Digitale Geschäftsmodelle in Intralogistik-Unternehmen: Potentiale für Erlös- und Preismodelle

Abstract

The intralogistics industry, traditionally dominated by the industry segment of mechanical engineering, faces the challenge of advancing digitalisation. While classical business models in the sector depends on the sale of physical products or the project business, marketing digital technologies requires a different perspective. System integrators in intralogistics use differentiated systems for warehouse management, control of robotic solutions and data processing in dashboards and reports. In contrast, pure software providers of intralogistics solutions offer central web-based platforms that consolidate multiple digital products into one single and modular solution. The approach of these software providers is mainly on the combination of digital technologies (bundling of digital products and digital services). While the specific revenue and pricing models of intralogistics companies are not disclosed, it is known among providers of basic technology products (cloud services, monitoring software, etc.) - often used in intralogistics companies’ products - that models generating ongoing revenue such as pay-per-use or subscriptions are mainly used. This information can be seen as a crucial indicator for the development of suitable business models, focusing on revenue and pricing models. This work therefore describes the connection between corporate strategy, the company's e-business strategy, (digital) business models, and the underlying revenue and pricing models. In the theoretical part, these terms are explained in more detail, and concrete models and typologies are presented. An analysis of digital technologies used in the intralogistics industry (digital products and digital services) through theoretical and empirical part aims to provide an overview of which solutions can be used and whether specific revenue and pricing models for these solutions can be identified. The empirical part, based on an online content analysis, also identifies the revenue and pricing models of providers with basetechnology products (e.g., cloud services, monitoring software, etc.). The analysis shows that the integration of digital business models (focused on revenue models with ongoing income) is highly relevant for intralogistics in order to respond to changing market dynamics. It was found that companies that implement innovative revenue models such as pay-per-use and subscription models are better positioned to generate continuous revenue.

Date of Award	2024
Original language	German (Austria)
Supervisor	Andreas Auinger (Supervisor)