V3I6P5

Awareness, Trust, and Strategic Partnerships as Determinants of Platform Adoption: Evidence from the Surabhi Platform of Dvara E-Dairy Solutions

Varsha Udupa A. S^1*

Abstract

The study focuses on how the factors of awareness, trust and strategic partnership influence the adoption of the Surabhi Platform designed by Dvara E-Dairy Solutions (DEDS), an Indian technology-based dairy fintech company that works with smallholder dairy farmers. The structured questionnaire which was distributed via Google Forms was received by 138 respondents, including dairy farmers, staff of financial institutions, insurance partners and representatives of cooperatives, of which 137 were returned and 136 were complete and valid for analysis. The three hypotheses were tested with a chi-square analysis and Pearson correlation. Analysis 1 (percentage analysis and chi-square test; χ² = 22.14, df = 1, p < 0.001) findings show that the majority of the respondents (79.4%) know the platform and that there is a positive and statistically significant association between platform awareness and platform adoption, with the digital channel being the most important source of awareness. From the above analysis, it is seen that the relationship between trust/credibility and platform adoption is positive and statistically significant (Analysis 2: chi-square test; χ² = 66.082, df = 4, p < 0.001); thus, the null hypothesis is rejected. The significant moderate positive correlation between ease of use of platform and better access to livestock insurance and financial services in Analysis 3 (Pearson correlation; r = 0.425, p < 0.001) substantiates the findings. Platform growth is statistically significantly and positively linked to perceived strategic partnership strength (Analysis 4 (chi-square test on partnership data; χ² = 47.312, df = 4, p < 0.001)). If the constructs are measured on a Likert-type scale, the Cronbach’s Alpha reliability coefficient is acceptable for internal consistency (α ≥ 0.70). The results overall suggest that awareness, trust, and institutional partnerships are important enablers of platform adoption, although there are moderate awareness gaps and trust deficits. Targeted digital outreach, clear communication between partners and a step-by-step engagement strategy for the farmers are all suggested.

Keywords:

Platform adoption, dairy fintech, awareness, trust, strategic partnerships, Surabhi Platform, Dvara E-Dairy, agricultural finance, India