Unveiling complementors’ adaptation in digital platforms: The role of digital innovation-enabled complementarity

While digital platforms have significantly disrupted complementors’ performance, some complementors, particularly incumbent firms, can still achieve successful adaptation. However, adaptation literature primarily focuses on platform owners, overlooking complementors. We explore complementors’ adaptation through a qualitative multiple-case study of four hotels operating on hospitality platforms. We examine digital innovation-enabled complementarity and develop a process model for complementors’ adaptation. Additionally, we identify three mechanisms—partial grafting, spontaneous amplifying, and mutual reinforcing—that enable successful adaptation. We advance understanding of complementors’ adaptation by introducing novel insights into digital innovation-enabled complementarity, providing a pathway for complementors to move beyond mere survival. Furthermore, we provide practical insights for incumbent firms on how to leverage digital innovation to navigate complementarity in pursuit of successful adaptation in the rapidly evolving digital landscape.