Economic aspects of partnerships in the digital retail ecosystem
Andrey E. Plakhin - Dr. Sc. (Econ.), Associate Prof., Head of Management and Entrepreneurship Dept. Ural State University of Economics
Mariya S. Khokholush - Cand. Sc. (Pedagogy), Associate Prof., Associate Prof. of Management and Entrepreneurship Dept. Ural State University of Economics
Konstantin V. Rostovtsev - Cand. Sc. (Econ.), Associate Prof., Associate Prof. of Management and Entrepreneurship Dept. Ural State University of Economics
Abstract
The relevance of researching the features of partnership interaction between independent participants within retail ecosystems lies in the significant increase in the role of digital platforms in the volume of goods sold to the public. This creates difficulties in the processes of goods distribution coordinated within digital ecosystems, which may affect parameters of the economic security of the territory. The article deals with identifying elements of the economic model of entrepreneurs’ activities in the ecosystem model of e-commerce. We have used a method combining functional analysis of participants in the partner ecosystem and assessment of the efficiency indicators of their joint work. The results of the functional analysis show that the integrator’s leading role consists in creating a unified technological environment that supports interaction between participants, as well as in providing marketing support to sellers and managing goods distribution, which ensures it the highest income among participants in the retail ecosystem. The analysis of efficiency indicators has revealed that the integrator has the highest profitability, while the growth in the number of partners contributes to its increase thanks to the effects of digital scaling: a new partner does not entail additional costs, but brings income from participation in sales on the digital platform.
Keywords: retail ecosystem; integrator; organisation; affiliate network; economic indicators.
For citation: Plakhin A. E., Khokholush M. S., Rostovtsev K. V. Economic aspects of partnerships in the digital retail ecosystem. Digital Models and Solutions. 2025. Vol. 4, no. 3, pp. 78–87. DOI: 10.29141/2949-477X-2025-4-3-6. EDN: RGBDFU.
