The impact of sustainable marketing practices on digital entrepreneurial intention: An empirical study of small-scale cocoa producers in Indonesia

Type of the article: Research ArticleAbstractThe Indonesian cocoa sector faces a significant gap between traditional sustainability practices and the necessity of digital transformation. This study aims to analyze the extent to which multidimensional sustainable marketing practices catalyze digital entrepreneurial intentions among small-scale cocoa producers in Indonesia through the mediating role of perceived usefulness. Utilizing a quantitative cross-sectional design, empirical data were collected between January and August 2025 from a purposive sample of 420 small-scale cocoa producers in the central production of West Sulawesi, Indonesia. This sample was selected because these individuals are direct targets of national sustainability programs and have basic digital literacy. Through Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) using SmartPLS 4, the analysis substantiates that sustainable marketing significantly influences perceived usefulness 0.582 and digital entrepreneurial intention 0.253. Furthermore, perceived usefulness was found to be a robust mediator 0.274. The model explains 51.2% of the variance in digital entrepreneurial intention R² = 0.512. Practically, these results demonstrate that sustainability programs serve as a strategic catalyst that reframes digital technology as a useful tool for economic gain, rather than just an ethical obligation. Consequently, fostering digital transformation in agriculture requires holistic interventions that combine socioeconomic empowerment with targeted digital literacy.