Abstract
Purpose of study: The purpose of this paper is to explore and describe applicable digital literacy of township based Small, Medium and Micro Enterprise (SMME) owners and their customers. The specific objectives of this paper are to report on the awareness of willingness to apply, and confidence to use applicable digital technologies from township based SMME owners, as well as their customers' point of view.Research Approach: A mixed methods approach was implemented, with two sequential research phases. The first involved semi-structured interviews with 15 township based SMME owners, and the second phase comprised questionnaires completed by 300 customers of township based SMMEs.Results/Findings: The study's main findings indicate that digital literacy requires a level of technology proficiency that may be enhanced by applying digital technologies in various contexts. External factors need to be managed to reduce fear around adoption. There are also promising applications for digitalisation not applied, while customers seem willing and able to learn how to apply various platforms.Recommendations/Value: It is recommended that ambassadors and tech-savvy customers be encouraged and incentivised to assist other customers to apply digital platforms to more than just information searching. SMME owners can be involved in such incentive initiatives. Moreover, the government may consider first spending funding on infrastructure and data prior to formal training on digitalisation.Managerial implications: Owners of township based SMMEs can consider the willingness of their customers to transform their business practices and make use of the various opportunities still not utilised. More knowledge about the application of various applications can also improve the willingness of owners to adopt digital technologies in their businesses.