E-commerce adoption and supply chain performance in Saudi retail industry: A conceptual model

E-commerce has changed the way of business by using internet to create and transform business relationships. Having an e-commerce site is not any more a way to differentiate a business. The question of how e-commerce is integrated in the complete business cycle and its effect on overall business performance is still unexplored area. Specifically, there is a lack of research in e-commerce in the Gulf region. Thus, this paper is focused on researching the relationship between e-commerce adoption and supply chain performance in the context of Saudi Retail Industry. Based on available literature, the conceptual model is developed for understanding relationships between e-commerce and supply chain performance. Five levels of e-commerce adoption are identified (connected, informational, interactive, transactional, and integrated e-commerce) and supply chain performance variables are identified for the following categories: delivery, process, resources, customer services (responsiveness).