The wide adoption of electronic data interchange (EDI) by the SMEs is important for
the success of the technology. A review of past EDI adoption literature indicates that
past studies have focused mainly on large businesses. With the advance of
technology, SMEs businesses are now able to enjoy the benefits of EDI. SMEs
businesses are the backbone of the economy in Nigeria, despite these facts, there are
relatively no identified studies on perception of EDI adoption among the Nigerian
SMEs. A conceptual model is then proposed to address the above issues. The model
may help Nigerians SMEs to achieve higher impacts on their businesses from the
adoption of EDI and may also provide strategic roadmap for SMEs in other African
countries. Using a technology, organization, and environment framework, this study
tested a perception base model against the data collected from 204 SMEs firms in
Nigeria. Four factors that were found to be significant in the SMEs EDI adoption
were direct benefits, indirect benefits, financial resources, and external pressure to
adopt EDI. The results of this study could provide insight into unique factors that
drive EDI adoption by SMEs in Nigeria and serve as a guide to policy initiatives to
the SMEs owner managers.
Key words: Technology adoption, EDI technology, Nigerian SMEs
