Why E-Commerce Remains Unsuccessful in Pakistan?

Abstract

This research was undertaken to uncover issues that affect success of E-Commerce in Pakistan. More focus was on socio-cultural aspect of the issues and influences but alongside technological and political issues were also discussed. This issue was addressed by selecting six traditional E-Commerce Models which were discussed in interviews conducted with ten people who have been involved in the implementation of E-Commerce in Pakistan. The interviews were open-ended, starting with a general discussion on the E-Commerce environment of Pakistan and then six models were discussed one by one. The respondents gave their perspective on the pros and cons of each model and also the reasons why E-Commerce has not gained as much popularity as it has in the rest of the world. The research was exploratory in nature with the aim of collecting information of the perspectives of the seller side of market. Due to time limitation, respondents were from Karachi only and were selected though convenience. It is recommended that the research should be replicated for other major cities of Pakistan to gain a better understanding of the issues.