The inclination to pursue fashion and beauty digital entrepreneurship amongst selected final year Diploma students in a South African university

Abstract

In the age of digital transformation, the inclination to pursue digital entrepreneurship has become rampant, bringing about a broader acceptance of the idea of conducting business online especially by young people. In that regard, entrepreneurs are seizing the opportunity through digital entrepreneurship, with the fashion and beauty industry being a prominent sector for online business. Despite the growth in online fashion and beauty trading, there is limited research and understanding with the discourse surrounding it. The aim of the study was to examine the inclination to pursue fashion and beauty digital entrepreneurship amongst selected final year Diploma students in a South African university. The objectives of the study were: to establish the level of interest in pursuing digital entrepreneurship with regards to fashion and beauty amongst selected final year Diploma students, to determine factors that would influence the uptake of digital entrepreneurship with reference to fashion and beauty amongst selected final year Diploma students, and to assess using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) the inclination to pursue digital entrepreneurship in fashion and beauty amongst selected final year Diploma students. The study employed the Technology Acceptance Model to determine whether students intended to accept digital entrepreneurship. Methodologically, the study implemented the positivist research paradigm. The research approach chosen was quantitative. A survey research design was conducted through a questionnaire, as a data collection tool, from a census of the 29 final year students studying their Diploma in Fashion Design and 65 studying for their Diploma in Somatology. Instruments were pre-tested on 10 students, 5 in the Advanced Diploma in Fashion Design and 5 in the Advanced Diploma in Somatology at DUT. Findings showed a strong interest to pursue digital entrepreneurship in the fashion and beauty space. However, hesitations related to ‘customer satisfaction’ and ‘trust’ negatively influence the uptake of digital entrepreneurship. The findings also revealed that respondents were most likely to incorporate digital technologies in their businesses and saw the importance of administrative functions and advertising skills to have when venturing into digital entrepreneurship. The study recommends the youth to: be encouraged to consider entrepreneurship by South African universities; familiarize themselves with digital entrepreneurship and get education and knowledge in that regard; acquire the necessary skills in order to venture into digital entrepreneurship.