E-commerce as a tool for the development of small business

The article analyzes the approaches of scientists to the definition of the essence of electronic commerce, the differences between the categories "electronic commerce" and "e-trade", considers modern approaches to trade based on digital marketing. The purpose of the article is to determinatе the essence and conditions of the development of e-trade since its inception, determination of the features of the current state and development trends, advantages and disadvantages of e-trade. To realize the set goal, the following tasks were set: clarify the categorical and conceptual apparatus in the field of e-commerce and trade; determine the current state and features of e-trade in the enterprise management system; determine the key trends in the development of e-trade in the field of modern marketing concepts; determine directions of e-trade development. Certain contradictions in the international trade business led to the unification of standards in 80s, and later in the 90s there were changes in the standard, which was already based on Internet technologies. It was proved that е-trade as part of e-commerce is a source of competitive advantage for the manufacturer, seller and market partners, as it provides the possibility of remote communication with market partners, reduction of costs for the organization of the sales process, operational costs, global coverage of markets and personalized marketing. For buyers, the key advantages of online shopping are convenience, speed, a wide range of products, ease of comparison and payment. Disadvantages of e-commerce are the high intensity of competition, the risk of personal data availability and the possibility of their illegal appropriation, online fraud. The introduction of electronic commerce has significantly changed the way trade enterprises work and the possibilities of interaction with consumers. An e-trade organization removes many of the barriers of traditional trade while embracing new business principles. The differences between traditional trade and e-trade are significant in communications, business flexibility, production and sales logistics, payment methods and sales parameters: e-commerce has advantages in almost all parameters. The development of e-commerce in Ukraine in the last 5 years is taking place at a rapid pace, and this trend has only intensified as a result of the pandemic, which has developed a habitual pattern of behavior to buy online. According to the structure, the lion's share of the e-commerce market in Ukraine is the sale of electronics, toys, goods for creativity, clothes, shoes and accessories. The main trends shaping the retail industry in the perspective of 2026 are the further growth of e-commerce volumes in all regions and across all product categories, the negative impact of inflation on consumer behavior and the efficiency of retail networks; digitalization, which is becoming the main area of investment for retailers; development of the 4th generation of q-commerce (electronic commerce with an emphasis on fast delivery).

Over the past few decades, the use of e-commerce in business has increased significantly. More and more companies that used to focus exclusively on offline operations are beginning to consider e-commerce as a promising area of strategic development. As a result, studying the state of the e-commerce market in Ukraine, as well as trends and barriers to its development, will allow to develop an understanding of the peculiarities of the functioning and growth of business entities in the context of the Ukrainian online environment. In this regard, it is worth paying special attention to the study of the specifics of the development of the e-commerce market as a strategic recovery of the Ukrainian economy. The subject of the study is the process of development of the Ukrainian e-commerce market in the conditions of war. The purpose is to research and analyse the state of the e-commerce market in Ukraine in the context of growing instability caused by the war, as well as to identify key issues and trends in the development of the e-commerce system in an unstable and changing environment. The questions of this study require the use of a combination of general scientific and modern research methods, among which the most important are the method of system analysis (when studying the approaches and points of view of Ukrainian and Western scientists), economic and statistical analysis (to determine the trends in the development of e-commerce in Ukraine), analysis and synthesis (when studying the types and models of e-commerce), graphic analysis (to visualize a number of theoretical and practical provisions of the article). The article examines the state of the e-commerce market in Ukraine during the war. It finds that until 2022 there was a significant increase in the volume and growth rate of the e-commerce market. With the outbreak of the war, the market experienced a dramatic drop in volume, but from 2023 significant stabilisation processes took place. The importance of further development of the e-commerce market not only during the war, but also to overcome its consequences during the post-war recovery period is determined. Conclusions. Ukrainian e-commerce is experiencing high growth rates. The barriers to entering the online market are relatively low and the benefits of e-commerce for users and entrepreneurs are tangible. However, at the current stage, the Ukrainian e-commerce market has many unresolved issues that hinder its development. If the key issues are effectively addressed, the development of e-commerce in Ukraine will have a future.

As the first basic and comprehensive legislation in the field of e-commerce, E-commerce Law of the People's Republic of China has received wide attention both theoretically and practically. Paying equal attention to the development and protection of e-commerce, smoothing connection of relevant laws and properly handling the relationship between the government and the market are three main features of the E-commerce Law. Three articles have become the highlights and emphases of the E-commerce Law: article 38 provisions on the corresponding liability of the platform; article 22 the provisions prohibit e-commerce business operators from abusing their dominant market position; article 35 E-commerce platform operators are prohibited from abusing relative preponderant position. Understanding the corresponding liability of the platform involves the convergence between E-commerce Law and Tort. Prohibiting e-commerce business operators from abusing their dominant market position and their relative preponderant position demonstrate the determination of the E-commerce Law to maintain the order of competition in the e-commerce market and establish a fair competition environment.

In recent decades, China has witnessed tremendous growth in the field of e-commerce, also known as electronic commerce. This paper aims to analyze the impact of e-commerce on China’s economic growth through empirical analysis. By applying the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) method, this study is based on time-series data from 2008 to 2016 acquired from The World Bank and the National Report on E-Commerce Development in China. The analysis seeks to support that e-commerce, as a large portion of China’s total consumption, not only has some degree of influence on the traditional economy but also yields a positive effect on the GDP of China. The paper will provide a holistic overview including aspects such as a comprehensive exploration of e-commerce’s history and development in China, a careful assessment of the potential influence factors, and a series of future suggestions that will guide the path of e-commerce and the entire economy in China. In the end, this paper aspires to contribute to a nuanced understanding of the pivotal role and impact it has on China’s economic growth.

The allocation of financial resources by the state to support small business and co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses are significant financial instruments of state management of the socio-economic development of all Russian territories, without exception, especially in difficult modern epidemiological conditions. At the same time, it would be advisable to synchronize the quantitative and qualitative certainty of the implementation of these tools in time with the viability of the territories, determined by the current stage of their life cycle. The purpose of this article is to study the current presence in the Republic of Bashkortostan of direct or indirect accounting of the stage membership of municipalities in determining the amount allocated to it for the development of business of various dimensional forms of financial resources based on a systematic analysis of statistical data using typological grouping tools and rank correlation analysis. To achieve this goal, the authors analyzed the size of subsidies to support small business in the municipalities of the Republic of Belarus and the volume of state co-financing at the subregional level of objects from the lists of priority investment projects of the republic. The study of these indicators in relation to 8 urban districts (Ufa, Sterlitamak, Salavat, Oktyabrskiy, Neftekamsk, Sibay, Kumertau, Agidel) and 54 municipal districts of the Republic of Belarus made it possible to construct their typological groups according to the stages of the life cycle, the specific volume of subsidies to small businesses and the specific volume of co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses. An assessment was made of the correlation between the stadia of municipalities and, firstly, the amount of subsidies allocated to it from the budget of the republic to support the activities of municipal programs for the development of small businesses and, secondly, the amount of co-financing of investment projects of large and medium-sized businesses. The absence of statistically significant interconnections between the volumes of financial resources currently allocated from the budget of the Republic of Bashkortostan for the development and support of small, medium and large businesses in municipalities and their life cycle stages was revealed, with the exception of a very weak negative relationship between the stage membership of municipal districts and the specific volume subsidies to support the activities of their programs for the development of small businesses (Spearman's coefficient = -0.270). The results of the study allow us to conclude that it is necessary to take into Belarus, as well as in other constituent entities of the Russian Federation, the stage-by-stage identification of territories when determining the amount allocated to municipalities from regional budgets of financial resources for business development of various dimensional forms.

The article presents the results of a study of the development and legal support of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine. There were considered the legislation and regulations governing the activities of small and medium enterprises in Ukraine. The basic principles of the system of state support for the development of small business as a factor of economic growth of the state were determined. It was studied the structure of state support of small and medium business development by direct and indirect instruments. It was found that state support for small business development is implemented through programs and projects coordinated by international, national and regional support institutions. The peculiarities of financial and credit provision of small and medium enterprises were established. There were determined the instruments of state support of SME enterprises in the field of lending, including such as introduction of state lending programs, guarantees for loans, compensation of interest rates on loans, etc. It was conducted an analysis of the activities of small and medium-sized businesses in Ukraine in 2016-2020 and the main factors influencing its development were identified. The structure and quality of the loan portfolio of the banking sector of Ukraine were studied and the process of bank lending to small businesses was assessed. There were reviewed the state programs providing partial interest rate compensation and state loan guarantees, including the state program of lending to small and medium-sized enterprises «Affordable Loans 5-7-9%», which laid the preferential basis for SME lending by Ukrainian banks. The main advantages and disadvantages of this program and prospects for its improvement were identified. Based on the analysis of theoretical aspects and world and domestic practice, there were substantiated the directions of increasing the efficiency of small and medium business in Ukraine in the context of intensifying bank lending and state regulatory, legal and financial support for its development. It was substantiated that stimulating the development of small and medium business in Ukraine within the programs of state support and bank lending are important for overcoming socio-economic disparities.

At present, the pace of development of China's e-commerce is very fast, but the most important part in electronic commerce logistics can not meet the requirements of the development of electronic commerce, so the research on electronic commerce and logistics coordinated development is very meaningful. The purpose of this study is to find out the factors that restrict the coordinated development of e-commerce and logistics, and formulate the development strategy according to these constraints. In this study, through literature review and summarized the electronic commerce and logistics coordinated development situation, and summed up the electronic commerce and logistics coordinated development problems, we give the conclusion is: Electronic Commerce and logistics cannot be coordinated development of several aspects, which is not the transmission of information, service and sales. Our research shows that the government and the related enterprises adopt some corresponding strategies to solve the problem of collaborative development. These strategies are: using existing resources to integrate logistics enterprises at the end, constructing e-commerce and logistics collaborative information platform, and innovating management technology to improve the level of collaborative management. This study provides a new idea for the government and related enterprises.

The article is devoted to topical problems of small business development in the world production practice. The main tendencies of development of small business in modern conditions are noted, in particular, the directions of development of innovation-oriented small business are considered on the example of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Domestic and foreign experience has proved that supporting small businesses from the state is an integral part of the market economy. Small business, gaining a solid position in the market, needs development and state regulation. In foreign countries, small and medium-sized businesses represent an important sphere of employment for the population, promotes the development of the innovative potential of the economy, and the search for and introduction of innovations that are a factor in obtaining competitive advantages for enterprises, industries, regions. To realize its potential, state support should be carried out simultaneously in several directions, which will enable it to cover all small business sectors: the sphere of real production through the subcontracting mechanism, the sphere of circulation through the franchising mechanism, the sphere of applied science through the mechanism of venture contracts. It is also necessary to have banks specially created to participate in small business support programs and the activities of "business incubators". For a significant rise in the national economy, it is necessary to promote the maximum increase in the number of small innovative enterprises in the production sector, to stimulate the development of interrelations between small, medium and large industrial business, to creatively use the relevant foreign experience. All this should become an integral part of the overall policy in the field of restructuring the domestic economy, since business as a whole, regardless of its scale, is a single and interrelated process.

In the era of the green economy, the Chinese government has advocated for natural environmental protection and innovation in rural areas, making the sustainable development of small rural businesses into a focal point. Currently, whether natural environmental protection promotes the sustainable development of small rural businesses remains debatable, and the roles of regional innovation climate, entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development, and technological innovation in production on the sustainable development of small rural businesses are often overlooked. Addressing this gap, this study draws inspiration from Upper Echelons Theory and Sustainable Development Theory to construct a structural equation model (SEM) and proposes 10 hypotheses. Primary data was collected from rural entrepreneurs across 17 provinces in China, yielding 439 valid samples. The data were analyzed using AMOS 28.0, SMARTPLS 4.0, and SPSS 28.0. The findings revealed that natural environmental protection did not positively influence the sustainable development of small rural businesses (β = 0.104, p > 0.05). In contrast, the regional innovation climate (β = 0.189, p = 0.001) and rural small business entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development (β = 0.261, p < 0.001) significantly affected the sustainable development of small rural businesses. Technological innovation in production (β = 0.034, p < 0.01) played a partial mediating role between the regional innovation climate and the sustainable development of small rural businesses. And, the mediating role of technological innovation in production was significant in the relationship between entrepreneurs’ cognition of green development and the sustainable development of small rural businesses (β = 0.059, p < 0.01). As a representative developing country, China’s findings in rural areas provide valuable insights for other developing countries undergoing green development transitions. This study not only questions the applicability of Porter’s hypothesis in rural contexts but also offers implications for relevant policymakers and small business entrepreneurs.

This paper investigates the current state of small and medium business in Ukraine. The protracted nature of the war in Ukraine significantly destabilizes the activities of the subjects of this sector and leads to the deterioration of its development indicators. In particular, a decrease in quantity of active entities small and medium business, a decrease in the rate of registration of new entities, a shortage of own working capital in most small and medium enterprises will have a negative impact on the national economy. The main obstacles to the recovery and development of business activity during the period of validity of state of war are identified. It is the lack of financial resources; continuation of hostilities; interruptions in electricity, water and heat supply; destruction of logistics; increase in production costs; insufficient quantity of paying customers. The peculiarities of state support of small and medium business in Ukraine during the war are considered. The problems hindering the development of national small and medium business in the conditions of war are identified. It is the absence of a program document on the development of the small and medium business sector; low level of access to finance by small and medium business entities; insufficiently developed state financial support programs for IT startups; inefficiency of industrial parks. Proved, that the prospects of the development of small and medium business largely depend on ensuring the implementation of an effective state policy to stimulate its development. In this context, the priorities of the state policy in the sphere of stimulating the development of small and medium business in the conditions of the war in Ukraine are substantiated. It is the development of the State program for promoting the development of small and medium business in Ukraine, coordination of strategies and programs for the development of small and medium business at the state, regional and local levels; attraction of money from international financial organizations and international donors; creation of conditions for increasing the level of access of small and medium enterprises to finance; expansion of state grant support for IT startups; implementation of mechanisms of tax benefits for entities that resume their activities in the de-occupied territories; expansion and creation of new industrial parks with developed engineering and transport infrastructure, creation of favorable conditions for the development of small and medium business within the industrial park.

Focus group methodology is introduced in this article as one appropriate methodology to study the impact of technological innovation factors on e-commerce (EC) adoption in small businesses (SMEs) in New Zealand. The research results suggested two emerging issues pertaining to EC adoption in SMEs in this research. First, SMEs would not invest their scant resources on perceived risky advanced EC initiatives. In adopting simple EC technologies such as Web pages and e-mail, factors like cost and compatibility were found not hindering the adoption decision. On the other hand, the proposed drivers to adopt these simple technologies were not highly significant as such. Second, the SMEs retained a particular view about advancing their simple EC initiatives. They envisaged that advancing their EC initiatives, such as adopting full-blown and interactive Web sites, will give more weight to the impact of the different factors in this research on their adoption decisions of EC. The gulf between the current adoption and usage levels and the envisaged advanced EC initiatives seemed to be increasing further, suggesting the weakness of the EC phenomenon in SMEs in this research. The research portrays a path where such gaps could be addressed, and hence, this path should guide the SMEs in advancing their EC initiatives. Implications arising from this research with respect to theory and to practice are discussed in this research.

Electronic commerce (e-commerce) refers to the transfer of the traditional concept of commerce to digital platforms due to the acceleration of technological developments and globalization. This transformation enables commercial transactions to be carried out over computer networks and internet infrastructure, thus offering important advantages such as time saving, low cost, wide market access and elimination of physical limitations. The most prominent feature of e-commerce is that transactions are carried out in a virtual environment instead of a physical store or office and are accessible 24/7. The purpose of this study is to examine the main features of e-commerce platforms, to analyze the usage patterns in the context of user experience and success factors. The scope of work, electronic trading systems; and its object is product and service buying and selling processes in digital environments. Literature review was used as a research method; national and international ecommerce definitions, models and practices are evaluated comparatively. Important institutions such as the World Trade Organization, OECD and Japan Electronic Commerce Center have developed definitions emphasizing different aspects of e-commerce. In general, it is defined as the implementation of production, promotion, sales and distribution processes of products and services through digital platforms and telecommunication technologies. E-commerce is not only limited to the private sector, but also public institutions are among the important stakeholders of this process. The relevance of e-commerce is due to both the need for businesses to integrate into the digitalization process and the growing online shopping habits of consumers. Various e-commerce models such as B2C (company-consumer), B2B (between companies), C2C (between consumers), B2G (company-state) and C2G (consumer-state) were introduced in the study. In addition, the role of the right product management, user-friendly web design, effective digital marketing strategies, customer satisfaction, innovation, patience and trust factors is emphasized for the success of these models. As a result, the development of e-commerce provides businesses with a competitive advantage; it offers versatile benefits to consumers such as quick information access, affordable shopping and time saving. In this way, the structure and operation of e-commerce platforms has become one of the most important issues of today, both academically and sectorally. In addition, the technologies used in the infrastructure of e-commerce directly affect the success in this field. Secure payment systems, mobile-friendly designs, fast cargo integration, stock tracking software and artificial intelligence-supported recommendation systems contribute to increasing sales by improving the user experience. Especially the increase of purchases made on mobile devices has made it necessary to support e-commerce platforms with mobile applications. In this regard, businesses that want to operate in digital marketplaces should prioritize not only product, but also service quality. These aspects of e-commerce will play a decisive role on future economic structures and consumption habits. Keywords: electronic commerce, digital economy, B2C and B2B models, advantages of e-commerce, information technologies and commerce

The article presents the results of the implementation of the National Project “Small and Medium Business and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives” and federal projects included in it: “Improving the conditions for doing business”; “Expanding the access of small and medium-sized businesses to financial resources, including concessional financing”; “Acceleration of small and medium-sized businesses”; “Creation of a support system for farmers and the development of rural cooperation”; “Popularisation of Entrepreneurship”. We critically analysed the national project as a whole and assessed the newest situation of small and medium-sized businesses. Further, we carried out the analysis of the achievement of the leading indicators of the national project. Also, we considered the financing and the results of the achievement of indicators in the context of federal projects that are part of the national project for 2018-2020.We assessed the risks of non-fulfilment of the goals and objectives set in the projects. The article also examines the effectiveness and evaluates the effectiveness of state support measures for small and medium-sized businesses affected by the spread of coronavirus infection in 2020. Besides, we analysed the main changes in the regulatory legal framework within the framework of implementing the national project. The analysis of the updated structure and activities of the national project “Small and Medium Enterprises and Support for Individual Entrepreneurial Initiatives” has been carried out.

Digital transformation processes are having a significant impact on the business sector of Azerbaijan, creating new opportunities for the development of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs), in particular. Automation is often associated with innovation, efficiency, and competitiveness, which are essential elements for the growth of SMEs in a developing economy. The study aimed to examine the technological, market, and cultural factors influencing the tendencies of SMEs to switch to automated management. The analysis of the tendencies of SMEs to switch to automated management in Azerbaijan is relevant due to its potential to contribute to economic development, reveal cross-cultural dynamics, and increase business adaptability. The article also examines the main problems of small and medium-sized businesses in the implementation of automation systems, such as cybersecurity, technical integration, and bureaucratic obstacles. In addition, the article explores how automation helps employees focus on more valuable activities, simplifying their work processes. The importance of increasing investments in training programs, strengthening collaboration with automation vendors, and developing risk management strategies to enhance the potential of SMEs in the field of digitalization was highlighted. The main purpose of the study is to study and gain a deep understanding of the factors influencing the transition of small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) to automated management systems in Azerbaijan. This study, which analyzes the nuances of technology adoption, cultural influences, political factors, and market competitiveness, aims to provide valuable suggestions and recommendations to policymakers, businesses, and stakeholders investing in the development and sustainability of small and medium-sized businesses.

Невід’ємною та стратегічно важливою частиною економіки держави є середній та малий бізнес. Проте розвиток цього сектору бізнесу потребує прийняття зважених рішень щодо фінансів, дотримання правил фінансової звітності та податкового законодавства, мінімізації ризиків в цьому процесі. Бухгалтерський облік надає власникам бізнесу величезну кількість фінансової інформації та розуміння, які дозволяють їм приймати рішення такого рівня та якості. Україна має доволі потужний сектор малого та середнього бізнесу, але йому бракує ресурсів, досвіду чи часу для ефективного управління своїми фінансами. Тому, партнерство з надійною бухгалтерською фірмою може надати підтримку, керівництво та досвід, необхідні для досягнення своїх цілей. Метою дослідження є окреслення практичних сфер для подальшого розвитку бухгалтерського консалтингу як «м’якої технології» підтримки розвитку малого та середнього бізнесу. Доведено, що з появою технологій бухгалтерський облік змінився. Тепер бухгалтер несе відповідальність і зобов’язання зробити свою професію ідентифікованою суспільством і підприємцями як професію, що використовує знання та технології, щоб забезпечити більшу безпеку та надійність організацій. У статті представлено точки зору, щодо ставлення власників бізнесу до можливості звернення за консультацією. Для посилення аргументації, представлені результати опитування щодо напрямків бізнес-консультування підприємців, визначених ними самими. Встановлена загальна тенденція щодо перспективних очікувань підприємців щодо бухгалтерського консультування. Представлені статистичні дані динаміки суб’єктів господарювання, що працюють в сфері бухгалтерського обліку й аудиту; консультування з питань оподаткування. Обгрунтовані напрями розвитку бухгалтерського консалтингу як «м’якої технології» підтримки розвитку вітчизняного малого та середнього бізнесу.