GENDER DYNAMICS IN B2B E-COMMERCE ADOPTIONA STUDY OF STRATEGIC INTENT AND USAGE PATTERNS AMONG INDIAN MSMES

This research examines the determinants of the adoption of B2B e-commerce platforms by Indian entrepreneurs with special reference to the concept of gender as a moderator in technology adoption. The classic interpretation of business technology adoption is that men usually take the lead in adopting the technology, but this study examines the possibility of a changing demographic situation in India that has redefined the roles. The Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) was used to gather data on 385 business owners and decision-makers primarily within the Delhi NCR region. Cronbach Alpha was used to determine the reliability, and Independent Samples T-tests and Pearson Correlation Analysis were used in the analysis to determine the gender-specific factors that drive adoption. The findings show that there is a major shift in the Indian B2B sector in terms of gender. There was a higher mean score of female entrepreneurs in all constructs among Behavioural Intention (p=0.034) and Lead Maturity (p=0.004), in comparison to their male counterparts. Correlation analysis also revealed that, even though men are mostly guided by Cost Per Lead (r=0.953) and ease of use, women are more strategic directed by Competitor Presence (r=0.876). These results indicate that women entrepreneurs make more purposeful and quality adopters of digital trade tools. The study dispels the traditional gender-technology gap in MSMEs both in Indian subcontinent and in South Asian region. It offers practical advice to B2B platform providers to target their marketing strategies in ways that are most cost-effective to men and most competitive in market placement to women and help increase digital inclusion in the Indian economy.