Adoption of Social Media for SME Growth in the Covid-19 Era: A Case of SMEs in the Clothing industry in Lusaka, Zambia ()
ABSTRACT
Social media has become an emerging integral component
to any business in the COVID-19 era. This study on social media adoption by SMEs
in the COVID-19 era using the VT4 framework is thus essential. This study sought
to investigate how the VT4 influences social media adoption and growth of SMEs. A quantitative research design
was used to carry out this study. The target population of the study was SMEs staff
in the clothing industry in Lusaka. A structured questionnaire was used as the data
collection tool on 240 randomly selected sample size. The Statistical Packages for
Social Sciences (SPSS) was used for data analysis. The study first sought to establish
the social media platform adopted by SMEs in their business and the factors that
influence adoption. The findings of the study revealed that Facebook was the most
used social media platform among SMEs followed by WhatsApp. The least used was YouTube.
The results of the study further revealed that among the factors that influenced
social media adoption by SMEs was perceived usefulness and society’s attitude. The
study further sought to establish the impact of VT4 on social media adoption and
SME growth. Descriptive analysis and the Pearson’s correlation were used to analyze
the results. The results of H1 to H5 showed a statistically
significant Pearson’s correlation with P Value of less than 0.005 (sig. 2-tailed) < 0.05, indicating that there is a statistically significant
relationship between the VT4 and social media adoption and SME growth. Consequently,
the study established that there was a statistical relationship between the VT4
(the independent variable) and social media adoption and SME growth (the dependent
variable). The study thus concluded that SMEs in the clothing industry in Zambia
have adopted social media and this has enhanced their growth. To elicit positive
impact of the VT4 on social media adoption and SME growth, the study recommends
mandatory social media presence by SMEs via any two or three prominent social media
platforms such as Facebook, WhatsApp or Twitter and formulation of a deliberate
policy that will offer training to staff so that they come to a better understanding
of the VT4 model so as to enable them utilize social media optimally. Furthermore,
the study recommends putting up of a deliberate policy by government that will make electronic gadgets such as
smart phones affordable.
Share and Cite:
Kakumbi, G. and Phiri, J. (2022) Adoption of Social Media for SME Growth in the Covid-19 Era: A Case of SMEs in the Clothing industry in Lusaka, Zambia.
Open Journal of Business and Management,
10, 3202-3229. doi:
10.4236/ojbm.2022.106159.
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