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Adoption and effective use of e‐commerce remains low among small to medium‐sized enterprises (SMEs) despite substantial investments. This paper aims to analyse the e‐commerce adoption paths of SMEs to identify a specific group that would benefit the most from e‐commerce initiatives.

This qualitative study builds on a government‐funded research project that aimed to improve SMEs' understanding of on‐line trading. Data were drawn from case studies of smaller businesses, stakeholders and a series of seminars. A literature review supported the empirical data.

The paper finds that SMEs have significantly different attitudes to online business and cannot be regarded as a homogenous group for e‐commerce initiatives. Rather, specific targeting would enhance participation and lead to more effective use. Using categories derived from the literature, a …