Unlocking E-Commerce Potential in SMEs: The Role of National, Organizational, and Industry Readiness

Abstract

The study explores the determinants of e-commerce adoption by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Pakistan regarding organizational, industry, and national readiness, the mediating role of perceived strategic value. This was done with a quantitative study utilizing structural equation modeling (SEM) to test the hypothesized conceptual model by using the data obtained in a sample of SME managers. The results show that the three dimensions of readiness have significant and positive impacts on the adoption of e-commerce, where national readiness plays the most significant impact. In addition, perceived strategic value was discovered to privately moderate the interrelations between organizational and national preparedness and e-commerce adoption. These findings illustrate the importance of managerial perceptions in converting readiness to adoption choices and provide practical guidelines to make SME managers and policymakers in emerging economies more successful in establishing an environment of digital transformation.