Abstract

The digital imperative provides manifold opportunities for innovation. In the last two decades, many digital business models have turned out to be exceptionally successful. Examples include Netflix, Uber, Apple, and Amazon. Hence, the business model concept and the innovation thereof have received growing interest both in research and in practice. However, empirical findings from business model innovation research are mainly based on the case study approach. These findings lack generalizability and lead to construct uncertainty, expressed through the unclear antecedents and outcomes of business model innovation. Their clarification points out the pathways for successful transformation strategies. By reviewing 46 case studies on digital business model innovation, six antecedents and seven outcomes were identified. The impact of the digital transformation is found to be a major driver of business model innovation, either by new technology, technology exploitation, or changed customer behavior. Outcomes of business model innovation are found to be mainly financial, resulting in growth and expansion of the business or higher goodwill. In summary, this paper narrows the gap between the antecedents of digital business model innovation and digital transformations, and it clarifies the expected outcomes. For practitioners, the results make business model innovation more tangible and provide support in decision-making processes when dealing with the digital imperative

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