Abstract Application platforms are part of innovation ecosystems where interactions between end users and developers self-regulate the growth of the ecosystem itself. One of the most important information for this process is user reviews. This paper uses one ordinary least squares (OLS) regressions for 2016, based on 20 variables for 60 countries to measure consumer demand, using a new indicator based on end-user assessments to verify consistency of relations between quality of demand (measured by the new indicator) and the innovative performance of different countries in this productive segment. The results show the robustness and the new research possibilities that arise, given the positives characteristics presented by the new indicator built by big data and data analytics tools. This indicator shows that the quality of demand supports innovations in the productive segment, which has led to the concussion that obtaining more sophisticated demand feedback represents a potentially powerful stimulus for advancing application development.

RESUMO A complexidade do processo inovativo exige que as firmas colaborem com um conjunto de instituições públicas e privadas, assim como outras firmas, para construir e utilizar conhecimentos especializados, inerentes ao processo de inovação. Utilizando um modelo probit ordenado e microdados de 3.691 firmas argentinas, este trabalho tem como objetivo investigar e analisar a relação entre características chave das firmas do setor industrial de um país em desenvolvimento e a rede de fornecedores de conhecimentos especializados com a qual as firmas estabelecem suas redes. Os resultados apontam que o nível de abertura da empresa, sua capacidade de absorção, o engajamento no desenvolvimento de inovações de alto impacto, além da forma como as subsidiárias de multinacionais interagem com as matrizes e a atuação em mercados de exportação, são determinantes das redes formadas pelas firmas argentinas em processos de inovação.

ABSTRACT The complexity of the innovation process requires firms to collaborate with a group of public and private institutions, as well as other firms, which are outside of its organization to build and use expertise inherent to this process. Using an ordered probit model and microdata of nearly 4,000 Argentine firms, this paper aims to study the relationship between the key characteristics of firms in the industrial sector of a developing country and the network of specialized knowledge providers with which it relates. The results show that the firm’s level of openness, its absorption capacity, the engaging in the development of high impact innovations, how multinational subsidiaries firms interact with its parent company and the operation in export markets are determinants to the network formed by Argentine firms in their innovation processes.