Empowering rural entrepreneurs through social commerce and digital technologies: A comprehensive review

Rural entrepreneurs face challenges in market access, fair pricing, and reducing reliance on intermediaries due to infrastructural constraints and digital illiteracy. Social commerce–integrating e-commerce with social networking–offers transformative potential by enhancing financial inclusion, optimizing supply chains, and enabling direct consumer engagement. This study presents a PRISMA-based systematic literature review on how digital technologies–e-commerce, mobile banking, AI, and blockchain-empower rural entrepreneurs. Applying the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) Theory, and Institutional Theory, this review examines adoption barriers, regulatory constraints, and socio-economic impacts of digital transformation. Findings indicate that while social commerce enhances market accessibility and financial inclusion, key challenges include digital literacy gaps, high transaction fees, and infrastructural deficits. Policy recommendations include digital literacy programs, AI-driven financial inclusion models, and decentralized e-commerce frameworks to bridge the rural-urban digital divide. This review provides a structured framework for policymakers, scholars, and industry leaders to drive sustainable rural entrepreneurship through digital transformation.