Barriers and drivers of multi-channel e-commerce: A cross-country examination

Abstract

This study addresses the lack of integrative and cohesive frameworks to study the variables influencing the development of multi-channel e-commerce. This exploratory research proposes a theory-grounded, comprehensive and systematic model for the study of the development of multi-channel e-commerce, and further refines the model based on a qualitative study. The study performs a cross-country examination to control for the effect of country-specific characteristics and uses data from interviews to managers of ten Spanish and Argentinian companies from different sectors. The results of the analysis identify the main barriers and drivers of multi-channel e-commerce development, which are discussed in detail. Finally, the study highlights the main contributions from the research and details the implications for theory and practice. Keywords : e-commerce, multi-channel, Spain, Argentina, qualitative analysis, cross-country.