Navigating Digital Commerce Transformation in Tunisia: A PESTLE Comparative Analysis of Multinational vs. Local E-Commerce Platforms (Jumia vs. MyTek)

As Tunisia accelerates toward digital modernization, understanding how macro-environmental factors shape the trajectories of digital commerce actors is increasingly critical. This study investigates Digital Commerce Transformation (DCT) through a structured PESTLE framework (Political, Economic, Social, Technological, Legal, Environmental), comparing how multinational and local e-commerce platforms Jumia and MyTek navigate Tunisia’s complex macro landscape. This study addresses a gap in the literature on how digital commerce transformation (DCT) unfolds asymmetrically at the national level.The research employs a mixed-method design combining a Systematic Literature Review (SLR) of 44 sources, a stakeholder survey (n = 59), and 12 expert interviews. We identify 30 macro sub-factors shaping Tunisia’s e-commerce ecosystem and quantify their relative importance through local and global weights. Findings reveal that while Jumia’s cross-border model struggles with institutional volatility, fiscal constraints, and regulatory opacity, MyTek demonstrates localized resilience through cultural proximity and agile adaptation albeit with scalability and technological limitations. PESTLE dimensions exert asymmetric impacts: political and legal factors critically influence Jumia’s viability, while social trust, payment infrastructure, and informal competition are more salient for MyTek. The study contributes to digital transformation theory by integrating institutional and resource-based perspectives into a country-specific comparative framework. It further delivers actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners, calling for differentiated strategies to support both global market integration and grassroots digital entrepreneurship.Conducted just months before Jumia’s formal exit from Tunisia in early 2024, this study offers a rare contemporaneous snapshot of macro-institutional frictions that presaged the platform’s strategic withdrawal underscoring the predictive utility of macro-analytical diagnostics in volatile emerging markets. Ultimately, this research proposes a replicable analytical model for assessing macro-environmental dynamics in digital economies. It is especially relevant to countries undergoing structural transformation.