Exploring E-Commerce Readiness in China: The Case of the Grocery Industry

Abstract

Electronic commerce which enables business transactions to be conducted electronically has demonstrated significant operational and strategic benefits. Developed countries have actively adopted e-commerce and have made it an integral part of business activities. Despite its ability to bridge economic and digital gap between developing and developed countries, developing countries are still slow in e-commerce adoption. Currently, there is still a lack of e-commerce readiness research in developing countries to fully assess the relevance of e-commerce in these unique environments. This study aims to shed light into the e-commerce readiness in China, by assessing technological, organizational and environmental contexts of the grocery industry. The uniqueness of China in various aspects including cultural, economic and political, poses different challenges and requires different strategies to encourage widespread adoption of e-commerce.