Determinants of e-commerce adoption among SMEs in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai: An integrated TOE–UTAUT perspective

E-commerce is increasingly important for enhancing the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), yet its adoption remains uneven. This study examines the determinants of SMEs’ intention to use e-commerce and their reported adoption decision among SMEs in Ho Chi Minh City and Dong Nai. The study primarily employs a quantitative research design, preceded by a qualitative phase used for contextualization and questionnaire refinement. Data were analyzed using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) with SmartPLS 4.0. The results reveal that perceived benefits, ease of use, social influence, competitive pressure, and government support are positively associated with both intention and reported adoption decision. Intention is positively associated with reported adoption decision, although this relationship should be interpreted as a contemporaneous association rather than as evidence of a temporal intention–behavior sequence. In addition, trust strengthens the cross-sectional association between intention and reported adoption decision, while digital capacity is positively associated with adoption decision and strengthens the associations of perceived benefits and ease of use with adoption decision. Because the study uses cross-sectional survey data, the findings should be interpreted as contemporaneous associations rather than evidence of temporal or causal ordering. These findings highlight the critical roles of usability, digital readiness, and institutional trust in shaping SME e-commerce adoption in the sampled regional context.