Cultural factors that influence the adoption of e-commerce: A Palestinian case study

• Published in: Information development Vol. 38; no. 4; pp. 623 - 640
• Main Authors: Rabayah, Khaled S., Maree, Mohammed, Alhashmi, Saadat M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: London, England SAGE Publications 01.11.2022; Sage Publications Ltd
• Subjects: Electronic commerce; Structural equation modeling; Technology Acceptance Model; trust; TAM; cultural factors; structural equation modelling; e-commerce adoption; Palestine
• ISSN: 0266-6669; 1741-6469
• DOI: 10.1177/02666669211006887

The objective of this study is to explore the impact of various cultural dimensions on the acceptance of E-commerce in the Palestinian context. The developed theoretical framework is a modified version of the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), wherein the trust, perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use act as mediators for the intention to use E-commerce. As such, five cultural dimensions were employed in the proposed model. These are; uncertainty avoidance, power distance, masculinity, collectivism, and long-term orientation. Data was collected from a non-probabilistic sample of 418 participants using a pre-tested and validated questionnaire. Findings demonstrate that the hypothesized model was able to explain 62% of the variability of the intention towards the use of E-commerce. In particular, they signify a strong correlation between acceptance of E-commerce and the domestic culture of consumers, where uncertainty avoidance and power distance are the most vital cultural dimensions influencing the decision to transact online.