Title: Nascent entrepreneurs and challenges in the digital market in developing countries

Authors: Muhammad Nawaz Tunio; Erum Shaikh; Naveeda K. Katper; Mohsen Brahmi

Addresses: Greenwich University, DK-10,38th Street, Darakshan. Phase VI, D.H.A., Karachi-75500, Pakistan; Alpen Adria University of Klagenfurt, Universitätsstraße 65-67, 9020 Klagenfurt am Wörthersee, Austria ' Allama I.I. Kazi Campus, University of Sindh, Jamshoro-76080, Sindh, Pakistan ' Allama I.I. Kazi Campus, University of Sindh, Jamshoro-76080, Sindh, Pakistan ' University of Sfax, Université de Route de l'Aéroport, Km 0.5 BP 1169 .3029 Sfax, Sfax, 3029, Tunisia

Abstract: This article aims to find out the challenges experienced by nascent entrepreneurs in the digital market. There is a boom in the digital market in the world where entrepreneurs conduct business and interact with diverse buyers for shopping and transactions. The methodology adopted is a qualitative approach in which semi-structured interviews are conducted with entrepreneurs. The findings of the study indicate that the challenges for the new entrepreneurs in the digital market in the form of challenges like frauds, mistrust, as well as several cybercrimes. Our results of this qualitative study show that phenomenon is common globally, but it is different and interesting from the perspective of the developing countries like Pakistan. The digital market created by the virtual world has its pros and cons. Thus, along with new opportunities in online business, there are several threads as well as drawbacks which indicate the hard of the digital market. Future extension of the study can be carried out about how to build entrepreneur-customer trust in the digital market, how to grow business from limited audience to a wider population for any specific product or service in the developing countries where the online business has not touched any boom.

Keywords: online business; entrepreneurs; digital marketplace; developing country.

DOI: 10.1504/IJPSPM.2023.132244

International Journal of Public Sector Performance Management, 2023 Vol.12 No.1/2, pp.140 - 153

Received: 21 Oct 2020
Accepted: 17 Nov 2020
Published online: 14 Jul 2023 *

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