Understanding platform internationalization to predict the diffusion of new mobility services

Abstract

The rapid rise of New Mobility Services (NMS) along with the introduction of digital platforms are currently changing the mobility landscape, making it crucial to predict forthcoming developments. The diffusion of NMS has mostly been studied from the standpoint of user acceptance and adoption. This article introduces a complementary approach in which we examine the diffusion of NMS at the firm-level. Based on case analyses of ride-hailing, carpooling, and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS), we outline two international expansion patterns (rapid vs. gradual) and show that firm’s internationalization serves as a proxy for the global diffusion of the respective NMS – typically, from developed lead markets into the developing world due to both the market leader’s expansion and the emergence of followers. We emphasize the role of the business model and associated driving forces in the dynamics of diffusion of each NMS. The results of the study contribute to a better understanding of platform internationalization and give insights on how this is (re-)shaping the mobility ecosystem, presently and in the future.