In this chapter the author gets involved with transaction platforms or multi-sided platforms that facilitate transactions between different types of actors. Transaction platforms are usually platform intermediaries. All platforms are digital: they capture, transmit, and monetize data over the internet and other networks, but they may as well have some physical elements included in the product offering. The author provides a platform innovation taxonomy that is a conceptualization and formalization of elements, relationships, vocabulary, and semantics of different dimensions of transaction platform innovations.
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According to OECD (OECD, 2010), and cited by UNESCO (MacKinnon et al., 2015) internet intermediaries bring together or facilitate transactions between third parties on the Internet. They give access to, host, transmit and index content, products and services originated by third parties on the Internet or provide Internet-based services to third parties. They offer access to a host of activities through both wired and wireless technologies. Platform intermediaries can be categorized based on function they fulfill for platform’s users and industries. As it is shown (see Figure 1), platform intermediaries span a wide range of digital business activities (OECD, 2010; UNESCO, 2015).
Some examples of taxonomy platform intermediary entities are listed in Table 1.
Table 1: Examples of platform intermediaries (Yablonsky, 2014a,b, 2016)
| Name | Side 1 | Side 2 |
| Search MSPs |
| Google | Searchers | Advertisers (other sides: developers, etc.) |
| Bing |
| Baidu (China) |
| Yandex (Russia) |
| E-Bank MFPs |
| Bank of America | Consumers | Merchants (other sides: government, |
| UniCreditbank | | enterprises, mobile providers, etc.) |
| Citi |
| Sberbank (Russia) |
| e-Payment MFPs |
| Paypal | Consumers | Consumers (other sides: enterprises,
mobile providers, etc.) |
| Yandex.Money (Russia) |
| E-Acquiring MFPs |
| VISA | Consumers | Merchants (other sides: enterprises, etc.) |
| Master Card |
| American Express |
| E-Retail MSPs |
| Amazon | Consumers (Buyers) | Enterprises (Sellers) (other sides: advertises, consumers (sellers), mobile providers, developers, etc.) |
| Alibaba (China) |
| E-Auction MSPs |
| eBay | Consumers (Buyers) | Consumers (Sellers) (other sides:
advertises, enterprises, mobile providers, developers, etc.) |
| E-Recruitment MSPs |
| Monster | Job seekers | Recruiters |
| LinkedIn |
| E-Renting MSPs |
| Airbnb | Travelers | Hosts |
| Game MSPs |
| XBox | Consumers | Game developers |
| PlayStation |
| E-Tourism MSPs |
| TripAdvisor | Tourists | Enterprises |
| Social MSPs |
| Facebook | Consumers | Consumers (other sides: advertises,
enterprises, game providers, etc.) |
| Twitter |