International Journal of Computing Academic Research (IJCAR) Discussion 2022

Please develop a table of at least 25 articles Citation Research objectives Methodology Findings Conclusion/Future research Find answers to these questions 1- what are the important infrastructure needed in a company and a country to make e-commerce work 2- success factors for e-commerce adoption 3- e-commerce in airlines 4- code sharing 5- competiteve advantage 6- the personalization through e- commerce all those related chapter 2

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International Journal of Computing Academic Research (IJCAR)
ISSN 2305-9184, Volume 6, Number 2 (April 2017), pp.12-19
© MEACSE Publications
http://www.meacse.org/ijcar
E-commerce Implementation: A Critical Review
Eman Altameem and Riyad Almakki
Department of Information Systems, Al-Imam Muhammad Ibn Saud Islamic University, KSA
Abstract
Organizations around the world have become increasingly reliant on electronic commerce systems. Each of
the e-commerce systems are involved in various activities where they are gradually playing a major role .
However, the resistance and negligence of organizations to implement e-commerce effectively often impact
such leverage. The principles of this study are mainly to identify the key enablers that are common for a
successful implementation of e- commerce systems. From the literature, it was found that IT Infrastructure,
Enterprise Integration, Compatibility, Security, Convenient Website, IT Agility, Omni-Channel and
Innovation Adoption consider essential enablers. The findings of this study will be examined in a future
research.
Keywords: E-commerce, E-commerce Implementation, Saudi Arabia, Key Enablers.
1. Introduction
Today, information and communication technologies have become so rampant that the world‟s
economic prosperity depends on them. The widespread use of the internet has motivated entrepreneurs to
engage in online business thereby causing an e-commerce revolution. E-commerce has been supported by
various enablers including increased internet penetration around the world and the emergence of new
wireless network technologies such as 3G and LTE (communications technologies) that provide very fast
browsing speeds. According to Al-Otaibi and Bach [4], e-commerce has mostly benefited small and
medium companies because it eases marketing and advertising that would otherwise have cost them a
fortune.
Laudon and Traver [34] predict that the internet will continue being relevant even in the new
knowledge economy because it removes communication barriers that prevent seamless interaction among
companies for instance language, culture and geographical distance. With e-commerce, organizations can
easily communicate, share information, and do business rapidly and conveniently.
The term „„e-commerce” emerged only in latest years as businesses became aware of the potential role
of the internet as a powerful tool for conducting business. With e-commerce, local economies and
businesses can become global within a very short period of time. Even within the local context, the effect
of e-commerce is still felt as it enhances communication, information sharing and business transactions
among investors, managers, customers and other stakeholders [7].
Today, the discussion on utilizing e-commerce is one of the current and hot debates in the world of
trade and commerce. Due to indefinite advantages of e-commerce, interest of organizations to employ
this, is being increased, day-by-day. Private organizations in Saudi Arabia are taking the chance by
becoming part of these technology revolutions. Consequently, it's important to conduct a study that
highlight the importance of e-commerce and investigate the key success enablers for e-commerce
implementation.

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2. Literature Review
The positive effects of e-commerce on retailing have made it a topic of interest within informatics
circles. Most organizations have been able to gain immensely, shortly after implementing e-commerce in
their traditional offline businesses. According to Kanchanopast [30], such enterprises have taken
advantage of the ability of e-commerce to link enterprises with customers and business partners.
Kanchanopast [30] defines e-commerce as the use of the internet to trade goods/services, and
information in a secure manner. Additionally, Cegielski and Rainer [45] define e-commerce as the
integration of business processes so that business transactions pertaining to products/services and
information can be conducted electronically using computer networks.
E-commerce has increased organizational efficiency and performance and this has caused numerous
operational and strategic benefits for organizations [46]. In this light, small and medium enterprises as
well as large multinationals can build their brand name without incurring hefty costs hence increase
profits [4].
Consequently, e-commerce has become a subject of interest among academicians, governments,
business and those in the manufacturing and services industries.
2.1 E-commerce in Saudi Arabia
The potential of e-commerce has made it a powerful tool in emerging economies. However, emerging
economies are characterized by unstable business environment and cultures and this inconsistency makes
it difficult to design an e-commerce implementation scheme that could work for all countries.
Nonetheless, for the case of Saudi Arabia, CITC [17] estimated the number of internet users that
increased from 41% in 2010 to 70.4% in 2016. The Saudi Arabia population is embracing e-commerce
services despite e-commerce being a relatively new wave in the country. Regardless, the pace at which e-
commerce implementation is progressing is worrying. Although there is a perception that e-commerce is
being preferred by businesses in Saudi Arabia, a study by CITC [16] indicates that only a few firms,
majorly in the manufacturing sector, have implemented e-commerce. Saudi Arabia‟s growth rate in the IT
sector portray the country as the best place in the Middle East region to invest in e-commerce activities
[43].
Saudi Arabia is also best suited for e-commerce investments because it stands out in different sectors
in the Gulf region [5]. The government of Saudi Arabia has also demonstrated its support for the
implementation of comprehensive e-commerce systems as evidenced by the establishment of an official
firm for holding online transactions as well as laws regarding e-commerce.
2.2 Key enablers of E-Commerce Implementation
This study aims at identifying the enablers of e-commerce hence act as a guideline for organizations
that wish to implement e-commerce systems. These enablers should reveal what‟s more important if one
desires to design and implement an effective e-commerce system.
2.2.1 Enterprise Integration
In the modern times, technology has become a key deciding enabler in making decisions regarding
internal and external business situations. Processes are highly interconnected and environmental enablers
are highly dependent on this interconnectivity of processes [1]. Enterprise integration involves the use of
technology to bring together software, hardware, information and other resources to establish
organizational processes that are impactful and resource driven [1].
As an academic discipline, enterprise integration involves itself with the study of cooperation and
communication within organizations. Indeed, it is a technical field of Enterprise Architecture centered on

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topics such as distributed computer networks, exchange of product data, interchange of electronic data
and system interconnection [20].
As Sealey [51] states, e-commerce is impossible without the integration of processes undertaken by
the customer, the business and the relevant partners. There ought to be a platform for the integration of
the virtual roles of each stakeholder in the business transaction. Apart from creating customer loyalty,
enterprise integration allows e-commerce platforms to manage huge volumes of data from different
applications and systems. Manual handling of such data could be very challenging if not impossible. In
support of enterprise integration, Gallegos [23] confirms that e-commerce companies that allow different
applications to manage different parts of the product ordering and fulfillment process, and then integrate
those applications, end up realizing better profit margins especially due to reduced delivery time.
Nonetheless, given the rate at which the business environment is changing, business challenges will
evolve and this will demand more advanced approaches to enterprise integration.
2.2.2 IT Infrastructure
Since time immemorial, IT infrastructure has been recognized as a key source of competitive
advantage hence an essential determinant of success rate for organizations. IT infrastructure is necessary
for supporting business operations. Some of the elements that fall under IT infrastructure include IT
facilities, equipment, applications and processes that support the business‟s functional areas. Broadbent et
al. [12] defined IT infrastructure as, “the base foundation of the IT portfolio, which is shared throughout
the firm in the form of reliable services, and is usually coordinated by the IS group”.
However, in the context of e-commerce, IT infrastructure is not just about having the right
technological machinery. Alsmadi et al. [6] have set light on the importance of infrastructure in e-
commerce and have presented the general infrastructural requirements for successful e-commerce
transactions.
Robertson and Sribar [47] state that the technologies that fail to support business operations optimally
could cause losses for the business. On the other hand, an investment in IT infrastructure that aligns
perfectly with the business operations contributes significantly to improvement in the quality of business
processes [32]. In light of the discussion above, it is clear that IT infrastructure can be a major source of
competitive advantage.
For that, the focus on infrastructure is obviously important to to avoid the wastage of time, money and
effort that would otherwise be incurred during frequent re-establishment of the IT infrastructure due to
changes in market dynamics or emergence of new developments [55], [50].
2.2.3 Security
Security is an area which is growing in significance, as more business applications are being
automated and more sensitive information is being stored. Whitman and Mattord [61] define security as a
state of being safe from danger or entities that could intentionally do harm. A system is termed secure
provided it guards the information within it from unauthorized access or modification [14].
According to Johnson and Goetz [27], security is a key issue not only in the design of new
products/services but also in the continued relevance of the existing products. Many scholars agree on the
rising importance of information system security [35], [22].
However, security constraints have not prevented people from engaging in online shopping.
According to a report by Hosting Facts [26], over 40% of smartphones users engaged themselves with
online shopping in 2016. It is worth noting that although security has not yet forced smartphone users to
avoid online shopping, the situation could change in the future if appropriate measures are not taken. For
an e-commerce venture to succeed, all transactions must be secure [30], [39]. Guaranteeing security and
privacy of an e-commerce platform user is positive related to the growth of that particular platform [37],
[30], [9], [11].

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Moreover, some studies [37], [30], [9], [8], [40], [56], [28] indicated that issue of security is a frequent
criteria for the technical dimension of e-commerce implementation.
2.2.4 Compatibility
For an IT project to be taken up for implementation, it has to be consistent with the needs, goals and
cultural values of the organization [38], [3], [2]. Ascertaining compatibility is vital as it ensures safety
among potential adopters.
A highly compatible IT innovation is highly meaningful to an organization. When existing systems are
compatible with internet-based transactions, organizations require lower effort to streamline a new
innovation and this makes it more ready to utilize e-business [54].
In general, compatibility is considered a criterion for assessing the completeness of e-commerce
initiatives and its important enabler for e-commerce implementation success [38], [18], [3], [36].
2.2.5 Convenient Website
A website for e-commerce should not only contain important information about products but should
also be attractive and compelling to the target consumers. This is especially crucial if the website has a
large product portfolio. Heightened competition forces online retailers to offer their customers more
products/services for the purpose of convenience [49].
Convenience refers to “the usability of the website for the purpose for which it was designed” [21].
Convenience is also the undertakings of e-commerce websites to minimize consumer‟s shopping time
and effort. To enhance convenience, a design must consider the following elements: availability
convenience, benefit convenience, transaction convenience, decision convenience and post being
convenience [49]. Given the nature of shopping within online platforms, an e-commerce website should
offer more product information than what individuals in physical stores can provide [31].
According to Chen and Dhillon [15], the trustworthiness of e-commerce venture is closely associated
with the website usability, functionality, structure and appearance. Aspects such as increased choices,
easier comparisons, speedy searches, and lower prices act as incentives for online shoppers [49]. This is
confirmed by a study by Turban and Gehrke [57], whereby it was found that website aspects such as
security, navigation efficiency, customer focus, business content and loading speed are key determinant
of the success rate of an e-commerce venture.
According to Salehi et al.,[49]. “Website information convenience is an important enabler to attract
customer and it plays a key role in e-commerce success". Thus, convenience is an indispensable element
to consider during e-commerce design and as a key enabler of e-commerce, it can be a source of
competitive advantage.
2.2.6 Innovation Adoption
According to Odhiambo [42], the realization of operational efficiency and better customer service
whether in an existing or a new business is a long journey characterized by continuous innovation.
Vuarin and Rodriguez [49] contrast innovation and invention and argue that innovation is "doing
something which did not exist before in a particular territory or technical area'". As per Rogers [48], some
important attributes of innovations include trialability and observability, security/confidentiality,
complexity, compatibility and relative advantage.
According to Odhiambo [42], the adoption of e-commerce is majorly influenced by customer pressure
perception of innovation. According to Duan et al. [19], trading partners‟ pressure on an enterprise to
innovate is positively associated with the likelihood of the enterprise to adopt new technological
innovations.

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2.2.7 IT Agility
The need for a variety of products according to the demands of customers leads to rapid changes in
market trends. Enabling agility will sufficiently help industries to respond quickly to market changes and
needs of the customers and still control quality and costs [53].
According to Gong and Janssen [24], in 1991, agility concept was initially used in the description of
practices that were observed and considered to be important. Sengupta and Masini [52] refer to IT agility
as replacement or reconfiguration of IT systems when reality changes take place in the marketplace.
Belanger and Anderson [10] list four characteristics of e- commerce agility. They include: market entry,
features and functionality, dynamic content and integration of latest technology.
IT agility is significant and essential because it enables facilities to leverage on new technologies and
respond to the changes in the market. In addition, in order for e-commerce systems to optimize their
success, they must apply IT agility [33], [41], [58].
2.2.8 Omni-channel
Most organizations which implemented e-commerce allowed opportunities to pass because they
focused on a single or two channels thereby neglecting all the other channels that might result to less
sales, poor customer experience and loss of the value for the brand. This results to huge losses and
fallback from competition .These issues can be solved by implementation of omni-channel [44].
Omni-channel refers to aiming at a unique and seamless experience despite the consumer‟s purchase
phase or the channel used by the consumer [44], [13].Gupta et al. [25] states that is essential for academic
researchers and practitioners to recognize elements which force consumers to choose over different
channels In addition, Wallace et al. [60] pointed out that past research affirms the ability of omni-channel
to enhance portfolio service performances via channels which are offered to consumers.
3. Research methodology
In this research, the design will be descriptive. The case study based on the qualitative method will be
chosen because the data gathered thusly answered the questions of how, why, and which element were in
place and related to the success of e-commerce. The researchers will undertake some case studies as a
vehicle for empirical research which will be used to develop a theory concerning the success of e-
commerce. The case studies will be based on five companies from different sectors in Saudi Arabia. The
aim is to develop an understanding of how the literature could be interpreted in a real world environment.
4. Conclusion
This paper has presented a review of the existing literature about e-commerce. E-commerce and its
importance in the context of Saudi Arabia and elsewhere, has also been discussed. Various e-commerce
implementation enablers have been identified including enterprise integration, IT infrastructure, security,
compatibility, website convenience innovation adoption, IT agility and Omni-channel among others. The
findings of this study will be examined in a future research.
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