Manufacturer-user collaborative innovation via e-commerce platforms

This study examines how e-commerce ecosystems reconfigure manufacturer-user (MU) collaborative innovation networks, drawing on evidence from China's fashion and apparel industry.Through a qualitative multi-case analysis of two platform-mediated collaborations-modular knitwear co-creation and sustainable denim development-we identify that e-commerce platforms act as proactive architects of innovation.They enable role fluidity among problem setters, solvers, and reviewers; facilitate hybridisation of collaboration modes (e.g., resource transfer with strategic alliances); and institutionalise digital, knowledge, and organisational mechanisms that reduce information asymmetry and accelerate iteration.The paper presents an integrated framework that bridges service-dominant logic, user innovation theory, and platform ecosystem perspectives, providing practical insights for managers and platform designers on structuring effective, trust-based co-innovation in digital environments.