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The digital economy, often facilitated by digital platforms, provides opportunities for both local and global entrepreneurs. This is evident from the increasing number of goods and services that are made available through online platforms, closing distances and barriers that were previously considered impenetrable. However, despite their potential and contributions to the global economy, they remain understudied in the field of international business.

The common misconception that virtual platforms are international by default may be a factor as to why they are understudied in this discipline. Nevertheless, website and interface optimization, technical resource acquisition, and the need to obtain manpower capabilities show that digital platform internationalization is an intentional and conscious decision.

Ojala et al. (2018) developed a digital platform internationalization model which utilizes supply-side bottlenecks as inter-stage indicators. To provide further support to this phenomenon, this study extends Ojala et al.’s (2018) digital platform internationalization model by considering both supply-side and demand-side barriers. Moreover, a new internationalization process model was constructed to highlight the iterative processes between early internationalization and commercialization. In addition to exploring the digital platform
internationalization process, this study also aims to identify the barriers and challenges firms face during this process, as well as suggestions overcoming them.

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