Improving the Digital Marketing Capacity of MSME Actors through Practice-Based Marketplace Training in Balongdowo Village, Sidoarjo, Indonesia

Sari Luthfiyah; Triwiyanto Triwiyanto; Bedjo MKes; Fairooz Azzahra  Darmawan; Hafizh Ammar  Wahyudi

doi:10.35882/ficse.v5i2.146

Authors

Sari Luthfiyah Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya
Triwiyanto Triwiyanto Department of Medical Electronics Engineering Technology, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
Bedjo MKes Department of Medical Electronics Engineering Technology, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
Fairooz Azzahra Darmawan Department of Medical Electronics Engineering Technology, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia
Hafizh Ammar Wahyudi Department of Medical Electronics Engineering Technology, Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya, Surabaya, Indonesia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.35882/ficse.v5i2.146

Keywords:

digital readiness; MSMEs; marketplace adoption; community engagement; rural entrepreneurship; Indonesia

Abstract

Digital marketing support for micro-, small-, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) is often delivered as uniform training, even though participants differ substantially in their baseline capabilities. This community-based program evaluation mapped the digital readiness of MSME actors in Balongdowo Village, Sidoarjo, Indonesia, and translated the findings into a staged marketplace-assistance strategy. The study was embedded in the 2026 Community Partnership Program entitled “Optimalisasi Transformasi Digital UMKM di Desa Balongdowo: Peningkatan Kapasitas, Inovasi Produk, dan Akses Pasar,” implemented by Poltekkes Kemenkes Surabaya with the Balongdowo Village Government from May to October 2026. The core seminar and marketplace workshop was held on 10 June 2026 and included registration and baseline assessment, practical digital-marketing instruction, marketplace demonstration, hands-on product-content practice, discussion, post-test administration, and follow-up mentoring. Anonymized baseline participant records were analyzed descriptively using frequencies, percentages, and measures of central tendency and dispersion. Thirty-three participants were included. Their mean age was 38.8 years (SD 10.9; range 24-60), 63.6% were women, and 63.6% operated food businesses. Monthly business income was below IDR 2 million for 90.9% of participants. Although 45.5% reported operating an online business, only 36.4% had a commercial account or platform presence; 18.2% used Shopee, 9.1% used TikTok, and 9.1% reported an affiliate-oriented account. Only 18.2% reported business or platform affiliation. The findings demonstrate progressive attrition from online presence to platform formalization and network embeddedness. A presence-platform-network continuum is therefore proposed to tailor assistance: foundational account creation and digital safety for non-users, structured storefront and transaction-management support for informal online sellers, and content, promotion, affiliate, and peer-mentor strategies for platform-active participants. Because participant-linked pre-post scores and longitudinal platform outcomes were not available, no claim of training effectiveness is made

References

A. Kumar, G. S. Bapat, K. Tiwari, T. Hashem, and A. D. Rroy, “How Mobile E-Commerce is Revolutionizing Marketing Strategies for Indian MSMEs.,” Int. J. Interact. Mob. Technol., vol. 19, no. 14, 2025.

L. del R. Guanilo Velasquez and M. A. Arbulú Ballesteros, “Post-Pandemic Entrepreneurship and the Role of Delivery Services in Fostering Innovative Business Growth: Evidence from La Libertad, Peru,” Sustainability, vol. 17, no. 23, p. 10791, 2025.

C. Loubser-Strydom and K. Logožar, “Platform-Mediated Crisis Policy and Entrepreneurial Ecosystem Resilience: Evidence from Western Cape SMME Support,” Platforms, vol. 4, no. 2, p. 8, 2026.

R. P. Silva, C. Saraiva, and H. S. Mamede, “Assessment of organizational readiness for digital transformation in SMEs,” Procedia Comput. Sci., vol. 204, pp. 362–369, 2022.

D. M. Sampson, A. M. Dubis, F. K. Chen, R. J. Zawadzki, and D. D. Sampson, “Towards standardizing retinal optical coherence tomography angiography: a review,” Light Sci. Appl., vol. 11, no. 1, p. 63, 2022, doi: 10.1038/s41377-022-00740-9.

N. Omrani, N. Rejeb, A. Maalaoui, M. Dabić, and S. Kraus, “Drivers of digital transformation in SMEs,” IEEE Trans. Eng. Manag., vol. 71, pp. 5030–5043, 2022.

P. Ondrík and R. Jankal, “Digital transformation: A comparative analysis of SME digital maturity models,” Entrep. Sustain. Issues, vol. 13, no. 1, p. 155, 2025.

G. Dutta, R. Kumar, R. Sindhwani, and R. K. Singh, “Digital transformation priorities of India’s discrete manufacturing SMEs–a conceptual study in perspective of Industry 4.0,” Compet. Rev. An Int. Bus. J., vol. 30, no. 3, pp. 289–314, 2020.

F. Pirola, C. Cimini, and R. Pinto, “Digital readiness assessment of Italian SMEs: a case-study research,” J. Manuf. Technol. Manag., vol. 31, no. 5, pp. 1045–1083, 2020.

K. A. K. SAPUTRA, P. A. S. LAKSMI, I. W. W. SANCAYA, M. A. A. D. PRAMAISWARI, and I. G. C. A. PRATIKA, “Simplifying The Blue Economy for Msmes in the Riverbank and Coastal Areas of Kerobokan, Buleleng: A Sustainable Approach to Community Empowerment,” Akunt. dan Hum. J. Pengabdi. Masy., vol. 4, no. 2, pp. 58–64, 2025.

A. Arfah, “Conceptual Design of a Maritime Startup Incubation Center: An Innovative Initiative to Promote the Blue Economy in Indonesia’s Coastal Region,” in IOP Conference Series: Earth and Environmental Science, 2026, vol. 1585, no. 1, p. 12049.

S. Hilal, H. Bafadal, and L. Yulitasari, “Blue Economy Optimization of Fishing Families in the Digital Era: An Applied Economics Approach,” iEco| Islam. Econ. J., vol. 3, no. 1, pp. 157–172, 2025.

H. Sekarningtyas, S. E. Putro, B. Nasution, R. J. Siregar, and L. H. Aziz, “Fintech Optimization and Digital Financial Literacy in UMKM Empowerment: A Community Service Study for Financial Inclusion in the Society 5.0 Era.,” Int. J. Community Serv., vol. 5, no. 1, p. 286, 2026.

A. Ghofur, Y. Efendi, and V. D. Septyawan, “Digital Transformation Readiness: An Empirical Study And Support For MSMES Towards Business 4.0,” in Proceeding of International Management Conference and Progressive Papers, 2025, vol. 3, no. 1.

K. PRASETYO, S. M. MAHMUDAH, and R. MEILANDRI, “EMPOWERING COMMUNITY-BASED MSMEs THROUGH INCLUSIVE CONTENT CREATION AND DIGITAL MARKETING TRAINING,” in ICCD, 2025, vol. 7, no. 1, pp. 227–234.

H. Hasmin, J. Nurung, W. Nas, A. Latief R, and M. Z. A. F. Hasmin Tamsah, “Designing contextual digital-skills training for low-resource communities: Evidence from coastal youth in South Sulawesi,” Inf. Dev., p. 02666669251413702, 2025.

S. B. Soamole, “Enhancing Culinary MSME Sustainability: The Role of an Integrated Model of Financial Self-Efficacy, Technology Adoption, and Community Based Mentoring in Indonesia’s Digital Era,” 2025.

E. D. Lestari, F. Kurniasari, P. Y. Pratiwi, S. Thilaga, and B. W. Ooi, “Empowering women entrepreneurs: the role of financial literacy, inclusion, and access in enhancing MSE’s performance and sustainability via women development program in Indonesia,” Cogent Bus. Manag., vol. 12, no. 1, p. 2593078, 2025.

P. Purwaningtyas, B. A. Pramuka, I. Shaferi, W. R. Adawiyah, and D. P. Jati, “A Mitigating Over-Indebtedness in Woman-Led MSMEs: A Behavioral Perspective on Financial Literacy and Self-Framing Control under Financial Stress,” JIA (Jurnal Ilm. Akuntansi), vol. 10, no. 2, pp. 262–274, 2025.

M. Vignesh, “A study on the impact of social enterprises in creating sustainable employment opportunities for women in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu,” Res. Explor., vol. 13, no. 44, pp. 1–5, 2024.

P. D. Mnkandla, “The Role of Microenterprises in Poverty Reduction: A Case of the City of Bulawayo.” University of the Witwatersrand, Faculty of Humanities, School of Human and …, 2017.

L. Ramokgopa, “The Impact of Enterprise and Supplier Development Programmes on the Growth of SMMEs in Gauteng, South Africa.” University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (South Africa), 2022.

L. Mgweba, “An Exploration of Social and Rural Entrepreneurship and the Role of Youth Entrepreneurs: A Case of Stellenbosch Local Municipality.” Stellenbosch: Stellenbosch University, 2026.

M. Biswas, “The role of mobile technologies in the sustainability of women-led micro-enterprises and women’s empowerment in rural Bangladesh.” Monash University, 2022.

O. J. Dele-Ijagbulu and P. Hove-Sibanda, “Motives for Sustainable Supply Chain Management Practices Adoption Among Established Non-Service Sector Enterprises: A Cross-Country Study,” Logistics, vol. 10, no. 5, p. 113, 2026.