DIGITAL MARKETING ADOPTION AND FAMILY ECONOMIC WELFARE AMONG CREATIVE HOME-BASED ENTREPRENEURS IN LAGOS STATE

Abstract

High inflation and economic uncertainty in urban Nigeria require households to develop resilient income strategies. Grounded in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Sustainable Livelihoods Framework (SLF), this study evaluated the impact of digital marketing adoption by home-based creative entrepreneurs on family economic welfare in Lagos State. A descriptive survey design was employed with a structured sample of 150 home-based entrepreneurs (fashion designers, caterers, and craft artists) selected across Ikeja, Surulere, and Somolu Local Government Areas. Data were gathered using the validated Digital Marketing Adoption and Family Economic Welfare Questionnaire (DMAFEWQ), which yielded Cronbach's alpha of 0.78. Analysis involved descriptive metrics alongside Chi-Square (X2) inferential tests to evaluate tool adoption patterns and economic outcomes. Findings revealed a statistically significant reliance on basic social messaging platforms, WhatsApp (36.7%) and Instagram/Facebook (26.7%) over advanced digital tools like paid advertisements (8.0%) and Google Business listings (6.7%). Furthermore, empirical results confirmed that digital marketing adoption significantly improves family economic resilience by stabilizing monthly income, easing debt reliance, and directly funding critical household expenses including healthcare and education. However, structural constraints, namely excessive mobile data costs, power instability, and a lack of formal skills hinder scalable growth. The study concludes that while basic digital tools effectively cushion household poverty, structural and capacity supports are necessary to scale these micro-enterprises. It recommends subsidized business data packages, solar energy grants, and targeted digital skill training for informal creators.