Conceptual Framework for Digital-Driven Servitization: Italian Fashion Company Case Study

Abstract

The growing convergence of digital transformation and sustainability is reshaping value creation across industries, particularly in the fashion sector, where the transition towards circular business models has become increasingly important. Although research on circular economy, digital transformation, and servitization has expanded considerably, limited attention has been devoted to how digitally enabled service systems support circular value creation during the post-purchase stage of the product lifecycle. This study examines how digital servitization is operationalised within the fashion ecosystem through a qualitative, theory-informed multiple-case study based on systematic website content analysis of 14 Italian B Corp organisations. It proposes a dual-cycle analytical framework comprising a Product–Service–Product (P-S-P) material loop and a Service–Product–Service (S-P-S) information loop, representing complementary mechanisms of material recirculation and digitally enabled lifecycle information exchange. The findings indicate that digital servitization is more frequently operationalised through material-oriented service mechanisms than through digitally enabled lifecycle information infrastructures, suggesting uneven development of the two complementary architectures. Observable implementation also differs across value chain positions, with downstream organisations exhibiting more customer-facing lifecycle service configurations, whereas upstream actors primarily contribute through enabling capabilities that are only partially captured by the framework. The study contributes by introducing an analytical framework that distinguishes complementary material and informational mechanisms of digital servitization, providing an exploratory basis for analysing observable circular service configurations across the fashion value chain.