Third-Party Marketplace Depth, App Commerce, and Business Digital Commercialization in a Cross-Country Panel: Evidence from 26 Countries, 2014–2025

Munive M.A.L. · Digital Entrepreneurial Platforms: Capabilities, Opportunity Processes, and Performance Implications (2026) · DOI: 10.4018/979-8-2600-0333-6.ch007

Resumen

This study examines whether deeper digital platform ecosystems are associated with stronger business digital commercialization across countries. Because a consistent measure of new venture formation was unavailable, the analysis uses the share of businesses receiving orders over the internet as the outcome. Using Passport data, we build a balanced panel of 26 countries for 2014–2025 and construct a Platform Depth Index from Third-Party Marketplace E-Commerce and Retail App M-Commerce through principal component analysis. The empirical strategy combines first-difference models with year fixed effects and Driscoll–Kraay standard errors, complemented by fixed-effects, trend, interaction, and placebo specifications. Results show a positive and robust association between platform depth and online order reception. The effect is stronger in countries with higher smartphone penetration and higher education, suggesting that digital platforms function as commercialization infrastructures whose returns depend on complementary capabilities.

Instituciones: Universidad Continental