Critical success factors affecting e-commerce activities of small and medium enterprises in Turkey

Abstract

Electronic commerce, one of the most popular business phenomena in these years, is creating new opportunities and threats against business. It is redefining customer supplier relationships, business processes, even sometimes restructuring the whole industry. In Turkey, small and medium enterprises (SME) have a big impact on the economy. For this reason, their survival and success is crucial for the economy. E-commerce can be a way for SMEs to be a step ahead of domestic and international competitors. The aim of this study is to explore the critical success factors that are affecting e-commerce activities of SMEs in Turkey. In this study, literature has been reviewed in order to develop a research model. By using previous researches a research model has been developed and a questionnaire has been composed in order to collect input for the research. A questionnaire has been applied to participants from a wide variety of industries. Construct validity and reliability of questionnaire items have been tested by using factor analysis and Cronbach’s alpha. Regression analysis has been applied in order to explore the factor affecting e-commerce activities of SMEs. In addition to regression analysis, the success measures of e-commerce are compared between users and non-users of some e-commerce applications.