Published Online:June 2025
Product Name:The IUP Journal of Business Strategy
Product Type:Article
Product Code:IJBS010625
DOI:10.71329/IUPJBS/2025.22.2.5-28
Author Name:Shubhangi Yadav and Nupur Chopra
Availability:YES
Subject/Domain:Management
Download Format:PDF
Pages:5-28
The study aims to identify and analyze the major barriers to e-commerce adoption among handloom weavers, and to interpret the barriers through a strategic management lens. While previous studies have explored barriers to e-commerce adoption in various sectors, it is essential to diagnose specific barriers affecting handloom weavers to gain a holistic understanding and ensure sustainable growth. Utilizing interpretive structural modeling (ISM) methodology, the study examines the mutual influences among the identified barriers to recognize those with significant driving power and dependency. Analyzing these barriers, the study identifies critical impediments to e-commerce adoption in handloom sector, and discusses their implications for cluster-level capability building and strategic transformation, highlighting the barriers that require more focused attention. The findings reveal six key barriers that exert substantial influence over others, underscoring the need for targeted interventions. The study calls attention to the necessity of integrating local community voices and leveraging creative technologies and contemporary platforms to transform the handloom fashion ecosystem. It emphasizes the importance of training programs for handloom weavers to enhance their digital literacy and e-commerce skills.
The handloom sector is a traditional, non-agricultural sector, found predominantly in the rural areas of India. It is the second largest source of employment, following agriculture, and is a symbol of cultural legacy and renowned for its historical significance. However, this sector is currently facing challenges such as constrained production, inadequate market connections, insufficient awareness of contemporary marketing strategies and reliance on intermediaries for product distribution (Hada & Chaturvedi, 2018).