Abstract:

Innovation in small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) increasingly emerges through the adoption of social media platforms that reshape organisational routines and competitive positioning. This study conceptualises Instagram adoption as a social media innovation and examines how technological, organisational, and environmental elements influence its uptake among fast-food SMEs in Pakistan. Using the Technology–Organization–Environment (TOE) framework, a qualitative multiple-case study of thirty SMEs in Lahore was conducted, with data collected through semi-structured interviews and analysed thematically. The findings indicate that interactivity and cost-effectiveness enable experimentation, owner-manager support drives innovation embedding, and customer digital expectations stimulate adoption and generate outcomes beyond communication efficiency, including enhanced brand positioning, strengthened engagement routines, and increased customer buying interest. By positioning social media adoption as digital innovation rather than marketing activity, this study extends TOE by linking innovation drivers to innovation embedding in an emerging market context.

Please choose your submission type: Full Paper

Primary Track: Innovation

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Dr. Bilawal Khan