Stages of e-commerce development by small and medium-sized enterprises

The article is devoted to the stages of e-commerce development by small and medium-sized enterprises. The available approaches to the classification of the stages of development of e-commerce by small and medium-sized enterprises, starting from 1973 up to the classification of 2020, are considered. The article clarifies the content of all stages, systematizes the criteria for referring to the stages of e-commerce development and the existing classifications of e-commerce development models by small and medium-sized enterprises. The paper explored the behavioral patterns that influence the online seller-buyer interaction, with a focus on the millennial generation as the most active online audience. Changes in consumer behavior, the development of social networks and artificial intelligence require the identification of new stages in the development of e-commerce and clarification of the existing ones. The article proposes the author’s model of the stages of e-commerce development, based on historically established classifications and supplemented by a new stage, taking into account the modern behavior of buyers. Using the example of small and medium-sized enterprises in the field of online sale of lighting items, an analysis of the stages of development of e-commerce by them was carried out, the development according to the proposed new classification of stages was demonstrated, and conclusions were drawn about the insufficient development of seamless interaction with buyers in the online sales channel.