E-commerce in Sri Lanka remains ‘basic,’ says report

An e-commerce readiness report on Sri Lanka has revealed that despite the general optimism among Sri Lankan businesses with regards to the use of e-commerce, the present state of e-commerce development in the country remains “basic”.  

However, the report noted that the potential for expansions, both for the domestic market and cross-border trade, appears to be enormous.

The ‘E-commerce Readiness Assessment Report Sri Lanka’ was launched by the Commonwealth Secretariat (COMSEC) in collaboration with the Export Development Board (EDB).The report assessed the data obtained under five parameters—citizen maturity, business readiness, IT infrastructure and accessibility, logistics and delivery, and policy and regulations.

Citizen maturity for e-commerce was observed to be at the basic level and as per the report, while challenges prevail with regard to low internet availability and low usage of e-payment due to lack of awareness, skill, and trust.

Business readiness for e-commerce has also been ranked at the basic level, as businesses score low in terms of availability of skills, know-how and technology infrastructure as well as on the adoption of technology for selling and buying.

In respect of logistics and delivery, the publication noted that although some logistic firms are using information and communication technology, it was not the case for the entire delivery chain.

“Lack of resources, skills, know-how and awareness, and indeed lack of automation in material handling is a major challenge facing firms in relation to effectively supporting e-commerce”, the report stated.