Abstract The paper analyses how women entrepreneurs in Indian Tier-II cities leverage social commerce platforms to create and sustain informal digital ventures. It investigates the dynamic co-construction of entrepreneurial intentions shaped by socio-cultural norms, platform affordances, and individual agency in resource-constrained and under-institutionalised contexts. Using a qualitative, exploratory case study design, data were collected through in-depth interviews with 11 women involved in digital commerce via WhatsApp, Instagram, and Facebook. Braun and Clarke’s (2006) thematic analysis was used, informed by an integrated theory approach based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), and Social Cognitive Theory (SCT). Findings show that although social commerce platforms reduce barriers to entry, women still face ubiquitous issues such as scarcity, trust, and scalability limitations. Entrepreneurial intention emerged as an evolving, context-dependent process, shaped by affective labour, digital self-efficacy, and the strategic use of platform features. The research presents two new constructs, platform-enabled informal agency and digital trust capital, to explain how women build credibility and sustain business activity in informal digital markets. Insights from this research inform policymakers, platform designers, and support organisations aiming to foster more inclusive digital ecosystems. By situating cognitive and technological perspectives within informal digital contexts, the study extends existing entrepreneurship theory and offers context-specific insights for supporting women entrepreneurs in emerging platform economies.
Dale et al. (Thu,) studied this question.