Daengku: Journal of Humanities and Social Sciences Innovation
Vol. 6 No. 3 (2026)

Digitalization of Cirebon Batik SMEs: E-Commerce Strategies for Heritage Preservation and Profitability

Mahfud Mahfud (Institut Prima Bangsa Cirebon, Indonesia)
Ikhsan Nendi (Politeknik Siber Cerdika Internasional, Indonesia)
Antonio Guterres (Universidade Oriental Timor Larosa’e, Timor-Leste)
Puteri Kamilla (Politeknik Siber Cerdika Internasional, Indonesia)
Abdurokhim Abdurokhim (Politeknik Siber Cerdika Internasional, Indonesia)



Article Info

Publish Date
17 Jun 2026

Abstract

Cirebon batik is both a living cultural heritage and a livelihood base for thousands of micro, small, and medium enterprises (SMEs) clustered in Trusmi. The migration of consumers to digital marketplaces has placed these heritage producers under competitive pressure that threatens their commercial viability and the continuity of traditional craft knowledge. This study investigates how Cirebon batik SMEs design e-commerce strategies that reconcile two often antagonistic objectives: heritage preservation and profitability. Using a qualitative multi-case design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews, focus group discussions, participant observation of online selling, and analysis of platform storefronts across three SME clusters. Effective digitalization emerged not as uniform technology adoption but as a layered repertoire combining marketplace listings, social commerce, live selling, and own-channel storytelling, calibrated to each enterprise's digital maturity. A positive association was found between a constructed Digital Maturity Index and net profit margin, while preservation advanced through motif provenance disclosure and digital cataloguing. The study proposes a Heritage-Profitability Digital Integration model operationalizing authenticity, adaptive capability, multichannel orchestration, value capture, and continuity as governance principles for craft-based digital enterprise

Copyrights © 2026






Journal Info

Abbrev

daengku

Publisher

Subject

Humanities Education Languange, Linguistic, Communication & Media Law, Crime, Criminology & Criminal Justice Other

Description

The Daengku seeks to publish high-quality research papers, review articles, and book reviews that make a contribution to knowledge through the application and development of theories, new data exploration, and/or scientific analysis of salient policy issues. The Scope of the Daengku includes the ...