Vol. 15 No. 87 (2026)
Articles

Impact of digitization on the competitiveness of SMEs: A qualitative study with 486 actors in the Mexican business ecosystem

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  • Carlos Javier Hernández Vargas,
  • Ivette Medina Mata,
  • Juan Camilo Cardona Castaño
Carlos Javier Hernández Vargas
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo, México.
Author Biography

Profesor e investigador en la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo, México. Doctorado en Gestión de las Organizaciones por la Universidad Autónoma de Nayarit. Su línea de investigación: sostenibilidad de las MiPyMEs turísticas en el Caribe Mexicano. 

Ivette Medina Mata
Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo (UQROO), México.
Author Biography

Profesora e investigadora en la Universidad Autónoma del Estado de Quintana Roo (UQROO), México. Maestría en Gestión Sustentable del Turismo por la propia UQROO y Candidata a doctora en Desarrollo Sustentable. Línea de investigación: administración hotelera. 

Juan Camilo Cardona Castaño
Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México.
Author Biography

Profesor e investigador de la Universidad Autónoma de Querétaro, México. Doctor en Ciencias Ambientales por la Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero.  Línea de investigación, gestión ambiental comunitaria y el estudio de problemas socioambientales en ecosistemas rurales y costeros.  

DOI: https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2026.87.01.7

Published 2026-06-30

Keywords

  • digital divide,
  • digital business,
  • sustainability,
  • digital transformation,
  • resource-based view.

How to Cite

Hernández Vargas, C. J., Medina Mata, I., & Cardona Castaño, J. C. (2026). Impact of digitization on the competitiveness of SMEs: A qualitative study with 486 actors in the Mexican business ecosystem. Amazonia Investiga, 15(87), 78–92. https://doi.org/10.34069/AI/2026.87.01.7

Copyright (c) 2026 Carlos Javier Hernández Vargas, Ivette Medina Mata, Juan Camilo Cardona Castaño

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

Digitalization represents a strategic element for the development and strengthening of business competitiveness in dynamic and rapidly changing environments. However, a digital gap persists in Mexico, limiting the adoption of technological tools among micro, small, and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs), mainly due to economic, technological, and training resource constraints. In this context, qualitative studies aimed at understanding entrepreneurs’ perceptions of technological adoption remain scarce in the specialized literature. Therefore, the present study seeks to understand how entrepreneurs perceive digitalization as a strategy that enhances competitiveness in Mexican MSMEs. The research employs grounded theory as its methodological approach, framed within the resource-based view theory and developed under an inductive approach. Based on a sample of 486 semi-structured interviews conducted with entrepreneurs, consultants, academics, chamber representatives, and government officials, the following emerging categories were identified: competitiveness, digitalization, digital marketing, advantages, and barriers. The results suggest that digitalization is perceived as a strategic resource capable of contributing sustainably to the strengthening of business competitiveness.

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