Supporting SME e‐commerce migration through blended e‐learning

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to use a blended learning environment to introduce principals in small businesses to the benefits of electronic commerce, while avoiding many of the barriers identified in recent research. Design/ methodology/approach – The paper reports results from field tests of the Virtual Product Development Workshop (VPDW) approach to introducing leaders of small businesses to the benefits and practical issues involved in adding e‐commerce capabilities to their firms. Findings – The paper finds that the benefits to smaller business of e‐commerce are real. Even so, senior staff in smaller firms have been reluctant to invest the time and resources needed to develop e‐commerce activities tailored to their firms' strengths and needs. A training approach blending online preparation and physical participation is found to be more effective than either approach alone. This paper allows senior staff participation in tailored e‐commerce design with a lower time and monetary commitment than other sources of individualized support. Research limitations/implications – While the participants in the field tests represented small business from throughout Europe, there was little participation from outside Europe. Practical implications – The approach described provides a route to exposing senior staff in small businesses to opportunities and solutions for e‐commerce implementation. The VPDW approach allows customized advice at a lower cost and using less time than other sources providing firm specific advice. Originality/value – The paper provides guidelines to running a successful VPDW. Recommendations address the kick‐off, introductions, context and content, participants' experience, and the closing. Actual participant comments from the tests are included.