Gaining insight into the development of marketplaces and business and pricing models used in the sector

District09 had already thoroughly prepared the project even before the application was submitted to PIP in May 2020. A typical needs analysis (capturing end users and employees in use cases) had already taken place. District09 already had a good understanding of the open architecture it envisaged, the open standards, modular approach, etc. Also, District09 had already consulted the market. It showed that companies would be willing to work together in partnership to realise an open modular solution with a 'best of breed' architecture vision and then possibly commercialize it. A typical PIP preliminary process (with needs analysis and market consultation) was therefore no longer necessary. 

In order to prepare the tender and expertly assess the offers, District09 was still looking for knowledge about the business models used in online marketplaces in 'open architecture' environments and possible cooperation agreements with the developers, including price models.

In order to gain more insight into the various types of online marketplaces (with one or more cash registers, paying engines, ID-tools, etc.) including the business models and pricing models used, and possible open source licensing models, Addestino Innovation Management was called in. During several workshops, Addestino has guided the employees of District09 in this matter. This way insight was gained in how market players develop these marketplaces and how to monetize them commercially. Various cooperation models were proposed and evaluated within the core team. The candidate suppliers were not involved in this. Possible pitfalls and pain points in cooperation models were exposed so that District09, armed with knowledge, could start negotiations with candidate suppliers and ultimately conclude a fair agreement that would offer prospects for a sustainable cooperation model with a win-win for both sides of the process.

The report and advice resulting from the preliminary process was distributed internally and is available at PIP.