Cultural Dimensions as Determinants of Trust on E-Commerce by SMMEs in Limpopo Province of South Africa

Description

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.18310154

Solomon Madzvamuse (Department of Business Information Systems, Faculty of Management, Commerce & Law, University of Venda, South Africa)

Since the COVID-19 lockdown, businesses have realised the effectiveness of e-commerce in their value chains. However, the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in developing countries has remained lagging. This study has reviewed the literature to establish factors influencing e-commerce adoption. Underpinned by the positivist paradigm, the study adopted a quantitative approach. The cultural factor was identified as a key factor influencing e-commerce adoption in developing countries. A survey was carried out to establish the influence of culture on the adoption of e-commerce by SMEs in Limpopo province. A questionnaire was used to collect data from randomly sampled 400 SMMEs from three districts in the Limpopo province of South Africa. The software SPSS was used to analyse data. Regression analysis was applied to test the influence of culture on trust in e-commerce. Demographic factors such as age, level of education, gender, and knowledge of computers were used as control variables. The study findings proved that cultural dimensions influence trust in e-commerce. The demographics proved to have no significant influence on trust in e-commerce. This study contributes to the theory of technology adoption. The study also contributes to formulating government policy that promotes e-commerce as an agent for sustainable development.