City Research Online

Abstract

In multi-platform markets, complementors often choose to offer their products or services across several platforms—a strategy known as complementor multihoming. This approach has recently attracted much attention from both industry practitioners and management scholars. Building on existing research regarding the factors that influence complementors’ decision to multihome and the associated performance implications, this study specifically examines the timing strategies involved in complementors’ multihoming decisions. We investigate the drivers of the timing of complementors’ sequential multihomings, focusing on the factors that affect the timing of their first and subsequent multihoming. The empirical context of our research is the ecosystem of platforms and complementors in the nascent smart home market. Our results show that early entrants transition more quickly from single-homing to multihoming (i.e., joining a second platform) than late entrants, suggesting that they adopt a hedging strategy in response to the high uncertainty present in the early stages of the ecosystem. We also find that the drivers of the timing of multihoming may differ for the first and subsequent multihoming. For the first multihoming, the market traction of non-adopted platforms is associated with how quickly complementors multihome. However, this relationship dissipates in subsequent multihoming decisions. Nonetheless, certain factors influence the timing of all multihomings: When joining a second or third platform, complementors are faster to adopt platforms that are technologically similar to those they have already joined. We discuss the managerial implications of these findings for platforms, and complementors navigating multi-platform ecosystems.

Publication Type:	Article
Additional Information:	This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Aydin Ozden, S. , Suarez, F., Libaers, D. & Bart, Y. (2025). Smart Timing for Smart Products? Complementor Multihoming in Nascent Platform Markets. Journal of Product Innovation Management, which will be published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/15405885. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.
Publisher Keywords:	multi-platform ecosystem, complementor strategy, timing of multihoming, nascent platform market, smart home
Subjects:	H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor > HD28 Management. Industrial Management
Departments:	Bayes Business School Bayes Business School > Faculty of Management
SWORD Depositor:	Symplectic Administrator

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