The Effects of ICT and E-business on EUTrade: a Retail Industry Perspective

The retail industry, an important contributor to the European economy, isbeing affected by changes induced by information and communication technologies(ICT) and e-business. As a result, retailers have come to embrace ICT and e-businessto various degrees. This paper aims to illustrate the effects of ICT and e-business onretail firms through adopting a supply chain perspective. The objective is threefold:to explore ICT/e-business effects on e-supply, in-house e-operations and e-sales; toillustrate challenges for e-business adoption; and to identify opportunities forinnovation induced by ICT/e-business. In total, 1151 computer-aided telephoneinterviews (CATI) were conducted with micro, small, medium-sized and large retailenterprises in seven EU countries and the USA. The findings demonstrate that onlineprocurement practice, in-house e-operations and online sales can offer considerablebenefits to retailers. Yet, there are also challenges to overcome including the level ofreadiness for e-business within the retailer’s ecosystem. The paper concludes withpolicy recommendations and areas for further research.