Platform competition shapes and is shaped by a constantly changing socioeconomic context. Three trends provide evidence for this: (i) the number of firm level relevant factors for platform success is steadily increasing, (ii) contemporary cases of platform competition take less time to unfold, and (iii) industries converge. These trends suggest that there is a change: in the time required for relevant factors to influence platform competition, and in the trade-offs managers face when they take actions in platform development and competition, to influence the market outcome of such processes. Current frameworks in the literature do not account explicitly for such timing issues. The use of modelling and simulation, along empirical cases, is a way to incorporate timing and strategic action delays in platform competition research. We explore the multi-level research agenda this opens up and develop nine research questions for platform competition research.

Socio-technical system transitions research describes and categorizes transitions and explains and identifies their driving causes. In the literature, transition research frameworks have received some critique on whether they can facilitate the search for transition causes. As a response, and in order to cater for the complexity and contextuality of multi system transitions, this paper proposes a retroductive systems-based methodology. The methodology relies on qualitative case study development and quantitative simulation modelling. Retroduction along with modelling and simulation can contribute to the shift from researching single system/technology transitions to multi system/technology transitions. Thus the paper offers a step towards coping methodologically with sustainability transitions that often concern multi system interactions. We demonstrate the use of the methodology by adopting the Multi-Level Perspective on transitions to explain the emergence of the functional foods as a niche in the food/nutrition socio-technical system.

Platform competition for market share can have broad ranging implications within or across industry sectors. It is subject to the complex and changing socioeconomic context in which it unfolds. Three trends provide evidence for this: (i) the number of relevant factors for platform market dominance is steadily increasing, (ii) industries converge, and (iii) historically platform competition cases take less time to unfold. These trends suggest that the delays involved in how relevant factors influence the market outcome of platform competition have been changing ultimately influencing the trade-offs managers face in platform development and competition. Nevertheless, none of the existing frameworks in the literature is equipped to account for delays explicitly. Hence, no empirical studies based on these frameworks take this directly into consideration either. The article argues that a way forward is the systematic use of modelling and simulation when applying these frameworks to platform competition cases and outlines the research agenda this opens up.