As an emerging industry, e-cigarettes have been greatly prosperous globally in recent years. In China, Shenzhen is the center of e-cigarette production, and a complete business ecosystem has been built at this point. To explore the phenomenon of the agglomeration of e-cigarette enterprises in Shenzhen, the business ecosystem structure and evolution path of e-cigarette industrial clusters in Shenzhen (the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry) are illustrated in this study from an ecological perspective, and the development characteristics of the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry as well as the interspecies relationships among enterprises were studied based on the population life history theory. Eight representative firms were also selected here. Their patent information was collected and classified to investigate niche characteristics using Levins’ niche breadth and niche overlap index. The results indicate that, after a long-term evolution, the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry has preliminarily built a business ecosystem with a unique structure. The developmental process is accompanied by the transformation of the development pattern from imitation to innovation and the enterprise populations have achieved coevolution through mutualistic symbiosis. In the area of technological innovation, niche-widening and -separation strategies are employed by the e-cigarette enterprises. The above reasons explain the boom of the Shenzhen e-cigarette industry and why Shenzhen is becoming the center of e-cigarette production.

The rapid development of digital technology has prompted many enterprises to carry out digital transformation. For SMMEs (small- and medium-sized equipment manufacturing enterprises), digital transformation is not only a necessary measure to deal with changes in the external environment but also a key opportunity to stimulate the vitality of internal innovation. At the same time, the digital transformation of SMMEs and a series of innovation activities caused by it, as well as the various innovation models that have evolved from it, are closely related to managerial cognition. On the premise that digital transformation is regarded as an enterprise innovation activity, this study discusses the ways in which digital transformation drives the innovation model of SMMEs. Taking PAYA as the research object, combined with the theory of resource orchestration, this study adopts the longitudinal single-case study method to explore the connotation and operation logic of the SMME innovation model and constructs a theoretical “digital transformation-innovation-innovation” model. The key findings of the research are as follows: Firstly, innovation models experience a phased evolution. Digital transformation promotes the innovation of SMMEs through three stages: digital technology structuring single-agent innovation, digital technology bundling dual-agent innovation, and digital technology leveraging multi-agent innovation. Secondly, the role of managerial cognition is pivotal. Managerial cognition is the core driving force promoting the digital transformation and innovation of enterprises. Digital transformation, in turn, enables enterprises to continuously accumulate digital technology and digital resources, guiding them from internal single-subject innovation to dual-subject innovation, and ultimately forming a multi-subject innovation model. Thirdly, resource orchestration is a dynamic mechanism. Digital transformation promotes the evolution of enterprise innovation models through resource assembly, resource integration, and resource collaboration. This process not only optimizes the allocation of internal resources within the enterprise but also amplifies the scale effect of innovation through collaboration with external partners. Theoretically, this study aims to enrich the understanding of digital transformation in the context of innovation models for SMMEs. It particularly sheds light on the formation logic of innovation models during the digital transformation process, thereby filling a gap in the existing literature. At the practical level, it will have a certain reference value for the “empowering” and “enabling” processes involved in the digital transformation of SMMEs. It also provides practical guidance for SMMEs on how to achieve innovation during the digital transformation process.

Purpose: It is difficult for small- and medium-sized enterprises to modify themselves to achieve digital transformation; a digital empowerment platform can help small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) to digitalize. Therefore, it is of great significance to identify the key factors of the development of logarithmic words. Design: This study first uses the ISM method to establish a network of influencing factors, identifies key factors from the perspectives of network structure and enterprise competitive advantage, and finally conducts a comprehensive analysis using a six-quadrant matrix. Findings: Capital, talent, and data collection and analysis technology are key factors driving the development of digital empowerment platforms. Standards, accurate and continuous industry information, and efficient and sustained co-operation with empowered industry enterprises and research institutions are key factors in establishing a sustained competitive advantage. This study proposes two development paths for enterprises and two policy recommendations. Originality: (1) The history of digital empowerment platform enterprises is relatively short, and there are relatively few studies on the influencing factors of its development. (2) By employing mathematical network analysis and competitive advantage analysis methods and comprehensively analyzing key factors, this study innovates the multi-factor evaluation method.