The effects of e-commerce adoption on the financial performance of agri-food enterprises in China

This study empirically analyzes the impacts of e-commerce adoption by Chinese agri-food companies on their financial performance, with a nationwide dataset of Chinese agri-food companies. Results show that, on average, the adoption of e-commerce can significantly improve the financial performance of Chinese agri-food companies by 20%. The impacts of e-commerce adoption on financial performance are heterogeneous regarding enterprise scale, industry type, enterprise ownership, enterprise location, and enterprise maturity. In light of these findings, this study discusses the suggestions to encourage e-commerce adoption and improve the financial performance of companies from the perspectives of business operators and policymakers.