DIGITAL PAYMENT PLATFORMS AND SUBSISTENCE ENTREPRENEURS: CHAMPIONING BEYOND THE PANDEMIC

Abstract

ABSTRACT The COVID-19 pandemic brought forth many restrictions and changes in the lifestyle of people across the globe. There was a need for social distancing and contactless exchanges, which accelerated the uptake of services such as digital payment platforms (DPP). In this study, we examine how the adoption of these DPPs was accelerated during the pandemic. Our focus is subsistence entrepreneurs (SEs) who suffer double jeopardy of resource scarcity as well as institutional voids that hinder their technology adoption. We use the exploratory approach to delve into this under-studied area in IS research using constructivist grounded theory. Using data from the in-depth interviews of these subsistence entrepreneurs, we develop a framework of a process that entails not only adoption and persistent use but also the mechanisms for the spread of this technology amongst a section of society that is characterized by poverty, illiteracy, and socio-economic barriers.