Economic benefits of digital marketing in the sustainable paradigm. the case of food service MSMEs in Mexico post-COVID-19

Abstract

Micro Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have faced a series of challenges before, during and after the pandemic. Since this period, digitalization has increased, representing an opportunity for this kind of enterprises to sustain in the face of new ways of offering and distributing their services. Of all the sectors, the food services sector is of special interest due to its contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Thus, the aim of this paper was to explore whether the economic benefits of digital marketing strategies were really perceived by the owners and managers of MSMEs in the food service sector to overcome the pandemic stage, and to evaluate the opportunities for improvement in post-Covid-19 scenario. Through a cross-sectional descriptive study, in which owners and managers of MSMEs in the food service sector located in the south of Tamaulipas, Mexico, were surveyed, results obtained open new lines of research. Of a total of 100 companies, most of their leaders were surveyed face-to-face while a minority were surveyed in a self-administered manner. The 81% of providers perceive multiple benefits of digital marketing strategies in the management of their businesses, which are mainly found on social networks and digital platforms, but the majority are not able to identify their target market.