VALIDATING A SOCIAL COMMERCE AND BRAND AWARENESS MODEL FOR MICRO FOODPRENUER PERFORMANCE: AN EVIDENCE FROM A MALAYSIAN PILOT STUDY.

This study examines the development and validation of a research instrument aimed at assessing the impact of social commerce engagement and brand awareness on business performance among micro foodpreneurs in Malaysia. A pilot study involving 33 participants was conducted to evaluate the instrument's reliability and validity. The survey underwent content validation by experts, exploratory factor analysis (EFA), Cronbach’s alpha, and regression analysis. All constructs exhibited strong internal consistency (α > 0.7), as well as convergent and discriminant validity, and demonstrated statistical significance in predicting business performance. The findings affirm that the instrument is robust, reliable, and appropriate for use in a larger scale quantitative study. Implications for researchers and practitioners in digital entrepreneurship are discussed.