Category Archives: Complementary Platforms CF4

Competitive Fortresses: My 4 Favorite Business Models (Tech Strategy)

Jeffrey Towson defines a competitive fortress as a situation where a single company maintains 50-70% of a circumscribed market, rendering current rivals and new entrants a non-serious threat. According to digital strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson, these models range from local dominance and ecosystem orchestrators to complex complementary platforms that integrate multiple digital businesses. This framework serves as a critical digital transformation strategy for understanding how structural advantages and operational performance combine to create long-term defensibility.

Alibaba, Complementary Platforms and Why Dinosaur Packs Are Scary (Tech Strategy)

As digital strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson explains, Alibaba’s complementary platforms are a key part of its digital transformation strategy, enabling the company to expand its reach and offerings. The concept of “dinosaur packs” is also explored, highlighting the potential risks and challenges that can arise when large, established companies fail to adapt to changing market conditions. By understanding these dynamics, businesses can better inform their own digital transformation strategy and stay ahead of the curve in today’s fast-paced tech landscape, with guidance from experts like Jeffrey Towson.

Threads Will Beat Twitter (Assuming Good Engagement and Product Market Fit) (Tech Strategy – Podcast 171)

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In this episode of the Tech Strategy Podcast, Jeff Towson explores the potential of Threads to surpass Twitter, given the right product-market fit. He provides a detailed analysis of both platforms, their strengths, weaknesses, and potential growth trajectories. Don’t miss this insightful discussion on the future of social media platforms.

How WeChat Became the Everything App (Tech Strategy – Podcast 167)

In this week’s podcast, we focus on the phenomenon of WeChat, an app that has embedded itself into daily life as the ‘everything app’. I provide a strategic breakdown of how WeChat managed to achieve this status. Tune in to understand the graphics, slides, and insights shared on this platform, also available on iTunes and Google Podcasts

Alibaba

The Rise of Alibaba in 10 Slides (1 of 2) (Tech Strategy)

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Alibaba’s journey began as a simple B2B platform, but it quickly expanded to connect consumers with small merchants through Taobao. This virtual bazaar, closer to C2C than B2C, emerged as a response to eBay’s entry into China. In this article digital strategy consultant Jeffrey Towson details how Alibaba strategically built demand-side scale, focusing on core interactions and ancillary growth opportunities.

Will GoTo “Win it All” in Indonesia? (Tech Strategy – Podcast 123)

GoTo is a digital platform that combines the services of two of Indonesia’s largest tech companies: Gojek and Tokopedia. The company has a strong presence in the country’s e-commerce and ride-hailing markets, and it is growing rapidly. However, GoTo faces stiff competition from other tech giants like Alibaba and Tencent.