Innovation and e-commerce in clusters of small firms: The case of a regional e-marketplace

This paper goes into the black box of a Regional Electronic Marketplace (REM) and studies it from a multiplicity of points of view. It identifies the critical success factors for the establishment of an REM and its evaluation, analyses the determinants of firms’ satisfaction and economic performance inside the REM and proposes policy suggestions. The analysis is based on micro-level data collected via a questionnaire submitted to firms, on interviews with relevant agents and accountancy data. Results show that REMs deserve support as an instrument of territorial development in the establishment and in the adoption phase. Policy makers should promote policies aimed at financing the acquisition of know-how and technical infrastructure but also work as ‘territorial animateurs’, identifying possible pilot enterprises characterised by high export orientation, commercial vision and linkages inside and outside the cluster, and then encouraging its adoption amongst less innovative firms.