The implementation level of the electronic commerce instruments in the companies involved in the study is illustrated in Table 3. Comparing the current level to the level three years ago indicates an increase in the implementation of electronic commerce instruments. As is it discussed in the previous sections, significant increases of implementation are expected in the near future as the SMEs gain more awareness.
SMEs may gain competitive advantage against large scale enterprises and access to markets at low cost performance through increasing their electronic commerce abilities. As it is known, one of the major obstacles constraining electronic commerce activities of SMEs is distribution systems. However, it is possible to overcome this obstacle through utilizing distribution chains of large scale companies or outsourcing from the
service suppliers in this field.