Technology Adoption in Pakistani Businesses: A Multiple Case Study Analysis of Challenges and Digital Transformation Strategies
TL;DR
The results indicate that mobile-first and low-bandwidth design, localization, affordability and trust-building helped with adoption, while organizational funding, governance, skills and capacity to absorb external shocks were conducive to adoption.
Abstract
This study explored the patterns of digital technology adoption among businesses in an environment where infrastructure is scarce, digital capability is uneven, institutional uncertainty exists, and macroeconomic instability is common in Pakistan. The study used secondary data published between January 2018 and June 2026 and adopted a qualitative multiple-case design covering eight cases: Careem, Daraz, Bykea, Tez Financial Services, PakWheels, Yango, Foodpanda and the negative case of Airlift. Technology Organization Environment (TOE) was implemented using a protocol that included technological readiness and compatibility, organizational resources and change capacity, and environmental infrastructure, regulation, competition and volatility. The information was sourced from peer-reviewed studies, official statistics and documents, trusted international and national news, and company documents. Sources were scored for credibility and triangulated and unsupported claims by companies were omitted. The results indicate that mobile-first and low-bandwidth design, localization, affordability and trust-building helped with adoption, while organizational funding, governance, skills and capacity to absorb external shocks were conducive to adoption. The closure of Airlift and the subsequent suspension of Careem’s ride-hailing service demonstrate that rapid user growth and foreign capital do not ensure sustainability when unit economics, financing conditions, and the external environment deteriorate. The study extends the traditional TOE framework, demonstrating that the environmental dimension is a dynamic constraint amplifier in a volatile emerging market and that capital and ecosystem support from outside the organization temporarily strengthen organizational capacity or buffer environmental constraints. The study recommends coordinated federal–provincial digital regulation, support for SME digitization, stronger data protection and algorithmic accountability, resilient broadband and electricity infrastructure, and clearer platform-governance rules.