The Impact of E-Commerce Development on the Competitiveness of Small and Medium-Sized Businesses

The article assesses the impact of e-commerce development on the competitiveness of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in Uzbekistan. The study applied descriptive statistical, comparative and structural analysis based on official statistics, analytical reports and international sources for 2023–2025, as well as the concepts of Porter, the resource-based view and the technology–organization–environment (TOE) framework. The results show that, according to official statistics, e-commerce turnover grew from UZS 13.26 trillion in 2023 to UZS 15.21 trillion in 2024 (+14.7%), but its share in retail trade amounted to 3.71%, which is considerably lower than in Kazakhstan (20%) and Belarus (14%). Estimates of market size from different sources differ by up to 1.7 times. Small business generates 51.5% of GDP (nine months of 2025) and accounts for 81.8% of retail turnover; therefore, the impact of e-commerce on competitiveness is shaped through four channels: market reach, costs, use of data and the risk of dependence on platforms. The article proposes digitalization measures for SMEs and the design of a future survey-based econometric study.