Insight into how social media platforms in building relational social commerce capability for green entrepreneurial innovation

Abstract Despite the increasing academic focus on green entrepreneurship and numerous studies investigating the relationship between green entrepreneurial orientation and green innovation as well as the findings on a positive correlation between the two, green entrepreneurial innovation (GEI) has been overlooked Consequently, there is a necessity to investigate GEI in small and medium enterprises (SMEs) within emerging nations. Notwithstanding scholarly research advocating for the adoption of social media platforms (SMP) by enterprises, there remains an insufficient understanding of whether SMP can function as a mechanism via which relational social commerce capability (RSCC) influences GEI in SMEs. This research aims at delving into the interconnection between SMP and GEI in SMEs. Alternatively, the current study intends to investigate how RSCC mediates the relationship between SMP and GEI. We executed three rounds of survey data gathering, separated by a one-year interval. Data utilized in this study were drawn from samples of respondents employed by SMEs at three distinct points in time: pre-COVID-19 pandemic, during the COVID-19 pandemic, and post-COVID-19 pandemic. Structural equation modeling was made use to investigate the hypothesized interconnections. Results from the empirical study show that SMP and GEI are significantly and substantially correlated. Additionally, RSCC partially mediates the relationship between SMP and GEI. This study provides a distinctive viewpoint on how SMP might promote RSCC to achieve optimal outcomes in GEI inside SMEs in a developing country, where no prior initiatives of this magnitude have been undertaken. Gaining a deeper understanding of this research helps SME executives identify and implement tactics to boost the efficiency and effectiveness of SMP implementation, which in turn promote RSCC and GEI.