Challenges of Small and Medium-Sized Enterprises in Technology and E-Commerce Adoption: An Analysis and Ranking Using the Fuzzy DEMATEL Method

Abstract

Objective: The present study aimed to identify, analyze, and rank the challenges faced by small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in the adoption of technology and e-commerce.

Methodology: This applied study employed a descriptive-survey design. The statistical population consisted of e-commerce technology experts, managers of e-commerce businesses, and university faculty members specializing in e-commerce. A total of 13 experts were selected through snowball sampling. Initially, a comprehensive review of the theoretical foundations and domestic and international literature led to the identification of 29 challenges, which were classified into organizational, individual, and environmental dimensions. These challenges were then incorporated into a DEMATEL questionnaire and distributed among the experts to determine the intensity of causal relationships among the factors. Data were analyzed using the fuzzy DEMATEL technique and MATLAB software.

Findings: The results of the fuzzy DEMATEL analysis indicated that within the organizational dimension, telecommunications infrastructure was the most influential factor, while infrastructure security and communication protocols were the most affected factors. Employee training exhibited the highest level of interaction with other organizational variables. In the individual dimension, low public internet literacy and limited familiarity with internet capabilities emerged as both the most influential and the most interconnected factors, whereas the shortage of experienced specialists familiar with information technology legal issues was identified as the most affected factor. In the environmental dimension, the government’s vision toward digital-era advancement was found to be the most influential and interconnected factor, while insufficient government budget allocation for information technology was the most affected factor. Overall, infrastructural, educational, governmental support, and policy-related challenges were identified as the key determinants influencing e-commerce adoption among SMEs.

Conclusion: Technology and e-commerce adoption in SMEs is influenced by the interaction of organizational, individual, and environmental factors. Strengthening communication infrastructures, improving digital literacy, developing specialized human resources, enhancing governmental financial and legal support, and establishing clear digital economy policies can facilitate e-commerce adoption and improve the competitiveness and sustainability of SMEs.