It is true that e-commerce has changed the face of business and commercial activities such as domestic and international trade, import/export and global sourcing opportunities and the like, and has gone a long way to break barriers, yet the truth also remains that certain new barriers have raised their heads which need to be overcome as well. In this article we will take a brief look at such challenges which e-commerce presents in the current scenario and its implications to the international trade, import/export and global sourcing activities.

A survey was carried out in the UK by KPMG, a management consultancy firm which revealed that the biggest barrier which lay in the path of organisations to implement e-commerce technologies for various purposes such as international trade, import/export and global sourcing is the fact that the companies are not sure of the security aspects of the technology. It is not that sufficient standards or measures to ensure safety and security are not available; it is just that the companies are not aware or sure of the efficiency of these technologies and hence are sceptical about employing it in using them for activities like import/export, global sourcing and other forms of international trade.

Of course lots of efforts have been made by the concerned parties on such issues. One such recent example is the joining of hands by two main companies involved in online payment transactions namely MasterCard and Visa. Both these giants have jointly developed a protocol which can be used for secure transactions for purposes of international trade and making payments for import/export orders or other purposes such as global sourcing deals. This protocol goes by the name of SET which means Secure Electronic Transaction. Of course such technologies need the backing of international authorities and organisations to set up the requisite infrastructure in the required places so that in future international trade can be carried out free of barriers and without fear of import/export and global sourcing deals being intercepted by fraudsters.

Another challenge in international trade, import/export and global sourcing done via e-commerce technology is the arrangement to ensure that no concerned party denies a transaction such as receipt of order, delivery or payment and this is known as non-repudiation. This is an important aspect has work is being carried out in this direction so that the individuals and companies located far-off geographically speaking do not fear from using e-commerce technology for import/export and global sourcing activities related to international trade, but feel safe and secure about the whole process. Only then can the true value of e-commerce be realised and its potential use for international trade, import/export and global sourcing be carried out.