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interactive digital content and omnichannel communication approaches. These
capabilities contribute to improved market visibility and enhanced customer acquisition
performance.
However, SMEs operating on e-commerce platforms also face structural challenges
arising from resource constraints and platform dependency. Limited financial capacity,
technological expertise, and organizational readiness may hinder effective digital
transformation initiatives (Kraus et al., 2021). Furthermore, platform governance
mechanisms and algorithm-driven visibility rules can significantly influence marketing
performance outcomes, thereby increasing SMEs’ reliance on platform-provided data and
technological infrastructures. Despite these challenges, platform ecosystems create
opportunities for collaborative value co-creation, where SMEs and customers jointly
shape marketing innovation through continuous interaction, feedback loops, and
experiential engagement (Ramaswamy & Ozcan, 2018).
Overall, the digital transformation of SMEs within e-commerce environments
reflects a transition toward ecosystem-embedded marketing strategies characterized by
data utilization, platform integration, and adaptive customer engagement mechanisms.
2.3. Triple-Helix innovation theory
Triple-Helix innovation theory conceptualizes innovation as an outcome of dynamic
interactions among multiple actors within an ecosystem. Originally developed to explain
collaborative knowledge creation among institutional spheres, the framework has
gradually evolved to accommodate more complex multi-actor innovation environments
shaped by technological advancement and digital transformation (Etzkowitz &
Leydesdorff, 2000). In digitally mediated markets, innovation processes are no longer
confined to organizational boundaries but instead emerge through continuous interaction,
feedback loops, and resource integration across interconnected ecosystem participants.
In the context of e-commerce-based digital marketing, the Triple-Helix perspective
can be extended to analyze the interactive relationships among SMEs, digital platforms,
and customers. E-commerce platforms function as technological enablers by providing
data infrastructures, algorithm-driven marketing tools, and integrated service systems
that support marketing innovation. SMEs act as strategic implementers that translate
platform-enabled technological resources into adaptive marketing practices, including
personalized content strategies, social commerce engagement, and data-driven campaign
optimization. Meanwhile, customers play an active role as co-creators of marketing value
by generating behavioral data, experiential feedback, and user-generated content that
influence marketing decision-making processes.
This spiral interaction mechanism reflects a collaborative innovation structure in
which each actor contributes complementary resources and capabilities to the digital
marketing ecosystem. The networked relationships among SMEs, platforms, and
customers facilitate continuous learning, enhance marketing responsiveness, and support
the development of adaptive competitive advantages in AI-driven digital economies.
Furthermore, the Triple-Helix framework highlights the importance of ecosystem
governance, technological interdependence, and value co-creation dynamics in shaping
marketing innovation outcomes within platform-based commercial environments (Ranga
& Etzkowitz, 2013).
By extending Triple-Helix theory to the domain of digital marketing innovation, this
study provides a conceptual foundation for understanding how multi-actor ecosystem

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