Electronic Commerce Adoption in the Hardwood Industry

The U.S. hardwood industry must follow the lead of corporate America in adopting e-commerce to remain competitive domestically and globally. A mail survey was conducted to investigate e-commerce adoption and trends among West Virginia primary and secondary hardwood industries. About 47% of the respondents have adopted e-commerce in their business. Factors influencing e-commerce adoption include firm output, export activity, and industry type. The top three reasons for adopting e-commerce include greater exposure to potential customers, improvement of service to customers, and improvement of company's competitiveness. The three major concerns for not adopting e-commerce include profitability, information security, and cost.