ABSTRACT
The business architecture of the platform has been designed and a technical solution has been built for ignition. The platform needs to be launched and platform participants recruited in order to test the platform's concept. Finding this 'platform fit' is not straightforward and may require many iterations of the original concept. The platform needs to attract the target participants identified during the pre-launch phase. eBay's early focus on collectibles allowed the platform to grow a vibrant online community of people who were very often both buyers and sellers. One of the unique features of platforms is that development can be shaped at least as much by participants as by platform owners. The bowling pin strategy is also highly relevant for hyperlocal services where platform owners need to create local matching within limited geographic areas. This can be done with focused geographic targeting of relevant communities.
