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Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth
Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Change Leadership))--University of Pretoria, 2025.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613502868291584 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Mamabolo, Anastacia |
| author_browse | Mamabolo, Anastacia |
| author_facet | Mamabolo, Anastacia |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Change Leadership))--University of Pretoria, 2025. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/109663 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:37:10.603Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/109663 Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth Mamabolo, Anastacia ichelp@gibs.co.za Novakova, Michaela UCTD Social commerce Product innovation Business growth SMMEs Mini Dissertation (MPhil (Change Leadership))--University of Pretoria, 2025. Over the past two decades, social commerce had become an essential dimension of digital transformation, enabling small, medium, and micro enterprises (SMMEs) to engage customers and pursue new forms of innovation and growth. Despite its growing importance, there was limited empirical evidence on how digital adoption translated into measurable organisational outcomes, particularly in developing economies. This study examined how the adoption of social commerce influenced product innovation and business growth among South African SMMEs. Based on the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT2), Resourced- Based View (RBV) and Consumer Innovation Theory, a quantitative research design was employed. We collected data through an online survey of SMMEs operating for more than 3.5 years and analysed it using Structural Equation Modelling (SEM). The results showed that while social commerce adoption strongly influenced product innovation, it was the innovation that ultimately drove business growth. The direct link between social commerce and business growth was not statistically significant, suggesting that social commerce adoption on its own did not translate into higher income unless it was used to develop new products or services. These findings highlighted innovation as the practical route through which social commerce could improve firm outcomes and to help small enterprises to grow. They also offered direction for entrepreneurs and policymakers working to build more competitive and sustainable SMMEs in South Africa. Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) MPhil (Change Leadership) Unrestricted Gordon Institute of Business Science (GIBS) SDG-09: Industry, innovation and infrastructure 2026-04-21T08:47:29Z 2026-04-21T08:47:29Z 2026-05-05 2025 Mini Dissertation * A2025 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109663 en © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Social commerce Product innovation Business growth SMMEs Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title | Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title_full | Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title_fullStr | Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title_full_unstemmed | Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title_short | Digital pathways to innovation: assessing social commerce’s impact on product development and business growth |
| title_sort | digital pathways to innovation assessing social commerce s impact on product development and business growth |
| topic | UCTD Social commerce Product innovation Business growth SMMEs |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/109663 |