Digital Entrepreneurship on Retail Platforms: A way to formalise employment for young people in the UK and Africa

This policy research examines digital entrepreneurship on retail platforms as a potential route towards more sustainable and formal employment for young people in the UK and Africa. It considers the opportunities created by digital retail alongside the skills, resource and ecosystem constraints that shape whether platform-based entrepreneurship can become a viable livelihood.

Digital retail platforms can widen access to customers, markets and income while lowering some barriers to entry. However, sustainable outcomes depend on digital skills, resources, platform conditions and the wider entrepreneurial ecosystem.