Challenges and Opportunities for E-commerce Adoption by SMEs in Egypt: A Comparative Study

Egypt's small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are facing significant challenges in adopting e-commerce platforms due to technological barriers, regulatory uncertainty, and lack of digital literacy among business owners. The research employs a mixed-method approach, combining qualitative interviews with quantitative surveys to gather data from SMEs across Egypt's major cities. A sample size of 150 businesses was selected using stratified random sampling to ensure representation across different sectors and regions. Survey results indicate that over 70% of surveyed SMEs have encountered difficulties in setting up their e-commerce platforms, primarily due to slow internet speeds (43%) and insufficient digital skills among employees (39%). Despite these challenges, the study reveals a growing interest in e-commerce among Egyptian SMEs, driven by government incentives and increasing consumer demand for online purchases. To facilitate further adoption of e-commerce, policymakers should invest in improving internet connectivity and digital literacy training programmes. Additionally, a more supportive regulatory framework is needed to address current policy ambiguities. Egypt, SMEs, E-commerce Adoption, Challenges, Opportunities