M-commerce in Saudi Arabia Perspectives of Consumers and Vendors Following Vision 2030

Abstract

Despite the wide adoption of Mobile Commerce services in developing countries, their adoption in Saudi Arabia is still limited. In addition, Saudi Arabia is undergoing massive cultural and economic changes after launching Vision 2030. Vision 2030 is an ambitious plan that aims to make transformations of the economic pillars, cultural practices, and technological infrastructure in Saudi Arabia. Momentum around Vision 2030, given that it was launched 6 years ago in 2016, motivates the need to study potential economic impacts of adopting mobile commerce in the Saudi Arabia.

This thesis aims to investigate the intention to adopt mobile commerce (m-commerce) in Saudi Arabia from the perspectives of both consumers and vendors. The study seeks to develop and evaluate a framework of factors that have the potential to influence the adoption of mobile commerce specifically in Saudi Arabia. To achieve this, the study employs a mixed-method methodology that combines the use of a questionnaire to collect data from consumers and interviews to gather views from vendors. The questionnaire data collected from consumers will undergo statistical analysis to identify factors that shape the customers' intention to use m-commerce in Saudi Arabia, while the interview data collected from vendors will undergo thematic analysis to extract qualitative insights. By combining both quantitative and qualitative data analysis techniques, the study aims to develop a comprehensive understanding of the factors that influence the adoption of mobile commerce in Saudi Arabia and the requirements needed to enhance its adoption.

The findings reveal that mobile commerce is still immature in Saudi but, at the same time, there is a tendency toward wider usage of it. The thesis's findings are expected to provide valuable insights into the factors that affect the adoption of mobile commerce in Saudi Arabia, which can be used by vendors to enhance their mobile commerce adoption strategies. Additionally, they can also provide policymakers with useful information to formulate policies that encourage the adoption of m-commerce in Saudi Arabia. Overall, this thesis has the potential to contribute significantly to the literature on m-commerce adoption and its implications for Saudi Arabia's economy.