BRIDGING THE DIGITAL DIVIDE IN ASIA AND AFRICA: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF SOCIAL MEDIA MARKETING ADOPTION BY SMES IN MALAYSIA AND NIGERIA
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.35631/IJEMP.934025Keywords:
Social Media Marketing, SME, Technology Adoption, Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, TAMAbstract
Information and communication technology (ICT), such as social media, has an important position in today’s business ecosystem. The emergence of Web 2.0 and faster, better internet connectivity has created a paradigm shift in business-client relationships. Consumers not only use social media to stay in touch but have also begun to share their experiences, such as their purchasing habits. This phenomenon is an opportunity for SMEs to adopt social media marketing to enhance their reach to prospective and existing customers cost-effectively. This study investigated the combined relationship between perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness on the adoption of social media marketing adoption among SMEs and the moderating influence of facilitating conditions on these relationships in both Kedah, Malaysia, and Kaduna, Nigeria. This study sampled SMEs in these two regions and found that perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness have a significant effect on the adoption of social media marketing adoption among SMEs in both Kedah, Malaysia (R2=.558, F(2,133) = 84.09, p<.05) and Kaduna, Nigeria (R2=.466, F(2,116) = 50.62, p<.05). This relationship is further strengthened by the existence of facilitating conditions as a moderator for both Kedah, Malaysia (R2 change = 0.096, F change (1,132) = 36.57, p<.05) and Kaduna, Nigeria (R2 change = 0.179, F change (1,115) = 58.2, p<.05).
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