PurposePresent research aims to study the determinants of big data analytics (BDA) adoption intention and outsourcing in the context of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).Design/methodology/approachThe partial least squares approach was employed to analyse data collected from 187 SMEs.FindingsThe findings indicate that relative advantage, competitive pressure and environmental uncertainty significantly influence SMEs' BDA adoption intention. Top management support moderates the association between the regulatory environment and BDA adoption intention. Furthermore, organisational readiness moderates negatively the association between BDA adoption intention and propensity to outsource BDA.Practical implicationsThe findings benefit SMEs' managers/owners in making well-informed decisions in the BDA adoption process.Originality/valueThe majority of the previous research on BDA adoption intention is limited to large corporations. To address the gap on determinant factors of BDA adoption intention among SMEs, the drivers of BDA adoption intention and propensity to outsource were investigated using the technology-organisation-environment model.