Understanding the Non-adoption of Retailing Technologies in Morocco: The Case of EDI

Since its introduction in the early 1990's, food retailing in Morocco has adopted management methods and practices that have proven successful in other contexts and has experienced rapid growth. Even though large retailers are conscious of the importance of information and communication technology (ICT) concerning electronic data interchange (EDI) for a dynamic and efficient flow of products, digital orders are still either nonexistent or remain, at best, in the embryonic stage. The object of this paper, which is exploratory at this stage, is to understand why retail, 20 years after its appearance, hasn't managed to digitalize its data exchanges with the major industries in Morocco. To do this, this research looks at an ensemble of factors which hinder the adoption and development of logistic information systems in the specific context of Morocco. The methodology, which is qualitative, is based on semi-directive interviews carried out with a panel of industrial and distributing actors. The results show that the absence of EDI's logistics information systems can be explained because of three main reasons: the limited importance of large distribution in Morocco, the hesitation of major industrialists to communicate information on their activities and the specificity of communication in the Moroccan socio-cultural context.