Assignment on

The consequence of COVID-19 spread in the e-commerce

industry in Iraq: Before new normal and previously known normal

Course: Global Marketing

Prepared by:
Shadman Shahriar:1925389060
Submitted to:
Dr. Abureza M. Muzareba
North South University, Bangladesh
Date: 04 May 2021
Table of Contents
Introduction.......................................................................................................................2
Literature Review...............................................................................................................3
E-commerce Market Model................................................................................................4
 Business to consumer:...............................................................................................................4
........................................................................................................................................4
........................................................................................................................................4
 Business to government:...........................................................................................................4
........................................................................................................................................4
Implementation of e-commerce:...............................................................................................4
...................................................................................................................................................5
...................................................................................................................................................5
...................................................................................................................................................5
...................................................................................................................................................5
...................................................................................................................................................5
...................................................................................................................................................5
E-Commerce in developing countries..................................................................................5
Popular E-commerce site in Iraq:........................................................................................6
Iraq facts and statistics:.....................................................................................................6
E-commerce Industry before COVID and after COVID:........................................................7
Impediment of E-commerce in Iraq:...................................................................................7
Issue pertaining to Iraq:.....................................................................................................8
Technical Issue:..................................................................................................................8
The Telephone Network:..............................................................................................................8
The internet Access:.....................................................................................................................8
The Connection Cost:....................................................................................................................9
Broadband Connection:..............................................................................................................10
Language:...................................................................................................................................10
Economic Situation:....................................................................................................................11
Educational System:...................................................................................................................11
Payment System:........................................................................................................................12
Transaction Network:.................................................................................................................12
Resistance to change:.................................................................................................................12
 Generation Gap:.........................................................................................................................13
Privacy:.......................................................................................................................................13
Trust:..........................................................................................................................................13
Conclusion and recommendation.....................................................................................13
 The consequence of COVID-19 spread in the e-commerce industry in
Iraq:
Before new normal and previously known normal

Introduction
Businesses has seen great advancements with the rise of e-and-and-click ordering in
recent years due to customers' exposure to global delivery and the ability to buy on-and-
or-return goods online shopping from remote locations (Bucko, Lukash, 2018;
Mohammad et al, 2018) This has massively increased the consumption of COVID-19 in
the brick-and-and-mortar market, leading companies to go after their most dedicated
customers in the digital realm. this significant challenge is without precedent, and as a
result necessitated novel approaches to the problem (Carnevale and Hatak 2020). strict
limits on media use and sociable laws and use habits have had an incalculcable effect on
global consumer behaviour (Sheth 2020a). As a result, several different kinds of
companies have found new distribution methods, as well as an opportunity to repurchase
lost ones, in the last decade. Consumerism is having a transformative effect on online
shopping habits as they adopt emerging technology, which causes everyday activities to
have less room in the general realm of cyberspace (Bucko, Lukáš, and Martina 2018).
Businesses in Iraq have found it difficult to invest in e-commerce because it has failed to
create big, but robust, internet-based companies that would enable the business
environment to change successfully. Additionally, customers in Iraq have been unable to
take on significant investment. Lack of consumer trust is not the only reason, but many
other factors (Ali 2016). These factors have hindered the rapid growth of e-commerce in
Iraq, such as payments issues, shaky government regulations, insufficient technology,
and a limited understanding of e-communication ability, among other things, due to its
already established financial and social importance in the country (Al-Ajaji and Jawad
2016). Unfortunately, there are other barriers besides that, but if they are overcome, e-
commerce will increase in Iraq. Jaffar and Karzan examined the barriers to e-commerce
development in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, identifying issues such as a shortage of
infrastructure, language support, instability of the political system, and diversity of
religious views. Consequently, people in Iraq make small, cash-only transactions, so
credit cards are not widely used. As Ahmed (2020) said, banks and other financial
institutions have been unable to provide credit cards' Whether or not they have a history
of credit card use in the Kurdistan region, the general population has shown a strong
preference for using plastic. However, they've not developed enough to satisfy the
requirements of online shopping to their attitude to online payment systems.

Literature Review
In this part, I've researched the corona virus and e-commerce in many previous
literatures in this paper.
Every day, companies face worldwide confusion and challenges (Eisenhardt Melissa and
Scott 2016; Ferraro et al. 2015). 2015) 2015) These vulnerabilities and risks thus have an
adverse impact on economies (Jarus 2020). COVID-19 results were unusual and
challenged the normal situations (Martin & Paul, Carlsson-Szlezak, 2020). 2020) 2020
Stanciu and Str (2015) have found that there have been many epidemics in human history
(for example, Spanish flu, severe respiratory conditions, viruses for human
immunodeficiency, and Ebola). In all instances, the virus spreads to adverse groups and
economies.
In Malaysian e-commerce platforms (Hasanat, etc.,2020) tried to find a result of the
pandemic. As many goods are imported from China, the result shows that the supplies
are shortage, and where the pandemic hit the maximum industries which devastated the
entire economy.
(Nakhate and Jain,2020) to detect the effect on the eCommerce industry of coronavirus.
Given the fact that China produces the majority of the kits, China's reliability is
remarkable, with a pandemic that interrupts all shipping processes that have affected
growth and the state of e-commerce in the region. The study includes the negative impact
of the coronavirus on the Indian online market. During analysis, COVID-19 has found
that it has severely impeded online companies.
(Pandey and Parmar,2019) is intended to investigate the variables that affect the
purchaser's approach to online business. Research findings show that the web-based
shopping habits of purchasers are affected by tons of elements such as category,
physiographic, situational component, web-based shopping experience, internet and PC
skills, payment choices and after sales service.

Few elements are related to consumption (e.g. place, time). Habits play an important role
in what, when and where people eat with regard to consumer behaviors (Sheth 2020b).
During the pandemic, consumption habits have changed and sales forces have changed
(Hartmann and Lussier 2020). The COVID-19 has brought significant changes
worldwide, especially in the field of digital business transformations (Kim 2020).
Shockingly, the virus is an individual hazard and has spread to staff in whole companies
that have already been affected by customer habits changes (Elrhim and Elsayed 2020).
These uncertainties prevent suppliers from carrying out tough and rapid preventive
measures which affect Chinese producers (Hasanat et al. 2020).

(Ali, 2020) aimed at finding out about Iraq's customer behaviour. In his research, he
found that the online shopping rate for Iraqi consumers has increased along with the
infection rate of COVID-19. Therefore, in reaction to the pandemic, consumer
behaviour.

In a nutshell, neither study examined the effect of COVID 19 on new normal, previously
established normal consumer behaviors apart from useful information gained from these
studies. In addition, hardly any studies on Iraqi consumers are available. Online
shopping behavior during new normal and previously established normal.

E-commerce Market Model

Iraq has five significant types of e-commerce market models. Such as business to
business, business to consumer, business to government, consumer to consumer, and
mobile commerce.
 Business to consumer: It is commerce between companies and consumers which
involves customer gather information regarding product or service and then purchasing
the physical goods like lifestyle product and services like downloadable digitized
material such as software, music or electronics book.
 Business to Business: This platform only involves business to business transactions. At
present, the B2B platform is growing way faster than the B2C platform.
 Consumer to consumer: This type of e-commerce occurs between consumers
 Business to government: This type of platform involves business between organizations
and the public sector. The use of the internet for public procurement and other
government-related operations.
 Mobile commerce: Mobile commerce is also known as m-commerce, is the use of
wireless handheld device like mobile phone and tablet to perform commercial transaction
online
Implementation of e-commerce: For online business to be a decent option compare to
conventional business transaction and for a business to augment the advantages of web-
based business, various issues must be thought of. An average online business exchange
circle includes the accompanying six significant players and their corresponding
requisites:
 The Seller ought to have a corporate site with online business abilities, a corporate
intranet, and IT-educated representatives to deal with the data stream and keep up the
entire web-based business framework.
 The Transaction Partners that incorporate financial organizations which offer exchange
clearing facilities, domestic and international logistic companies to ensure efficient
delivery merchandise and confirmation authority that serve as third party vendor to
guarantee the uprightness and security of exchanges.
 Buyers who structure a minimum amount of the population with availability of Internet
and have a mentality for buying merchandise over the Internet rather than buying
physically

 Businesses form partnership with a available companies in the market with Internet
access and are capable to place and take orders through the Internet.

 Government should to set up a stringent legal system overseeing internet business e

(like electronic records, marks and so on); and law enforcement authority should enforce
the legal framework in order to protect the clients and organizations.

The internet should be uninterrupted and reliable and pricing structure should not
penalize consumer for surfing internet and buying goods over internet

For online business to develop, these necessities and variables must be in real life. For
instance, a country with a generally excellent Internet foundation won't have high web-
based business levels if banks in that nation don't give support to e-commerce transaction
E-Commerce in developing countries: Developing countries means recently arising
and postcolonial economies of Africa, Asia, South America and Pacific areas and now
and then alluded to as 'Third World', 'Less Developed States' or 'the Global South'. These
nations are regularly connected with negative records like destitution, frailty and
precariousness [22]. As per [39], Iraq is considered among the agricultural nations
alongside nations like Indonesia, India, Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Yemen. Nations, for
example, USA, Canada, Japan, Germany and Belgium are viewed as evolved nations.

Popular E-commerce site in Iraq:

Despite the reality that online shopping may be a major boon to the Iraqi way of life –
enabling Iraqis to evaluate items to find cheaper retail prices, allowing for an inflow of
international goods and services, and allowing for a wider visible sector – e-commerce in
the United States has been reluctant to take off for a number of reasons. Two of the most
important obstacles to e-commerce are a shortage of Internet connectivity and
technology. Despite the fact that smartphones are common among Iraqi youth, only a
limited portion of the population owns one. More critically, the Internet is sluggish,
expensive, and inconvenient to use due to insufficient bandwidth distribution and tight
service provider constraints. Another major impediment to the rapid growth of e-
commerce in Iraq is the low literacy rate among a large portion of the population. Just
about 80% of the populace can read or write, and still less people can read and write
English, the most used language for commerce and e-trade. The cash choice, however,
could be the most important stumbling block to e-commerce. This decision was made for
a number of factors, including a lack of confidence in Iraqi banks, a shortage of credit
card products, and a desire for privacy for tax evasion. Iraq has an e-commerce market,
but it is a slow-growing one.

The following is a list of the most famous e-commerce sites in Iraq and the Middle East
and North Africa (MENA):

 Kurdshopping.com
 Opensooq.com
 Dasy2.com
 Mredy.com, Kurdsale.com
  Kurdsale.com,
Iraq facts and statistics:
Iraq is located in the Middle East, bordering the Arab Gulf, between Iran and Kuwait. It
has a population of 39,309,783 (as of July 2019) and a total area of 438.317 km2. It is
considered to be a western Asia country. Its population is mostly made up of people of
Middle Eastern descent. Its natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, phosphates,
sulfur and natural resources. Its total renewable water resources are 96.4 km3.

E-commerce Industry before COVID and after COVID:

Sales increased by 84 percent in the first month of the 2020. Then, in February 2020,
when COVID-19 cases were discovered in Iraq, revenues fell by 2% compared to the
previous month. Sales fell by 58 percent in March compared to the same month last year.
April 2020 revenues were down 51% compared to April 2019. Sales decreased by just
33% in May 2020, compared to May 2019. However, revenue fell by 47% in June 2020
compared to the same month last year. Overall, revenue decreased by 24% in the first
half of 2020 as compared to the same period in 2019.
Air conditioners account for 13.3 percent of consumer electronics product sales,
dishwashers for 3.9 percent, microwaves for 0.2 percent, refrigerators for 20 percent,
televisions for 44.4 percent, vacuum cleaners for 0.4 percent, and washing machines for
17.8 percent, according to sales statistics from the first half of 2019. Meanwhile, sales
figures from the first half of 2020 show that air conditioners accounted for 4.4 percent of
overall sales, dishwasher’s 2.6 percent, microwaves 1.8 percent, refrigerators 11.1
percent, televisions 63.2 percent, VC 1.4 percent, and washing machines 15.3 percent.
When comparing revenues from the first half of 2019 to the first half of 2020, air
conditioner sales fell 65 percent, dishwasher sales fell 29 percent, microwave sales grew
232 percent, refrigerator sales fell 41 percent, television sales grew 50 percent, vacuum
cleaner sales grew 313 percent, and washing machine sales fell 9 percent.

Impediment of E-commerce in Iraq:

The benefits of e-commerce are already being felt in some countries (for example, e-
commerce is rising at 12 percent annually in the U.S, and EU and it is expected that
within few years the productivity gap between the EU countries and USA will close
rapidly). These countries can now compare their economies to those of their foreign
rivals [El-Gawady, Z 2005].

They argue in [AlGhamdi, R, Drew, S & AlKhalaf, S 2011], that the Arab world
countries have been excluded from global online trade for many years, which has
influenced their economic growth and development, and that there are still doubts about
the value of e-commerce among customers in developing countries and the Arab world
(including Iraq.) As a result, the advantages and use of the Internet in these countries
have not been fully understood.

According to a study conducted in [Aladwani, 2003], approximately 80% of the surveyed

Arab consumers in the study have positive intentions to e-shop in the near future, and
approximately 67 percent of the same sample believe that e-shopping is a simple way to
use/carry out tasks, and approximately 65 percent are completely pleased with the
concept of buying goods and services online. We can divide the impediments to a full
implementation of e-commerce in Iraq into two categories: global problems (those that
still exist in international economics) and issues specific to Iraq.

Issue pertaining to Iraq:

Technical Issue: Lack of credit cards and convenient payment methods, inadequate
delivery logistics, a lack of specialized, trustworthy online retailers of fair size, an
imperfect legal system, and a lack of large-scale telecommunication transmission
capability are just a few of the challenges.

The Telephone Network:

Fixed telephone lines that link a subscriber's terminal equipment to the public switched
telephone network and have a port on a telephone exchange make up the telephone
network. Digital network channels and fixed wireless customers are included in the
integrated services package. According to a study published in 2012, the number of
telephone lines in Iraq was estimated to be 1600000 in 2010. Many ISPs can offer
narrow bandwidths as a result of unreliable telephone connections, resulting in low
connections. In addition, according to [Trading Economics], the total number of mobile
and fixed-line telephone subscribers in Iraq was 18611300 in 2008. (Total telephone
subscribers are described as fixed-line plus mobile subscribers.)

The internet Access:

Iraq is a nation that has emerged from the aftermath of a war. Younger generations in
urban areas use the internet and cell phones extensively, but these innovations have yet
to make a significant impact on the overall economy. Since 1995, the Arab world has
been investing in its communications infrastructure and embracing the Internet as a
critical growth tool [Al-Rawabdeh,2009]. However, before achieving the current level of
Internet performance seen in advanced countries, Arab countries must make significant
changes in their basic Internet capabilities. In the majority of cases, Arab governments
aim to establish a monopoly in the ISP market by banning new entrants for political
reasons. Another explanation for the high costs of Internet access and slow link speeds in
Arab countries is that Internet service providers are not permitted to operate their own
international gateways [Aladwani, 2003], Iraqi Internet connectivity remains slow and
costly. It is also inefficient due to weak telecommunications communications and
insufficient power supply, as total electricity output in Iraq was 48.96 billion kWh in
2010, compared to 55.66 billion kWh in consumption, with 6.7 billion kWh imported
from neighboring countries [Iraq Economy Profile 2012]. The public network and private
generators provide an average of 14.6 hours of electricity a day to households [United
Nations Development Program in Iraq]. Internet access was only made accessible to the
general public in late 1999, through a small number of Internet centers and cafes. In
2010, there were 800,000 [Trading Economics: Internet users in Iraq,2013] or 325.000
Internet users in Iraq. The figure increased to 2.211.860 in June 2012, but this still only
accounts for 7.1 percent of Iraq's total projected population of 31.129.225. In a country
like China, where the number of Internet users is the highest in the world, this number
was 538.000.000 in June 2012, accounting for roughly 40% of the country's population
of 1,343,239,923 that year [Internet World Stats, 2013]. According to the [Trading
Economics, 2013], Iraq's international Internet bandwidth (in megabits per second) was
40 in 2008. The contracted ability of international connections between countries to
transmit Internet traffic is referred to as international Internet bandwidth. Consumers
who are familiar with the Internet, such as Internet user abilities, search features, and
search proficiency, are more likely to participate in online purchases. Furthermore,
people who spend more time on the Internet are more likely to gain a better
understanding of online systems [Nathan]. According to [Nathan]. the bulk of Arab
Internet users are concentrated in Gulf countries, which account for less than 1% of the
region's total population.

The Connection Cost:

Internet access costs are a major determinant of person and company Internet and e-
commerce use. The number of Internet hosts is usually higher in countries with lower
access costs. Users' decisions to embrace e-commerce may be influenced by the
availability of a broad variety of Internet connections and other communication services
at affordable rates, which enables users to select different and suitable services based on
their individual needs. In Iraq, the cost of Internet access makes it unavailable to the
majority of users, as the monthly connectivity fee is a financial burden for a significant
portion of the population. According to [Arab Advisor Group, 2013], the highest ADSL
fees are in Iraq and Lebanon, while the lowest fees are in Morocco and Egypt. According
to [Numbeo, 2013], the cost of Internet (6 Mbps, unlimited data, Cable/ADSL) in Iraq is
about $50.76.

Broadband Connection:
Broadband connectivity is essential for the growth, adoption, and use of ICT. It boosts
ICTs' contribution to economic development, encourages creativity, and boosts
productivity. According to [Trading Economics, 2013], the number of fixed broadband
Internet subscribers in Iraq in 2010 was just 77. (Fixed broadband Internet subscribers
are the number of broadband subscribers with a digital subscriber line, cable modem, or
other high-speed technology). According to [Who is This IP.com, 2013], there were a
total of 108 broadband internet service providers in Iraq in 2013.

Language:
Language has been described as a socio-cultural impediment to both information and
Internet access, as well as participation in e-commerce. A significant portion of Iraq's
population is illiterate, and uneducated citizens have restricted access to information on
the internet because most information is written in a language. The languages used to
disseminate knowledge on the Internet are incomprehensible to the less educated and
illiterate. The issue of language is significant because it serves as a conduit for the
transmission of information and knowledge in the digital world. In several Western
countries where modern innovations emerge, English is the primary language spoken. It
is the most widely used language for IT and e-commerce production, as well as the
primary language on the Internet. The fact that 82 percent of Web pages are in English
presents a significant challenge for Arabic speakers who can only write and read Arabic
[El-Gawady, 2005]. Basic English knowledge is found to be essential for using the
Internet. This barrier, combined with a lack of Arabic applications, contributes to Arab
consumers' skepticism. In Iraq, people who speak English (as a second language)
account for around 35 percent of the population, which was 31.700.000 in 2012. Even
among educated professionals and academics, the level of English language skills is
poor. Some students have personal computers and Internet access at home. However,
their limited English language abilities prevent them from using English-language
websites and services. At the university level, English language teaching and training is
improving, but it is hampered by insufficient training, broad class sizes, obsolete
teaching methodologies, and a shortage of proficiency among teaching professionals

Economic Situation:
Due to the fact that e-commerce relies on certain reasonably costly technology
infrastructures, Iraq's participation in e-commerce is doubtful under the current
circumstances. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and per capita income are common
measures of a country's economic condition. For example, Iraq's unemployment rate was
15% in 2010, inflation was 6% by 2011, industrial output growth was 4.8 percent in
2010, total external debt was $45.29 billion in December 2011, and the population below
the poverty line was 25% in 2008 [Iraq Economy profile, 2012]. While the cost of
Internet access has decreased in recent years, it continues to be a major impediment to e-
commerce adoption.

Educational System:
The weak condition of Iraq's educational system is seen as a barrier to e-commerce
adoption, with an adult literacy rate of 78.06 percent and in 2009. It means that one in
every five Iraqis aged 10 to 49 is unable to read or write a simple sentence. In the 1980s,
Iraq had a record low illiteracy rate for the Middle East, but by 2010 it had risen to at
least 20%. In addition, illiteracy among Iraqi women is more than double that of men (11
percent) [Illiteracy Rate in Iraq Climbs among Highest in the Region, 2013]. Books,
periodicals, and magazines are highly valued and regarded, according to [US commercial
service, 2012]. For students in that discipline, each college at a university has its own
library. There are no lending libraries on campus, and most students can't get to the
services that are open, which are mostly old and obsolete. Universities have minimal
Internet capacity; most university faculty do not have daily access to computers at work;
and student computer labs are inefficient and often non-functional. Many university
professors and staff members lack basic programming skills and familiarity with the
Internet. Many researchers and students outside of large metropolitan areas do not have
email addresses. The lack of IT and business expertise is a major roadblock to successful
e-commerce adoption. A lack of adequate IT education is cited as a contributing factor.

Payment System:
The effectiveness of the payment system can either support or hinder e-commerce
development. To encourage e-commerce, a supportive electronic payments infrastructure
is needed, revealing a vital connection between e-commerce and the economy's financial
base. Cash is still the preferred mode of payment in many developing countries, not only
because of its protection, but also because of its anonymity, which is useful for tax
evasion or concealing what a person's money is spent on [Padmannavar]. Few Iraqis have
credit cards because most banking sectors lack a national clearing system, and potential
customers are wary of being duped. Rapid authorization, payments, and account
settlement are needed for full efficiency and reaping the benefits of electronic commerce.
Iraq lacks the required financial institutions and central bank payment systems. In Iraq's
domestic economy, credit cards are not yet widely used. These are mostly used by
individuals to make purchases when traveling internationally. Cash is king on the Iraqi
market. Hard currency transfers are still restricted in countries like Yemen and Iraq,
making it difficult for customers to complete transactions and pay online [Nathan].

Transaction Network:
E-commerce is heavily reliant on a country's transportation network. Inadequacies in
critical services such as postal service and distribution, both of which are needed in
international transactions, can demoralize the transaction's performance. One of the most
important aspects of e-commerce is pace. The shortage of good transportation and postal
networks, as well as insufficient distribution and burdensome delivery systems, are the
primary impediments to the growth of e-commerce in Iraq.

Resistance to change:
One of the most common problems with any effort to bring about technological change,
such as e-commerce, is resistance to change. Corporate leaders are accustomed to
conducting business in a certain manner and are unable to adapt, which is a major barrier
in and of itself [El-Gawady,2005].

Generation Gap:
Since they were not raised in the information era, many business executives do not use e-
mail. This is compounded by their aversion to investing in IT and their inability to see
the added value [El-Gawady,2005].

Privacy:
Privacy is now an important aspect of every e-commerce strategy, as it has been shown
that investing in privacy security increases consumer spend, trustworthiness, and loyalty.
With the rise of identity theft and impersonation, it has become a major concern for
consumers, and any concern for customers must be addressed as a major concern for e-
commerce providers [O'Raghallaigh]. Privacy has become a potential challenge for e-
commerce as a result of a combination of existing market trends, customer concerns, and
media scrutiny [Ackerman].

Trust:
Safe electronic trading requires a high level of confidence and trust. The geographical
distance between buyers and sellers is a significant barrier to e-commerce adoption.
Consumers are also wary of giving their personal and financial information to an online
store in case their data is breached, which has a direct impact on e-commerce.
Consumers are wary of making purchases online, according to studies. One survey of
5,000 Internet users in 2005 found that 32% are more careful when shopping online, and
14% buy fewer goods due to security issues [Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia, 2013].
According to studies like [Nathan], awareness and skills gained by the use of the Internet
and computer support to reduce customers' perceived danger when shopping on the
internet. According to the same previous research, education, risk perception, and
confidence are all important factors that influence users' adoption of e-commerce in Arab
countries, with knowledge being the most important of all. They discovered that trust is a
key factor in influencing attitudes toward e-commerce adoption, and that good security
combined with good trust would lead to increased e-commerce adoption in the Arab
world.

Conclusion and recommendation

Our findings show that the key barriers to e-commerce adoption in Iraq are
technological, social and cultural, social and economic, social and psychological,
political and legal, customer knowledge, local market size, and a lack of certificate
authority, in addition to global issues such as protection, privacy, trust, and so on. Unless
Iraqi policymakers and corporate leaders comprehend and resolve the country's
numerous specific issues relating to off-site transactional processes, the widespread
adoption and progress of such endeavors will be significantly hampered. Some analysts
think that the survival of smaller companies would be harder. We can't help but conclude
that e-commerce has enormous potential, which will undoubtedly develop exponentially
in the future. The Internet's spread from developed to developing countries, as well as
from large companies to small and medium businesses, will drive future e-commerce
growth (SMEs). As more nations, SMEs, and customers gain access to reliable internet
connectivity through services like broadband cable and DSL technologies, e-commerce
revenues will rise, and the internet will truly become the World Wide Web. In the growth
and adoption of e-commerce, the private sector should take the lead. The government, on
the other hand, may play a significant role in promoting e-commerce growth by taking
steps such as creating a favorable policy climate for e-commerce and being a leading
consumer of e-commerce and its various applications.
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