Empowering Women Elderpreneurs: Exploring the Innovative Potential of Social Commerce in Consignment Stores and Second-Hand Retail
Abstract
Despite lacking formal training, West Virginia's Generation X women consignment store owners are transforming small businesses through social commerce (sCommerce). This research voices their unheard stories of leveraging technology for entrepreneurial success. Drawing on the Technology Acceptance Model and Diffusion of Innovation Theory, this qualitative study reveals how cautious yet determined store owners, ages 40-80, weigh factors like compatibility, complexity, trialability, and observability before adopting sCommerce. Eleven in-depth 20–60-minute interviews uncover organizational motivations like relationship-building, environmental motivations like positive recommendations, and technological motivations like security. The thematic analysis emphasizes sCommerce's empowering potential for GenX owners without business education to unlock growth through memorable customer experiences. Findings fill a literature gap with implications across industry, government, and academia seeking to nurture innovation and women's entrepreneurial spirit. By understanding the motivations behind adoption, this study can inform policies and practices to support small business success in the consignment industry and beyond.
Keywords: Social Commerce, Small Business, Women Entrepreneurs, Consignment Stores, GenX, Second-Hand Retail
How to Cite:
sarkar, j. & Uriyo, A., (2025) “Empowering Women Elderpreneurs: Exploring the Innovative Potential of Social Commerce in Consignment Stores and Second-Hand Retail”, International Textile and Apparel Association Annual Conference Proceedings 81(1). doi: https://doi.org/10.31274/itaa.18897
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