Bolstering ratings and reviews systems on multi-sided platforms: A co-creation perspective

This research addresses an important platform governance issue, namely, the strategic design of ratings and reviews (R&R) systems to ensure a steady flow of buyer-generated product knowledge on multi-sided platforms (MSPs). Drawing on value co-creation and knowledge management research, this article advances a theoretical model that highlights how the R&R mechanism may be designed to facilitate the generation and sharing of highquality product knowledge. Exploratory observations of a wide spectrum of MSPs reveal exemplary practices in line with the proposed model. Overall, this article contributes to MSP theory and practice by (1) conceptualizing MSPs as knowledge co-creating hubs (rather than information-aggregating repositories), (2) explicating three distinct knowledge co-creating processes on MSPs, and (3) identifying MSP practices that empower the cocreation of high-quality product knowledge.