Cross-national differences in big data analytics adoption in the retail industry

Abstract

Big data analytics (BDA) has emerged as a significant area of research for both researchers and practitioners in the retail industry, indicating the importance and influence of solving data-related problems in contemporary business organization. The present study utilised a quantitative-methods approach to investigate factors affecting retailers' adoption of BDA across three countries. A survey questionnaire was used to collect data from managers and decision-makers in the retail industry. Data of 2278 respondents were analysed through structural equation modelling. The findings revealed that security concerns, external support, top management support, and rational decision making culture have a greater effect on BDA adoption in developed countries UK than in UAE and Egypt. However, competition intensity and firm size have a greater effect on BDA adoption in UAE and Egypt than in UK. Finally, human variables (competence of information system's staff and staff's information system knowledge) have a greater effect on BDA adoption in Egypt than UK and UAE. The findings indicate that a “one-size-fits-all” approach is insufficient in capturing the heterogeneity of managers across countries. Implications for practice and theory were demonstrated.