Perceived business value of digital freight platforms: Evidence from small and medium-sized enterprises in Poland

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Purpose This study examines how SMEs operating in the Polish transport, shipping and logistics (TSL) sector perceive the business value of digital freight exchanges, and how they associate platform use with operational efficiency, empty vehicle movements, transport resource utilization and competitive positioning. The study investigates whether the functionalities offered by digital freight platforms constitute distinct value dimensions or a single integrated platform value dimension. Methodology Empirical data were collected in 2025 through a questionnaire survey of 65 purposively selected Polish SMEs actively using digital freight exchanges. The sample is therefore not representative of the broader Polish SME road-freight population. The analysis included descriptive and reliability statistics, Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) (Principal Axis Factoring), Spearman's correlation, multiple linear regression, and Kruskal–Wallis tests with Dunn–Bonferroni post hoc comparisons. Factor stability was assessed using bootstrap analysis. Findings Respondents primarily used digital freight exchanges to obtain transport orders, improve fleet utilization, monitor shipments and maintain operational continuity during periods of lower demand. The most valued functionalities were contractor credibility assessment, freight search, fleet utilization, transaction security and responsiveness to demand fluctuations. Exploratory Factor Analysis identified a provisional one-factor solution explaining 50.67% of the total variance, interpreted as a Perceived Integrated Platform Value dimension, and suggesting that these SMEs evaluate platform functionalities as complementary elements of an integrated business-support system, because the items measure perceived importance. This dimension is interpreted as a proxy for perceived platform value rather than as a measure of realized benefits rather than as separate capabilities. Perceived platform value was positively associated with competitive advantage (ρ = 0.411, p < 0.001). While overall platform value did not differ significantly by enterprise size, micro-enterprises reported greater competitive benefits and more frequent platform use than medium-sized enterprises.