Author(s): Amina Al-Fahad, Faisal Al-Mansour and Layla Al-Saud

Abstract:
This study examines how women entrepreneurs running home-based food ventures in India convert digital visibility into sustainable growth and formalization. Using a cross-sectional, mixed-methods design, we surveyed n=480n=480n=480 sellers across six cities (Delhi-NCR, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Indore, Lucknow), conducted a structured audit of their public touchpoints (social/creator commerce, marketplaces, aggregator tie-ins, own-site D2C), and compiled a compliance checklist aligned to national food-safety and e-commerce requirements. Outcomes included monthly online orders, conversion and repeat-purchase rates, average order value, and a 12-item customer-experience score. Exposures captured multi-model diversification, conversational-commerce intensity, smartphone access, visible compliance signals, participation in women-focused networks, and perceived clarity of rules. Analytically, we estimated Poisson models for order counts, linear models on logit-transformed proportions for conversion and retention, a moderation model of weekly chats by community participation, and logistic regression for formalization, all with city controls and robust errors; 36 semi-structured interviews provided qualitative triangulation. Results show that diversifying across at least two digital marketing models is independently associated with higher monthly orders; weekly chat intensity and smartphone access predict higher conversion; and higher compliance and customer-experience scores are linked to stronger 60-day retention. Women’s communities amplify the returns to conversational effort, and perceived clarity of rules—together with community participation—predicts formalization. Practical implications coalesce into a “5Cs” playbook: Content (regular, platform-native storytelling), Conversation (rapid replies, scripted prompts, embedded payments), Compliance (license display, labeling, grievance clarity), Community (peer learning and referrals), and Checkout (UPI-enabled, low-friction flows). Taken together, these levers reduce trust frictions, stabilize repeat demand, and de-risk formalization, offering a replicable path for inclusive growth of home-based food microenterprises in India’s mobile-first, chat-commerce ecosystem.