E‐commerce adoption among Moroccan agricultural cooperatives: Between structural challenges and immense business performance potential

Abstract This paper explores the barriers that Moroccan agricultural cooperatives face in adopting E‐commerce and the perceived impact this approach would hae on their business performance. We surveyed 120 Moroccan agricultural cooperatives and interviewed 13 cooperative presidents to collect both quantitative and qualitative data. We use descriptive and inferential statistics including independent t ‐tests, One‐way ANOVA and post‐hoc analysis for quantitative data while we use thematic analysis for qualitative analysis. We document that the most important barrier to the adoption of E‐commerce in Moroccan agricultural cooperatives is the lack of information related to the low digital literacy of the cooperatives in question. Further, cooperatives believe that E‐commerce will have the highest impact on their brand image and competitiveness but will have the lowest impact on operating speed. Our results show that the higher the level of digitalization the higher the perceived impact of E‐commerce on business performance of Moroccan cooperatives. Our study provides a basis for understanding the challenges faced by Moroccan agricultural cooperatives in adopting E‐commerce. Our results can be used to craft policies and programs that ease the integration of this segment into the digital ecosystem of Morocco.