Social Commerce and MSME Development in the Digital Economy

Authors

  • Budi Sunarso Universitas Islam Negeri (UIN) Salatgiga
  • Fahrina Mustafa Universitas Hasanuddin
  • Lili Fadli Muhamad Universitas Muhammadiyah Bekasi Karawang (UMBK)

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.61100/tacit.v4i2.377

Keywords:

Social Commerce, Digital Marketing, MSMEs, Digital Capability, Business Development

Abstract

This study analyzes the development of social commerce as an emerging trend in digital marketing and examines its opportunities and challenges for MSME development in the digital economy. A Systematic Literature Review (SLR) was conducted on 30 articles published between 2020 and 2026, selected using PRISMA 2020 and analyzed through the Theory–Context–Characteristics–Methodology (TCCM) framework and thematic synthesis. The findings show that social commerce has evolved from a promotional and transactional channel into a marketing capability that integrates technology, social interaction, content, trust, and customer relationships. For MSMEs, social commerce creates opportunities to expand market reach, strengthen customer engagement, enhance brand development, and improve competitiveness. However, these benefits are constrained by digital capabilities, organizational readiness, security, privacy, platform dynamics, and competition. The study emphasizes that technology adoption alone is insufficient; MSMEs need to develop social commerce capabilities to transform digital interactions into marketing value, business performance, and sustainable business development.

References

Ahmad, A., Ghani, N. A., & Hamid, S. (2025). Examining the Predictors of Consumer Trust and Social Commerce Engagement: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 20(3), 247. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer20030247

Al-kfairy, M., & Alyafei, R. A. S. M. (2025). Social commerce in rural Jordan: analyzing adoption factors through the lens of innovation diffusion and perceived risks. Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development, 32(6), 1354–1375. https://doi.org/10.1108/JSBED-02-2025-0070

Barney, J. (1991). Firm Resources and Sustained Competitive Advantage. Journal of Management, 17(1), 99–120. https://doi.org/10.1177/014920639101700108

Busalim, A., & Asadi, S. (2025). What drives customers to engage with social commerce: a systematic review and factor derivation approach. Information Systems and E-Business Management, 23(3), 717–743. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10257-025-00700-x

Busalim, A. H., Che Hussin, A. R., & Iahad, N. A. (2019). Factors Influencing Customer Engagement in Social Commerce Websites: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 14(2), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.4067/S0718-18762019000200102

Busalim, A. H., & Hussin, A. R. C. (2016). Understanding social commerce: A systematic literature review and directions for further research. International Journal of Information Management, 36(6), 1075–1088. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.06.005

Chen, J., & Shen, X.-L. (2015). Consumers’ decisions in social commerce context: An empirical investigation. Decision Support Systems, 79, 55–64. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2015.07.012

Cheung, C. M. K., & Thadani, D. R. (2012). The impact of electronic word-of-mouth communication: A literature analysis and integrative model. Decision Support Systems, 54(1), 461–470. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2012.06.008

Chung, X. L., Yasmin, F., Haider, S. A., Sinnappan, P., Poulova, P., Baskaran, S., Tehseen, S., & Idris, I. (2025). Impulsive buying behaviour in live-streaming commerce: an application of S-O-R theory. Cogent Social Sciences, 11(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/23311886.2025.2474861

Davis, F. D. (1989). Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Ease of Use, and User Acceptance of Information Technology. MIS Quarterly, 13(3), 319. https://doi.org/10.2307/249008

Elkhoudary, A., Yadav, J. K., & Alam, M. M. D. (2026). Digital marketing capabilities as drivers of SME innovation and performance: a systematic literature review and research agenda for emerging economies. Humanities and Social Sciences Communications, 13(1), 605. https://doi.org/10.1057/s41599-026-07126-x

George, A., Joseph, A., Abraham, M., & Joseph, E. T. (2023). Brand trust and engagement in social commerce. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 47(5), 1791–1809. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcs.12947

Hajli, M. N. (2014). The role of social support on relationship quality and social commerce. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 87, 17–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2014.05.012

Hajli, N. (2015). Social commerce constructs and consumer’s intention to buy. International Journal of Information Management, 35(2), 183–191. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2014.12.005

Hajli, N., & Sims, J. (2015). Social commerce: The transfer of power from sellers to buyers. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 94, 350–358. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2015.01.012

Han, H., Xu, H., & Chen, H. (2018). Social commerce: A systematic review and data synthesis. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 30, 38–50. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2018.05.005

Jasrotia, S. S., Kwok, A. P. K., & Koul, S. (2025). Exploring the impact of social relationships and system experiences on consumers’ acceptance of social commerce in the fashion sector: an empirical study. International Journal of Information Management Data Insights, 5(1), 100333. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jjimei.2025.100333

Kexin, Z., & Teo, P.-C. (2023). The Adoption of Stimulus-Organism-Response (SOR) Model in the Social Commerce Literature. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 13(7), 1786–1792. https://doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v13-i7/17290

Li, X., Tian, L., & Wang, S. (2023). Impact of Social Interaction on Customer Engagement in China’s Social Commerce—A Moderated Chain Mediation Model. Behavioral Sciences, 13(7), 541. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs13070541

Lina, L. F., & Suwarni, E. (2022). Social Commerce Adoption to Enhance SMEs Performance: Technology, Organization and Environment (TOE) Perspectives. Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis Dan Manajemen, 8(3), 689–696. https://doi.org/10.17358/jabm.8.3.689

Liu, A. Y., & Lin, S. (2025). Exploring the decision-making for entrepreneurship in social commerce: The influence of startups and social media. European Research on Management and Business Economics, 31(1), 100270. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.iedeen.2025.100270

Marolt, M., Zimmermann, H.-D., & Pucihar, A. (2022). Social Media Use and Business Performance in SMEs: The Mediating Roles of Relational Social Commerce Capability and Competitive Advantage. Sustainability, 14(22), 15029. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142215029

Muhammad, A. S., Adalier, A., & Isiaku, L. (2026). Driving digital transformation: a systematic review of social commerce adoption by SMEs in developing countries. Global Knowledge, Memory and Communication, 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1108/GKMC-02-2025-0163

Nuryati, M. S., Chan, A., & Herawaty, T. (2026). Tiktok Shop as a Social Commerce Platform in Indonesia: a Prisma-Based Systematic Literature Review. Jurnal Aplikasi Bisnis Dan Manajemen, 12(2), 476. https://doi.org/10.17358/jabm.12.2.476

Omar, M. A., & Sulaiman, R. B. (2023). Social Commerce Among Micro and Small Medium Enterprises Before and During the COVID19: A Systematic Literature Review. Information Sciences Letters, 12(8), 2769–2781. https://doi.org/10.18576/isl/120827

Page, M. J., McKenzie, J. E., Bossuyt, P. M., Boutron, I., Hoffmann, T. C., Mulrow, C. D., Shamseer, L., Tetzlaff, J. M., Akl, E. A., Brennan, S. E., Chou, R., Glanville, J., Grimshaw, J. M., Hróbjartsson, A., Lalu, M. M., Li, T., Loder, E. W., Mayo-Wilson, E., McDonald, S., … Moher, D. (2021). The PRISMA 2020 statement: an updated guideline for reporting systematic reviews. Systematic Reviews, 10(1), 89. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-021-01626-4

Sarker, P., Hughes, L., Malik, T., & Dwivedi, Y. K. (2025). Examining consumer adoption of social commerce: An extended META-UTAUT model. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 212, 123956. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2024.123956

Shanmugam, M., Sun, S., Amidi, A., Khani, F., & Khani, F. (2016). The applications of social commerce constructs. International Journal of Information Management, 36(3), 425–432. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2016.01.007

Shukor, N. A., Kamarudin, H. D., Anwar, N., & Jamaluddin, A. (2026). Organisational Performance and Strategic Utilisation of Social Commerce: A Systematic Literature Review. Journal of Theoretical and Applied Electronic Commerce Research, 21(7), 207. https://doi.org/10.3390/jtaer21070207

Suwarno, B., Junawan, & Pohan, S. H. (2025). The Role of Social Media in MSME Marketing: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Management, Economics and Accounting, 3(3), 352–367.

Teece, D. J., Pisano, G., & Shuen, A. (1997). Dynamic capabilities and strategic management. Strategic Management Journal, 18(7), 509–533. https://doi.org/10.1002/(SICI)1097-0266(199708)18:7<509::AID-SMJ882>3.0.CO;2-Z

Tiwasing, P. (2021). Social media business networks and SME performance: A rural–urban comparative analysis. Growth and Change, 52(3), 1892–1913. https://doi.org/10.1111/grow.12501

Tornatzky, L. G., & Fleischer, M. (1990). The Processes of Technological Innovation. Lexington Books.

Yahia, I. Ben, Al-Neama, N., & Kerbache, L. (2018). Investigating the drivers for social commerce in social media platforms: Importance of trust, social support and the platform perceived usage. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, 41, 11–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jretconser.2017.10.021

Yasiukovich, S., & Haddara, M. (2021). Social CRM in SMEs: A Systematic Literature Review. Procedia Computer Science, 181, 535–544. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.procs.2021.01.200

Zhang, K. Z. K., & Benyoucef, M. (2016). Consumer behavior in social commerce: A literature review. Decision Support Systems, 86, 95–108. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.dss.2016.04.001

Zhao, W., Hu, F., Wang, J., Shu, T., & Xu, Y. (2023). A systematic literature review on social commerce: Assessing the past and guiding the future. Electronic Commerce Research and Applications, 57, 101219. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.elerap.2022.101219

Downloads

Published

2026-09-18

How to Cite

Sunarso, B., Mustafa, F., & Muhamad, L. F. (2026). Social Commerce and MSME Development in the Digital Economy. Technology and Society Perspectives (TACIT), 4(2), 508–527. https://doi.org/10.61100/tacit.v4i2.377