National culture and global diffusion of business-to- consumer e-commerce

Purpose – The purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of national culture on the diffusion process of business-to-consumer (B2C) e-commerce using Hall’s cultural classifications and Hofstede’s multicultural framework. Design/methodology/approach – Time-series secondary data across 58 countries were utilized and independent samples t-test and nonparametric correlation analyses were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Findings – Results of the study suggest that high-context and polychronic cultures are more conducive to the adoption and diffusion of internet retailing. An unexpected finding is evidence of the significant positive impact of uncertainty avoidance on B2C e-commerce adoption. Practical implications – Based on the empirical findings of the study, managerial implications are derived. These insights may help global internet marketers predict B2C e-commerce adoption and diffusion across countries and formulate more effective online marketing and communication strategies by accommodating for cultural influences during the diffusion process. Limitations and directions for future research are also discussed. Originality/value – This study is among the few large-scale empirical studies attempting to establish the importance of understanding cultural influences on consumers’ online purchasing behavior across countries.