How actor engagement translates into value co-creation: the serial mediating role of platform capabilities and innovation pathways

Purpose This study aims to examine how actor engagement and platform capabilities contribute to value co-creation in e-commerce platforms. Drawing on Service-Dominant Logic and platform ecosystem view, it further investigates the serial mediating roles of exploitative and exploratory innovation capabilities. Design/methodology/approach Data were collected through an online survey conducted over a three-month period from 325 active e-commerce platform users, each evaluating their most frequently used platform. The proposed research model was tested using partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM). To complement the cross-sectional quantitative findings, an illustrative and non-generalizable qualitative analysis was conducted based on LinkedIn comment threads responding to 14 platform update announcements published in January–February 2026, serving solely to provide contextual insight. Findings The results indicate that actor engagement, platform integration, and platform reconfiguration are significantly and positively associated with value co-creation. Moreover, the findings are consistent with a sequential mediation mechanism: actor engagement relates to value co-creation through platform integration and exploratory innovation capability, while platform reconfiguration is linked to value co-creation through exploitative and exploratory innovation capabilities in sequence. The qualitative insights further illustrate these relationships by highlighting how users interpret and respond to platform changes. Originality/value By integrating actor-level engagement with platform-level capabilities, this study advances theoretical understanding of the mechanisms associated with value co-creation in digital platform ecosystems. It also offers practical implications for platform managers seeking to foster collaborative value creation through capability development and user engagement strategies.