Open Access

Wolfgang Buchholz

• This paper deals with the time-to-market in the internet economy. Past and current research on the topic, by and large, aims at market entry as the crucial starting point of a new product's implementation and commercial utilization. Time-to-market, however, goes beyond such an isolated discussion and employs a holistic approach. Also the starting point of innovation and the duration of the innovation process are important parts of the time-to-market concept presented here. Moreover, systematic research on timing has so far focused on traditional businesses. The aim of this paper is to look at the internet economy with the focus on timing strategies. After an introduction to the conceptual framework of time-to-market, this paper will discuss strategic implications of internet-based timing. Here it will focus chiefly on the beginning and the end of the innovation process. Chapter four, then, will exhibit the first results of an empirical study about European B2B-marketplaces with special respect to timing strategies. The paper concludes with an outlook on subject timing and some proposals for future research.