Leveraging platform digital services for better financial and innovation performance

The Internet-driven platform economy has emerged as a key driver of economic growth. Distinct from extant research which predominantly focuses on the perspective of platform providers, this study investigates how enterprises participating in platform ecosystems leverage platform digital services to improve their own financial and innovation performance. We employ hierarchical regression analysis to test the hypotheses using data collected from 298 enterprises participating in digital platforms in China. The results show that platform digital services enhance both financial and innovation performance of participant enterprises through improving their innovation capability. Furthermore, environmental dynamism weakens the effect of platform digital services on innovation capability, while resource integration capability strengthens it. Theoretically, this study extends platform ecosystem research by shifting focus from resource possession to resource internalisation, identifying innovation capability as the higher-order capability translating platform resources into firm performance. It also refines RBV-DCT integration by identifying environmental dynamism and resource integration capability as key boundary conditions. Practically, this study provides clear guidance for participant enterprises to achieve sustainable growth by transforming platform services into enhanced innovation capability, a process that depends critically on the organisation's ability to integrate resources effectively in dynamic markets.