Factors affecting RFId adoption in a vertical supply chain: the case of the silk industry in Italy

Radio Frequency Identification (RFId) adoption process is receiving a lot of attention in literature; studies assessing its potentials in supply chains (SCs) are now well documented. Despite this rising interest, the diffusion pattern of RFId systems in the vertical SCs has been only scarcely addressed and theoretical contributions explaining dynamics and drivers are still missing. This study shows that the diffusion of innovation theory can be effectively used to explore these questions in a vertical SC. However, three major considerations emerged: (1) the factors influencing, facilitating or inhibiting the adoption process change over time and during the adoption process; (2) facilitators such as business associations play an important role in the SCs composed of small and medium enterprises; and (3) the position of adopters within the SC greatly influences the diffusion process.