporting authors	Examples
Sales platforms	Marketplace platforms that facilitate commercial transactions between parties (typically company and consumers) who would otherwise be unable to interact directly	Serve as commercial matchmakers, or sales channel	Acs et al. (2021), Briedis et al. (2020), Jacobides et al. (2018), Petroni (2021), Zhu et al. (2019)	General marketplaces: Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Jio Platforms, Jumia, Mercado Libre, Rakuten, TaoBao, TMall, Shopify Specific marketplaces: ASOS, BestBuy, Etsy, Shein, Zalando, Wayfair, Digital Distribution Services: Apple’s App Store, Android’s Play Store and Google Play Store
Interaction and reach platforms	Originally designed to promote social interactions between users, social media platforms have evolved into crucial channels for fostering promotion and interaction for both B2B and B2C companies	Foster social interactions, content sharing and augment promotional reach	Alaimo et al. (2020), Da Fonseca et al. (2023), Evans and Schmalensee (2016), Hurmelinna-Laukkanen et al. (2020), Stallkamp and Schotter (2021), Saari et al. (2022), Song, 2019	Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube
Support platforms	Platforms that provide lower cost and better tools to facilitate operations such as commerce/web development, crowdfunding, search engine marketing optimization, and payment processing	Facilitate worldwide digital operations	Ojala et al. (2022)	PayPal, AliPay, Indiegogo, SeedInvest Technology, Shopify, Dynamic Yield, SISTRIX, WhatsApp, Telegram

Type	Definition	Purpose	Supporting authors	Examples
Sales platforms	Marketplace platforms that facilitate commercial transactions between parties (typically company and consumers) who would otherwise be unable to interact directly	Serve as commercial matchmakers, or sales channel	Acs et al. (2021), Briedis et al. (2020), Jacobides et al. (2018), Petroni (2021), Zhu et al. (2019)	General marketplaces: Amazon, Alibaba, eBay, Jio Platforms, Jumia, Mercado Libre, Rakuten, TaoBao, TMall, ShopifySpecific marketplaces: ASOS, BestBuy, Etsy, Shein, Zalando, Wayfair, Digital Distribution Services: Apple’s App Store, Android’s Play Store and Google Play Store
Interaction and reach platforms	Originally designed to promote social interactions between users, social media platforms have evolved into crucial channels for fostering promotion and interaction for both B2B and B2C companies	Foster social interactions, content sharing and augment promotional reach	Alaimo et al. (2020), Da Fonseca et al. (2023), Evans and Schmalensee (2016), Hurmelinna-Laukkanen et al. (2020), Stallkamp and Schotter (2021), Saari et al. (2022), Song, 2019	Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok, Pinterest, YouTube
Support platforms	Platforms that provide lower cost and better tools to facilitate operations such as commerce/web development, crowdfunding, search engine marketing optimization, and payment processing	Facilitate worldwide digital operations	Ojala et al. (2022)	PayPal, AliPay, Indiegogo, SeedInvest Technology, Shopify, Dynamic Yield, SISTRIX, WhatsApp, Telegram

Source(s): Created by authors