Abstract
•This study examines the factors that affect the intention of Small and Medium Size Enterprises (SMEs) to use social commerce as a business tool.•The researchers used the Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) as the theoretical framework.•The study tested the model and related hypotheses, using structural equation modelling.•The data was collected from 181 SMEs in Saudi Arabia.•The results indicate that the environmental context, had the most significant influence on behavioural intention to use social commerce by SMEs.
Social commerce is becoming an important hub for product sourcing, which helps companies to connect with customers and to gain competitive advantages. However, very little empirical research that focuses on small-and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) has been conducted to date. This study examines factors that affect social commerce adoption by SMEs. Using the Technology-Organisation-Environment (TOE) as the theoretical framework, the researchers tested the model and related hypotheses, employing structural equation modelling. The results from a survey of 181 SMEs in Saudi Arabia indicate that trading partner pressure in the environmental context, followed by top management support in the organisational context, and perceived usefulness in the technological context, have the most significant influence on behavioural intention to use social commerce. The research contributions and conclusion as well as limitations and future research directions are presented.