![]() ![]() The issue of internet security needs proper attention. Training and skill acquisition programmes at all levels are essential to impart the full value of social media in business to users. These issues put together show the gaps that government and others need to fill to provide the infrastructure for small scale entrepreneurs in Nigeria. Connectivity issues and maintenance costs, limited understanding of the use of social media for business growth and internet security all restricted the use of platforms among the study participants. Small business owners in the study appeared to be getting little from what the digital economy has to offer. Many felt the policy makers and others had not done enough to create a conducive atmosphere for using social media in business transactions. Transacting business through social media platforms thus become challenging. In the localities of these entrepreneurs, internet speed and quality were bad. Connectivity issues refer to the ability to get quality and fast internet for business purposes. Others said social media was expensive, unsafe and restrictive due to connectivity issues. One participant mentioned the risk of online fraud. And there was a lack of consistency in the use of the platforms – respondents stopped using them or used them only once in a while or when clients asked to transact that way. Some of the participants did not see a use for the platforms beyond showing pictures of what they made or did. Recounting the benefits of using the platforms, most respondents claimed they had met new clients far away from their immediate environment and they had been able to showcase their products online, thus saving the cost of physical showrooms for marketing their wares. While many of the respondents used the platforms when they first started their business, maintaining the tempo became difficult. They tended to use it for advertising but not for transacting business. And the number of respondents who actually used it for business purposes was small. But they felt that it would not improve their business performance on its own. They believed it had improved their business sales and enabled them to communicate with clients. Respondents said social media was relevant to business performance. ![]() Over half (55.6%) of the respondents were women 68% were between the ages of 20 and 29 and 54.1% had tertiary education.Īsked about which social media they were comfortable with, 46% named Facebook, 27.8% WhatsApp, 16.7% Twitter and 9.5% BlackBerry messenger. Through questionnaires and interviews I sought to gauge their understanding and perception of social media. I chose 170 craft workers, including dressmakers, goldsmiths, interior decorators, caterers, hair dressers and barbers in the city of Ado Ekiti. They shed light on what gaps need to be filled before the full potential of social media in commerce can be achieved in Nigeria. These business owners spoke about the benefits, risks and obstacles involved in using social media. In a study in southwest Nigeria, I explored the experiences of small scale craft workers using social media platforms for business. More than 90% of businesses are in this sector, which employs close to 60% of the continent’s workers. Small and medium sized businesses play an important role in the economy of Africa. But the level of interest in Africa, especially among small scale business owners, is less well understood and evidence is relatively scarce. Some of the reasons for using social media in business relate to its low cost, higher level of communication efficiency and a shift towards a consumer driven environment.
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