Digital ventures in practice: Exploring performance factors through a netnographic immersion journal

Abstract

The continuous expansion of digital platforms has transformed the entrepreneurial landscape, enabling new forms of business activity conducted entirely online. This study explores how digital ventures with no physical presence build and sustain performance through platform-based practices. The research is conducted in the United Kingdom, focusing on fifteen digital ventures within the online jewellery industry, where digital entrepreneurs adopt digital technologies for business operations. The study aims to explore how entrepreneurial and platform practices shape the online performance of digital ventures. It addresses a critical gap in existing literature, where limited qualitative attention has been given to the everyday practices, strategies, and challenges of ventures operating fully online. To fill this gap, the study applies the Entrepreneurship as Practice (EAP) framework and employs a netnographic immersion approach to capture the lived experiences and routines of digital entrepreneurs in their natural online environments. A netnographic immersion was conducted over one year (March 2023 - February 2024), observing the online activities of jewellery ventures across platforms such as Instagram, TikTok, Amazon, and Etsy. The findings reveal that entrepreneurial self-representation, digital skills and digital identity are essential to building authenticity and trust, directly influencing online performance. At the platform level, factors such as the degree of digitalisation, engagement, collaboration, and pricing strategy emerge as key determinants of venture success. New insights also identify caption strategy, content creation, and digital consistency as emerging practices that strengthen customer connection and algorithmic visibility. The research advances the theoretical development of practise theory in a digital context by conceptualising how entrepreneurs’ daily digital practices (habitus) interact with platform structures (field) to enhance online performance (capital). Methodologically, it demonstrates the value of netnography for studying platform-based entrepreneurship through, practice-focused observation. Practically, the findings offer guidance for entrepreneurs seeking to enhance their digital presence and engagement, and for policymakers designing initiatives that support digital-venture ecosystems. Overall, this study contributes to a deeper understanding of how entrepreneurial and platform practices combine to influence online performance, offering both theoretical advancement and practical insights.