Challenges of Social Media Marketing in Digital Technology: A Case of Small Traders of Agricultural Products in Malaysia

Abstract

Technology without doubt is one of the important elements to be considered for a vital change these days. The Small-to-Medium Enterprises (SMEs), especially in the agricultural sector are not an exception and faced numerous challenges in technology, particularly in digital marketing. It becomes worse when these enterprises were also affected by Covid-19 pandemic. However, to overcome these challenges, a shift or transformation towards digital marketing is deemed to be an appropriate alternative for business survival, which sets new trajectory of growth and the businesses become more as competitive players in the industry. Therefore, this paper is produced to identify the challenges of social media marketing for selected small traders of agricultural products. Eight respondents have been selected and a semi-structured interview was conducted between 20 March 2022 and 29 March 2022. The findings of the study indicated the main challenges faced by the selected small traders including knowledge, products and human resources. Based on the challenges, appropriate training has been identified, which is the basic of digital marketing.