Study On The Influencing Factors Of E-Commerce Adoption Among Small And Medium-Sized Enterprises In Ghana

Despite policies and measures for the development of e-commerce,Ghana lags behind.SMEs’ unawareness of the critical potential of e-commerce is a significant barrier to its adoption,which is a big challenge for the development of e-commerce,especially in Ghana.Considering the significant role of SMEs in the Ghanaian economy,internet and e-commerce adoption remains a vital tool for effective competition among SMEs.Subsequently,understanding the development of e-commerce and drivers influencing its adoption is necessary to allow SMEs to find ways of attracting consumers to their products and services,thus enhancing their global market presence.The lack of empirical studies on e-commerce development through its adoption in developing countries,particularly sub-Saharan Africa,leaves a significant gap that requires attention.Therefore,this study was set out to investigate the adoption of e-commerce among small and medium enterprises in Ghana.The quantitative survey approach was employed for the conduct of this study.A structured questionnaire was used to obtain data from a sample size of 291 representatives of SMEs across four(4)administrative regions in Ghana.This study’s objectives were achieved by applying the binary logistic regression model and Friedman test analytical techniques.The study’s findings revealed that most SMEs in Ghana had adopted at least one form of e-commerce level.Thus,all three e-commerce adoption levels consist of non-interactive,interactive,and stabilize The study further revealed that the decision to adopt and implement e-commerce among SMEs in Ghana is dependent on four major significant factors;perceived relative advantage,IT knowledge of owners/managers,perceived risk/ security factor,and perceived Compatibility with existing infrastructure,culture and values of the firm.Significant challenges hindering e-commerce adoption among SMEs in Ghana as identified in this study include high internet traffic,cost of running and maintaining e-commerce operations reliability of service,internet connection failures,as well as doubts about including the implementation of economies of scale and scope in alliance with strategic networks,the maintenance of unblemished ethical conduct by retail e-commerce firms,and the incorporation of protection and privacy policy statement on electronic platforms of firms...