Social Commerce in Saudi Arabia: Opportunities and Challenges in a Digital Society

Salihah Alotaibi () and Mohammed Abdullatif H. Aljaafari
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Salihah Alotaibi: Information Systems Department, College of Computer and Information Sciences, Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University (IMSIU), Riyadh 11432, Saudi Arabia
Mohammed Abdullatif H. Aljaafari: Department of Management Information Systems, King Faisal University, Hofuf 31982, Saudi Arabia

Sustainability, 2024, vol. 16, issue 24, 1-22

Abstract: Internet and communication technologies have been growing at a rapid pace, enabling data sharing and many other applications. Online trading and e-commerce are important applications that provide ease of business as well as flexibility for buyers. In this paper, we provide an overview of social commerce (s-commerce) in the context of Saudi Arabia. This paper explains s-commerce, the background of Saudi Arabia, and its digital economy vision. This paper also highlights the importance of social media and networking, as well as novel web technologies for s-commerce. We also highlight the research gap in the analysis of s-commerce potential in the Saudi market. This paper conducts a detailed analysis of s-commerce in Saudi Arabia based on a sequential explanatory research design with a quantitative and qualitative phase. The quantitative phase involves a survey based on 504 responses. The qualitative phase involves interview questions of 25 participants. Based on this study, seven themes (each with two or more factors) to enhance s-commerce in Saudi Arabia were identified. Finally, future opportunities and challenges are also discussed in detail.

Keywords: ecommerce; online; digital; social networking (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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