Building blocks for the development of an IoT business model

Abstract

Purpose Previous studies have identified a variety of Internet of Things (IoT) business models and have recognised the complexity related to the application of IoT technologies in business, along with the potential of the modularity concept application in organisational design. The purpose of this paper is to identify the main building blocks for the development of a business model canvas for companies that adopt the IoT in their business. Design/methodology/approach First, the authors carried a systematic literature review to identify theoretical, experimental and practical IoT business model canvas recorded in the literature. Then, the authors identified and analysed the characteristics of the building blocks present in these canvas using a statistical cluster technique. Based on the outcomes, the authors proposed a framework with standard and optional modules to allow flexible arrangements and suit different IoT business goals. Findings The results revealed that the IoT business model canvas recorded in the literature had been grossly designed to attend two drivers: manufacture and service organisations. Therefore, based on the frequency of building blocks present in IoT business model canvas recorded in the literature, it has been proposed two flexible frameworks which can be tailored to accommodate the immense variety of possibilities offered by IoT technologies in manufacture and service business. Practical implications The business model frameworks proposed in this research can support entrepreneurs structuring new IoT businesses or upgrading existing businesses. Originality/value This research offers a comprehensive IoT business model framework with their respective building blocks built from an extensive literature review.