The importance of trust, social support, and platform usage as drivers of social commerce for small businesses in South Africa

Abstract

The integration of electronic commerce (e-commerce) and social media has facilitated a new way for consumers to shop and socialise, through what is today known as social commerce (s-commerce). The rise in internet penetration and the increase in popularity of social networking sites, such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Instagram have opened opportunities for new business models, such as social commerce. This is a significant opportunity for small businesses in South Africa to leverage, given the challenges faced amid the challenging market dynamics they operate in, growth uncertainties, fluctuating market demand, lack of resources, and increased competition due to globalisation that has become an enormous threat with online shopping. However, if implemented skilfully, social commerce is a worthy tool to explore for small businesses that represent the largest sector of companies and are essential to driving economic growth and economic sustainability in emerging economies, like South Africa. The study aimed to explore the drivers of social commerce for small businesses in South Africa. It sought to understand small business owners’ awareness of the potential benefits of s-commerce for their businesses, and the importance of consumer trust, social support, and social media platform usage in implementing scommerce in their businesses. The quantitative responses of 150 small business owners in Gauteng were statistically analysed. The results revealed that small business owners are very aware of the benefits of social commerce, and they consider building consumer trust, social support, and platform use as very important drivers of social commerce. The study revealed significant positive relationships between small business owners’ awareness of the potential benefits of social commerce and the importance of building consumer’s trust, social support, and platform use.