Digital technologies and women artisan entrepreneurship: negotiating opportunities and constraints in conservative sociocultural contexts

Purpose This study aims to examine how women artisan entrepreneurs in northern Nigeria leverage digital technologies to pursue business opportunities and negotiate digital visibility within a conservative sociocultural context. This study also explores how digital entrepreneurship creates opportunities for market participation while remaining shaped by gendered social norms and constraints. Design/methodology/approach The study adopts a qualitative case study approach based on semi-structured interviews with women artisan entrepreneurs operating in northern Nigeria. Findings The findings show how women artisans strategically use social media platforms, particularly Instagram and TikTok, to expand their market access, gain entrepreneurial knowledge, collaborate with peers and balance business with family responsibilities. However, they negotiate these opportunities within a conservative sociocultural environment that shapes their mobility, digital visibility and customer interactions, while also exposing them to online harassment and other gendered digital risks. Practical implications The study suggests that entrepreneurship support initiatives should move beyond improving digital access to strengthening women’s digital capabilities through training in social media marketing, customer relationship management, artificial intelligence and digital safety. Policies should also address gender-specific online risks through accessible reporting mechanisms and stronger platform-level trust and verification systems. Originality/value To the best of the author’s knowledge, this study provides one of the first in-depth qualitative analyses of women artisan entrepreneurs’ use of digital technologies in northern Nigeria. It advances artisan entrepreneurship and cyberfeminism scholarship by showing how women strategically navigate digital opportunities and sociocultural constraints, offering a contextually grounded understanding of digital entrepreneurship.