FIGURE 3  Main Barriers to Doing Business Online in the Manufacturing Industry 

4

All industries

SME

Large

3.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

Need for 

Concerns

Customers do  Finding staff 

Prevalence of 

Costs of 

Organizational Our own level 

customer face 

about data 

not support 

with e 

credit card use implementing

 changes 

of ability to 

to face

security

this technology

commerce

e commerce

needed

use the internet 

interaction

expertise

for business

Source. CRITO Global E Commerce Survey, 2002; weighted sample. 

Slightly different obstacles can be observed in the retail/wholesale industry, where the largest 

differences between SMEs and large firms are concentrated on the lack of available support of e 

commerce technology on the customer side, the lack of e commerce skills and the low 

prevalence of credit cards (Figure 4). SMEs regard these factors as more significant than the 

global sample, while large retailers seem to be less impacted by these obstacles.  

FIGURE 4  Main Barriers of Doing Business Online in the Retail/Wholesale Industry

4

All industries

SME

Large

3.5

3

2.5

2

1.5

Need for 

Concerns

Customers do  Finding staff 

Prevalence of 

Costs of 

Organizational Our own level 

customer face 

about data 

not support 

with e 

credit card use implementing 

 changes 

of ability to 

to face 

security

this technology

commerce

e commerce

needed

use the 

interaction

expertise

internet for 

business

Source. CRITO Global E Commerce Survey, 2003; sample weighted by the total number of establishments.

22