E-commerce Participation Research Articles

The impact of e-commerce activities on rural household leverage

ABSTRACT This article provides new evidence on the connection between e-commerce and rural household leverage in China. We find that e-commerce activities increase the leverage ratio of Chinese rural households significantly, especially in the west region, households headed by men, and households that have not experienced borrowing denials. The results are still robust when using an instrumental variable approach to solve endogenous problems. The findings suggest that participation in e-commerce may relieve the constraint of formal credit, which will boost the household leverage.

Does e-commerce participation affect green agrotechnology adoption among reservoir resettlers? The case of China’s Three Gorges Reservoir area

This study explores how promoting e-commerce participation impacts the adoption of green agrotechnology by resettlers in China’s Three Gorges Reservoir area and helps rural revitalization and the realization of value from ecological produce. First, we combine induced innovation model theory with the risk perception factor of expected utility theory. A model of resettlers’ green agrotechnology adoption under different levels of e-commerce participation is constructed, and research hypotheses are proposed accordingly. Survey data gathered from resettled farmers in Zigui, the first county of the studied area, are tested empirically with an ordered probit model. The results show first, that e-commerce participation significantly and positively affects the level of green agrotechnology adoption at the 1% level; and second, that expectations of the ecological value of agricultural products and the agrotechnology support provided by e-commerce are important driving factors. The promotion effect of different modes of e-commerce participation on agrotechnology adoption differ. The risk-averse behavior of resettlers can weaken the promotion effect of e-commerce participation on agrotechnology adoption.

Does participation in e-commerce affect fruit farmers’ awareness of green production: evidence from China

Based on data for 812 Chinese farmers and a conditional mixed process (CMP) approach, this paper investigates the impact of farmers’ e-commerce participation on their awareness of green production. Main results include: (1) e-commerce participation increases farmers’ overall awareness of green production by 0.771 (i.e. 0.88 standard deviations); meanwhile such impact is more evident for old-generation, low-income and small-scale farmers; (2) risk awareness is most affected among three sub-dimensions; (3) three influencing channels are confirmed, which are improving information acquisition, strengthening connections with the food market, and alleviating information asymmetry. This paper concludes that e-commerce can play a significant role in promoting the green transition of farmers and agricultural production. As for implications, policymakers need to further promote e-commerce in agriculture while building a more solid food system, including green food certification and a full chain traceability system. However, farmers’ heterogeneities should be considered when any intervention is proposed.

Influences of Government Policies and Farmers’ Cognition on Farmers’ Participation Willingness and Behaviors in E-Commerce Interest Linkage Mechanisms during Farmer–Enterprise Games

E-commerce interest linkage mechanisms serve as an effective solution to the problems of farmer–market cooperation, agricultural supply-side reforms, and farmers’ income growth. This study, guided by the theory of planned behavior, undertook an evolutionary game analysis of farmer–enterprise cooperation with government interventions with farmers. Based on data from 554 questionnaires administered in Mei County, Shaanxi Province, China, this study found a difference between the realistic and optimal choices of farmers. In addition, this study used a structural equation model to investigate the influence of government policies and farmers’ cognition on the participation willingness and behaviors of farmers in e-commerce interest-linkage mechanisms. The results showed that the optimal choice for farmers in a farmer–enterprise cooperative game is participation in e-commerce, and government policies can be used to improve farmer–enterprise e-commerce interest-linkage mechanisms. Farmers’ basic characteristics and experiences impacted their cognition of e-commerce, which, in turn, had a significant positive effect on their e-commerce participation willingness and behaviors. Government policies had a positive effect on farmers’ experiences, cognition of e-commerce, and participation behaviors, but no direct positive impact on farmers’ willingness to participate. Government policies and farmers’ basic characteristics interacted and acted together on the participation willingness and behavior of farmers.

Does E-commerce participation increase the use intensity of organic fertilizers in fruit production?-Evidence from China.

Commerce has had positive impacts on the whole agri-food value chain at different stages, it was developed rapidly in rural China in the past few years. E-commerce participation can promote the use intensity of organic fertilizers (OF) and this could achieve many benefits for different stakeholders including ensuring food safety, positive environmental impacts and promoting the adoption of green production technologies. Therefore, this study has used primary data collected from 733 fruit farmers in rural China to explore the impact of e-commerce participation on fruit farmers’ use intensity of (OF). Unlike previous studies investigating the dichotomous decision of (OF) adoption, this study captures the use intensity of (OF) from both input quantity and cost aspects. We employed an endogenous switching regression (ESR) model to address selectivity bias caused by observed and unobserved factors. The results show that e-commerce participation significantly increases the use intensity of (OF) in input quantity and cost by 19.48% and 29.50%, respectively. Heterogeneous analysis further reveals that compared to fruit farmers with a low e-commerce participation level, fruit farmers with a high e-commerce participation level have higher (OF) use intensity. The findings also show that risk preference, human capital, cultivated area, cooperative membership and government restraint mechanisms positively and significantly affect the probability of fruit farmers’ participation in e-commerce and fruit farmers’ use intensity of (OF). The results emphasize that e-commerce promotion is an efficient way to encourage farmers to adopt (OF), which help improve product quality and promote sustainable agricultural development.

Privacy concerns in consumer E-commerce activities and response to social media advertising: Empirical evidence from Europe

This research quantifies how privacy concerns and consumer characteristics are associated with e-commerce participation and consumer response to social media advertising by accounting for both individual-level and country-level covariates. This study uniquely analyzes a rich micro-level data set that includes responses of 153,053 individuals from 29 European countries. Through multilevel logit modelling, authors account for the country nested structure of consumer behavior and report odds ratios for relations between privacy measures and e-commerce activities of consumers in Europe. Privacy risk knowledge and online information sharing levels are positively correlated with probability of e-commerce participation. Odds of e-commerce participation are negatively associated with level of concern on online activity recordings. Consumers who take more protective actions against online privacy risks are more likely to participate in e-commerce and make purchase in response to social media advertisements. Firms that offer credible tools to help consumers protect their online privacy can benefit from increased e-commerce participation and higher effectiveness in social media advertising. Representative sampling in data collection offers external validity and generalizability of findings to the European market, which is unique for this study and an empirical contribution.

Employees Perspective on Digital Banking

India's public and private sector banks are quickly adopting digital banking. To stimulate customer participation in e-commerce, they are offering classic products as well as innovating and developing new ones. It does, however, present both obstacles and opportunities. The study's main goal is to learn about bankers' perspectives on digital banking as well as employees' perceptions on digital banking-based services and their efficacy. The study is exploratory as well as analytical. A standardized questionnaire was created to gather data on issues such as digital banking implementation obstacles, training, skill enhancement, and customer satisfaction.

Adoption of Enabling E-Commerce Technologies for Indonean SMEs

E-commerce is classified as Business-to-Business (B2B), Business-to-Consumer (B2C) and Consumer-to- Consumer (C2C) based on the available relation between potential buyers and sectors. The three significant classifications have developed significantly in tandem with the advancement of technology. However, B2B seems to report significant growth than the remaining two classifications. In this paper, a review of e-commerce (B2B marketplace e-commerce) has been done with reference to Indonesian SMEs. This study found that Indonesian Small and Medium- sized Enterprises (SMEs) were not proficient in using B2B e-commerce to its full potential. The following recommendations to the government and nonprofits in Indonesia that might be helpful to small and medium enterprises have been detailed in this paper: (a) Trainings and educational programs associated with the implementation of e- commerce include the creation of company websites, participation in B2B e-commerce, and the employment of e-media in connecting with prospective buyers or overseas traders. Trainings and educational programs that b) teach participants how to connect successfully (through electronic media) with overseas business partners and prospective purchasers are also common.

SME participation in cross-border e-commerce as an entry mode to foreign markets: A driver of innovation or not?

SME participation in cross-border e-commerce as an entry mode to foreign markets: A driver of innovation or not?

An Empirical Study of Multidimensional Poverty and Influencing Factors in Western China

In the post-poverty alleviation period, the focus of China’s poverty alleviation work has also shifted from single-dimensional poverty to multi-dimensional poverty. This study uses panel data from the western region from 2014 to 2019, uses the entropy method to calculate the multi-dimensional poverty index, constructs an econometric model, and uses Stata software to conduct an empirical analysis of the multi-dimensional poverty influencing factors in the western region. The research results show that regional differences are one of the important factors affecting multi-dimensional poverty, and e-commerce participation has an important impact on the alleviation of multi-dimensional poverty. To this end, this article puts forward suggestions for increasing financial investment, cultivating core talents, paying attention to regional differences, and supporting poverty alleviation industries.

Rural E-commerce development and farmers' digital credit behavior: Evidence from China family panel studies.

This paper examines the impact of rural e-commerce development on rural households’ digital credit behavior at the micro-level by using a multivariate Probit model and propensity score matching method with rural residents in the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) database. Specifically, we examine the complementary or substitution relationship between digital credit and traditional bank credit and the impact of participation in e-commerce on the scale of digital credit of rural households. The empirical results show that there is a substitution relationship between digital credit and traditional bank credit. Participation in e-commerce has a positive impact on the scale of digital credit and the full scale of credit obtained by farmers, with an increase of $0.922 million and $37.49 million in the scale of digital credit and real credit received by farmers who participate in e-commerce, respectively, compared with those who do not participate in e-commerce. Further tests revealed that the difference in capital endowment was an essential reason for the disparity in the size of digital credit received among e-commerce farmers.

Impacts of Health and Safety Concerns on E-Commerce and Service Reconfiguration During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Insights from an Emerging Economy

The COVID-19 pandemic has brought unprecedented growth to the e-commerce industry, triggering widespread digital service transformation across various business segments in Vietnam. A pressing concern for both businesses and policymakers is whether the sudden peak in customer interest in e-commerce can be sustained in the future. This research seeks to address this concern by considering whether and how customers’ motivations to participate in e-commerce activities have changed. We collected primary data from a self-administered survey to empirically examine how health and safety concerns influence customers’ online shopping behavior during the pandemic, alongside other known determinants for e-commerce participation, namely technology readiness and connectedness. The results confirm that health and safety concerns have a positive influence on customers’ usage of e-commerce after controlling for technology readiness and connectedness. Furthermore, customers in age groups with higher risks of severe COVID-19 symptoms and mortality are more likely to increase e-commerce usage during the social distancing and isolation period. Our results support the idea that the customer base for e-commerce and digital services have expanded beyond the typical tech-savvy and young customers in their twenties. These are promising signs for postpandemic recovery and even expansion, as firms may leverage the momentum of change in customers’ motivations and start tailoring their public relation campaigns to address a wider age range of potential consumers.

Village Environment, Capital Endowment, and Farmers’ Participation in E-Commerce Sales Behavior: A Demand Observable Bivariate Probit Model Approach

With the recent developments in widespread internet usage and digital technology, an ultimate worldwide transformation in information and communications technology has occurred. Especially, how people engage in the virtual market for buying and selling goods has changed dramatically, which flourished the playground of electronic commerce (EC). Interestingly, it has become crucial to create an ample opportunity for farmers to utilize a more comprehensive market range for selling their products. However, farmers participating in e-commerce sales platforms may be interrupted by various internal and external factors. Therefore, the study’s primary goal is to evaluate the impacts of various external and internal factors on shaping farmers’ behavior in participating in e-commerce sales platforms. The study utilized a demand observable bivariate Probit model to analyze the village environment and capital endowment effects to craft the findings. The study utilized micro-survey data from 686 households in the leading kiwifruit-producing area as the empirical setup. The findings illustrated that the village environment is the main factor that restricts farmers’ e-commerce sales behavior, among which the infrastructure and policy environments have a significant contribution to farmers’ e-commerce sales intention and behavior. However, the effect of capital endowment on farmers’ e-commerce selling behavior has been found as significant. The village environment significantly affects both large- and small-scale farmers, and the capital endowment has a higher binding effect on small-scale farmers. Therefore, the paper suggests that improving the village environment for e-commerce development and laying the foundation for e-commerce development should be fostered. A differentiated incentive mechanism to improve the capital endowment of farmers should be constructed. A well-structured capital endowment triggering small farmers to capture the benefits of e-commerce sales should be imposed. The government should extend the support of the agricultural demonstration zone to facilitate practical training among the smallholder farmers. The formal and informal risk-sharing and financial institutions should prioritize building infrastructure to support farmers’ short- and long-term investments. Farmers should realize the importance of e-commerce for integrating the agricultural value chain.

Dynamics of Digital Transformation of Organizations in the Russian Federation

Analysis of the use of information and communication technologies in organizations makes it possible to determine the speed and intensity of the digital transformation of the economy. In previous studies, specialists evaluated the dynamics of ICT use in organizations using a small range of indicators in the short term. In this study, the analysis of the dynamics of the use of ICT in organizations was carried out for a wide range of indicators in the long term. Based on this approach, I have identified the patterns of digital transformation and the stage of digital maturity of the economy.Purpose of the study. The purpose of this study is to analyze trends in the digital transformation of the Russian economy. To achieve this goal, I calculated the indicators of the speed and intensity of the level of ICT use in the activities of organizations for certain types of technologies.Materials and methods. I analyzed the dynamics of indicators that characterize: the use of Internet access, business process automation systems, websites and EDI systems, and e-commerce. To analyze the dynamics, I used information from surveys of the Federal State Statistics Service. Indicators are presented in annual frequency for 2005-2019 for the Russian Federation.Results. I found that the peculiarity of the current stage of digital maturity of organizations lies in reaching the limits of the spread of the Internet. For 2010-2019 the average annual growth rate of the share of organizations using the Internet was 1.1%. One of the main directions of digital transformation is the automation of the organization’s business processes. However, the potential for automation has been unevenly realized in a number of areas. The share of organizations using CRM, ERP, SCM - systems increased 2.7 times in 2010-2019, to 20.5%. At the same time, the share of organizations using electronic document management increased by 13% over the same period, to 70% in 2019. At the current stage of digital maturity, organizations are showing a high level of participation in e-commerce. The increase in the share of organizations placing orders for goods and services was 23.7%, and the increase in the share of organizations that make settlements with suppliers of ordered goods and services - up to 93%. Also digital economic activity has expanded, the value of data has increased, and this has been reflected in the use of the Internet for the exchange of electronic products.Conclusion. The results of the analysis can be used in studies on modeling and forecasting trends in digital transformation. The findings of the study on trends in the use of ICT in organizations can be useful for a deeper and more comprehensive study of the nature of the dynamics and patterns of development of digital transformation.

Growth Global Market of E-Commerce Cross Border: The Case of Poland

Purpose: The aim of the article is to present the essence of cross-border e-commerce and its participation in global e-commerce by regions and countries. Particular attention was paid to Poland by identifying the directions of expansion of Polish e-commerce companies and directions for cross-border shopping for e-commerce. Design/Methodology/Approach: The research method was the analysis of literature, reports, and statistical data concerning cross-border e-commerce as well as proprietary surveys conducted among Polish respondents (internet companies, customers of online stores). Findings: Global sales on the internet have been growing dynamically for several years. The increase in value of the e-commerce market in the world is unquestionable, with the yearly average increase being around 20%. The highest annual growth dynamics in the world in 2019 was recorded by e-commerce in Asia and the Pacific, but in the terms of the annual global jump, Mexico was the record holder with 35% increase. Polish e-commerce is one of the most dynamically growing European markets. Practical Implications: Assuming that the dynamics of e-commerce growth in the world will continue, it is necessary to observe global trends, focusing especially on developing markets which are the most promising e-commerce markets for cross border e-commerce, as indicated in this research. Identification of the trends is desirable from the point of view of e-commerce market participants: both regions, countries, companies and individual customers. Originality/Value: The study covers an important aspect of international exchange on the e-commerce market, presenting trends, dynamics and determinants of cross border e-commerce in individual countries, as well as indicating the most promising e-commerce markets in the world for cross border e-commerce. It focuses on the aspects which create cross border e-commerce in Poland regarding buying abroad and selling.

ОБСЛУГОВУВАННЯ ЕКОНОМІК КРАЇН ЕЛЕКТРОННИМИ ПЛАТІЖНИМИ СИСТЕМАМИ

The environmental and health care challenges pose new requirements for the level of technological equipment responsible for uninterrupted financial flows. The research is based on the following indicators: gross domestic product; e-commerce revenue; the share of banks’ participation in e-commerce; the level of cash usage in developed and developing countries; online and offline payments in European countries. The following statistical sources were used: the IMF, Statista, McKinsey, Adobe Analytics, Blue Yonder, Oliver Wyman, BIS, etc. We detected that the European countries became one of the first to experience significant economic damage from Covid 19. Also, authors defined the key areas to overcome the crisis effects. They are the developed financial infrastructure, the flexibility of employers, and the modern technological equipment of companies. Ensuring the development of the financial infrastructure is possible only under the following conditions: existing payment instruments and innovations in this segment; adequate level of cybersecurity and prevention of free theft of personal data; opportunities for access to e-commerce, which would allow consumers to uninterruptedly receive the necessary goods for life, develop logistics and create a giant company; cloud technologies have become an effective solution for workers and employers because, without them, a significant part of workers would be out of work, and this would further reduce purchasing power and deepen the crisis. Modern financial technologies are in a period of their increasing consumer demand and the need for new advanced solutions to existing payment instruments. The next few years will be decisive in shaping a new dimension in the electronic payments system.

E-commerce adoption within SME's in Ghana, a tool for growth

Electronic commerce presents small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies the opportunity to compete on a global stage. With theoretical underpinning of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology-organisation-environment (TOE), this study investigated e-commerce adoption among SMEs in Ghana. Managers and owners of SMEs participated in both survey (n = 152) and interview (n = 38). Partial least squares regression analysis indicates that the introduction of point of sale (POS) machines for SMEs will improve offline cashless trading, which must necessarily precede online trading for an effective payment system to exist. An increased internet penetration rate would enable nationwide e-commerce participation rather than the current skewed practice with e-commerce dominance within southern Ghana. For the private investor, there exists a market for logistics services. The Ghana postal service must, however, take the lead to serve as a blueprint as well as a source of data for private investors.

E-commerce adoption within SME's in Ghana, a tool for growth

Electronic commerce presents small and medium enterprises (SMEs) in developing economies the opportunity to compete on a global stage. With theoretical underpinning of the technology acceptance model (TAM) and technology-organisation-environment (TOE), this study investigated e-commerce adoption among SMEs in Ghana. Managers and owners of SMEs participated in both survey (n = 152) and interview (n = 38). Partial least squares regression analysis indicates that the introduction of point of sale (POS) machines for SMEs will improve offline cashless trading, which must necessarily precede online trading for an effective payment system to exist. An increased internet penetration rate would enable nationwide e-commerce participation rather than the current skewed practice with e-commerce dominance within southern Ghana. For the private investor, there exists a market for logistics services. The Ghana postal service must, however, take the lead to serve as a blueprint as well as a source of data for private investors.

Validating Intrinsic Factors Informing E-Commerce: Categorical Data Analysis Demo

Statistics is a powerful tool for data measurement. Statistical techniques properly planned and executed give meaning to meaningless data. The difficulty some practitioners encounter hinges on the fact that though there are numerous statistical methods available for use in analysis, the extent of their understanding and ease of using these tools for analysis is limited. This study has twofold purpose: firstly, literature on categorical data commonly used in research was reviewed; next, we reported the results of a survey we designed and executed. Categorical data was collected via questionnaire and analyzed to serve as a backbone of the robustness of categorical data. Several conjectures about the independence of the socio-economic variables and e-commence were tested. Some of the factors influencing patronage of e-commerce were identified. It is clear from the literature that as one’s academic qualification improves, there is an associated improvement in their preference for e-commerce, but the results revealed otherwise. Size of family was found to influence e-commerce. Both income and social status positively affected patronage in e-commerce. Gender also appeared to affect patronage in e-commerce. 62.3% of staff had patronized e-commerce. This shows that e-commerce patronage was gradually increasing. It is therefore our considered view that policy documents regulating and monitoring the use of e-commerce be developed to increase e-commerce participation across the globe. It is also recommended that the bottlenecks which obstruct patronage in e-commence be addressed so that a lot more staff will develop a positive attitude towards e-commerce.

Turkish Consumer Participation in E-Commerce

This study investigates socio-economic factors affecting participation by Turkish individuals in electronic commerce. By exploiting a nationally representative household survey data from Turkey, non-linear probability models are employed to quantify the factors influencing participation decision of consumers in e-commerce. Empirical findings indicate that income level, education level, being employed, variety of internet use, technology skills and trust in internet have positive relationships with both use of e-commerce and amount of online expenditures. While relatively younger and older individuals are less likely to engage in e-commerce activities, middle-aged individuals are more likely to participate. Although females are more likely to participate in e-commerce, they tend to spend less in their e-commerce activities compared to males. Research findings imply that policies to encourage use of technology and online marketing strategies of businesses should employ different approaches which specially target sub-groups of society with respect socio-demographics.