Platform evolution for data-driven servitization: an affordance perspective

Purpose This study aims to investigate how manufacturing firms can leverage digital platforms to drive digital servitization by actualizing the action potential offered by data. This process is vital for sustaining service growth in complex and evolving contexts. Design/methodology/approach Grounded in affordance theory and based on 23 semistructured interviews, this research uses a detailed case study of a manufacturer’s platform-based servitization. It explores the opportunities enabled by digital technologies, analyzing the platform’s evolution and the interplay between various affordances. Findings This study reveals that the perception and actualization of data affordances are shaped by supportive platform affordances. Furthermore, platform architecture evolves through a routinized yet punctuated pathway, driven by internal needs, customer feedback and emerging technologies. Practical implications For practitioners, this study offers guidance on achieving internal alignment and external coordination to transform data into actionable insights using digital platforms. It underscores the need to manage customer-centric platform development by prioritizing usability and phased digital transformation, thus avoiding overly advanced solutions that exceed industry readiness. It also denotes the need for manufacturers to align platform investments with both market demand and the availability of capable complementors, while overcoming internal hurdles by developing prototypes that demonstrate the tangible value of data-driven services. Originality/value With business-to-business marketing research increasingly focusing on the interplay of platforms and data, this study applies affordance theory to highlight how platform and data affordances interdependently enable digital servitization. It further shows that platform evolution is not only a structural backdrop but an active mechanism fostering cooperation in servitization.