Fiverr is an Israeli company, so not an Asia tech company per se. But it has a lot of freelancers in developing Asia. And it has a particularly compelling marketplace strategy. So I thought it was worth covering. First, a bit of background. Fiverr is a typical marketplace platform for services. But for B2B, not […]
In this episode of the Tech Strategy podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the classic marketplace platform playbook, using Fiverr as an example. He explains how these platforms work, the competitive advantages they enjoy, such as network effects and economies of scale, and the challenges they face, such as competition from other platforms and the need to keep up with changing customer demands.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the three effects of network effects, and how they can be used to create a competitive advantage. He also talks about So-Young, a Chinese marketplace for beauty services, and how it is using network effects to grow its business.
Korean Naver corporation is a confusing digital company. It’s great and it’s messed up. That makes it an interesting target for investing. There is the possibility of seeing something that others are not. On one hand, it is the leading search engine in South Korea, with +75% market share. That is fantastic. This is the […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses why he believes Airbnb will struggle to compete in Asia. He cites the following reasons: (1) Airbnb’s business model is not well-suited for the Asian market, (2) Airbnb faces stiff competition from local rivals, and (3) Airbnb’s valuation is too high.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses the importance of innovation in the tech industry. He talks about how Elon Musk has been a successful innovator, and how Android has become the dominant design in the mobile operating system market. He also discusses the challenges of innovation, and how companies can overcome them.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how digital economics can impact well-established competitive advantages like economies of scale. He argues that digital economics can create new competitive advantages, but it can also destroy old ones. For example, he cites the example of Amazon, which has been able to achieve economies of scale by using digital technologies to automate its warehouses and distribution network.
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses how Ant Financial has used sustained innovation to maintain its competitive advantages. He argues that network effects are a double-edged sword, as they can lead to complacency and a lack of innovation. Towson also discusses the importance of adaptation and resilience in the digital age.
The following link is to a 6 Part Primer for Epic Games by Michael Ball. Michael is a highly regarded thinker on US media and entertainment. And media is a space that tends to change quickly with digital. I encourage you to read this. You might have noticed Epic Games in the news lately: They […]
In this podcast, Jeffrey Towson discusses three ways that network effects can “suck.” These include critical mass and chicken-and-egg problems, interaction failure at scale, and lock-in. Towson argues that network effects are not always the silver bullet that they are often made out to be, and that businesses should be aware of the potential downsides before relying on them.