E-Commerce Adoption: A Comparative Study of Sweden and Pakistan

A prominent influence of online buying and selling on economy has been observed round the globe. This book aims at studying pattern of e-commerce adoption on consumer level in developed and developing countries by conducting a comparative analysis of Sweden and Pakistan. The factors of trust on online sellers, national culture, infrastructure involved in the overall e-commerce activities and education level of consumers are found to have significant impact on the adoption of e-commerce.The proclivity to trust on the online seller and risk taking are influenced, to a greater extent, by different cultural orientation of consumers. Hofstede¿s (1980; 2001) frame work of cultural dimensions provide a good insight on national culture to draw its implications for the e-commerce adoption. Swedish culture appears to be more adaptive towards e-commerce than the Pakistani culture, due to its wider differences on the Hofstede¿s cultural dimension indices. On the other hand, the digital divide, both in terms of relevant education and infrastructure, is an important contextual factor that encumbers e-commerce to thrive in developing countries like Pakistan.