https://repositorio.usm.

cl/handle/11673/50124

Micro, small and medium-sized enterprises constitute a sector of special importance in practically
all countries, due to their contribution to the product, their contribution to the generation of
employment and greater equality in the distribution of income, continuously with their role in the
increase of competition in the markets. On the other hand, MSMEs play a transcendental role
since they constitute a segment that generates jobs and income for the middle class and the
popular sectors that work and consume around them, and therefore, constitute a stabilizing
element of the social and economic structure. economic in any country (Solimano, Pollack,
Wainer, & Wurgaft, Micro Empresas, PyMES y Desarrollo Economico: Chile y la Experience
Internacional, 2007). Furthermore, in recent years, different studies have emphasized the
importance of small businesses in social development, poverty reduction and economic growth
(Kim & Kang, 2014; Ribeiro-Soriano, 2017; Urbano & Aparicio, 2016; Yes, Ahlstrom, Wei and
Cullen, 2020). "Since the 1980s, entrepreneurs and small business owners have received greater
recognition as drivers of economic growth" (Ribeiro-Soriano, 2017, p. 1). In recent years, MSMEs
have become very important in the Chilean economy, this is reflected in the results obtained by
the Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism (2019) that indicate that 52.5% of companies
in Chile correspond to SMEs, followed by 44.4% corresponding to microenterprises, and these
strata generated respectively 20.6% and 3.6% of the total income for the year under study. With
the current coronavirus pandemic and social isolation measures, including the closure of shopping
centers, businesses, restaurants and bars, consumers moved consumption to the home almost
entirely. Clearly, new trends and consumption patterns are emerging around the world since the
COVID-19 outbreak. Consumers have adapted their lifestyles to a new normal that involves
spending more time at home, and this has given way to the development (practically mandatory)
of new product marketing strategies, focusing on non-face-to-face sales channels, through e-
commerce, where the delivery method through Delivery has become an essential ally for the
market in times of pandemic. The irruption of this new behavior opens up opportunities and
generates the need for adaptation for companies, and this necessarily translates into a
restructuring not only of sales channels but also of distribution channels. When experiencing
changes in consumption patterns, companies need to think about modifying and adapting
strategies to find ways to meet new market demands. Innovation is essential, especially in settings
with limited resources (Nassif, Silva Corrêa, & Rossetto, 2020). Under this new scenario, those who
are the worst prepared are small and micro-enterprises, which do not have the experience or the
capital to implement their own delivery system and are forced to opt for external delivery
companies (which are currently not available). regulated), this without considering the complexity
of implementing a non-face-to-face sales channel that allows them to market their products, since
as of 2017 in Chile, only 9% of small companies and 6% of micro-companies made sales in
commerce. electronic (Ministry of Economy, Development and Tourism, 2019), Furthermore,
according to the Diario Financiero (2019), SMEs in Chile are not moving towards digitization as
they should, despite the obvious benefits of incorporating digital tools into their processes. The
scenario envisaged for these companies is not very encouraging, and regarding the impact that it
could generate in the country, it is estimated that between 100,000 and 150,000 micro, small and
medium-sized companies could be going out of business in the May-October period, that is 15%.
MSMEs and that could cost the country close to a million jobs, leading to unemployment rates
close to 17% or 18% (Central Bank of Chile, 2020). Just as we were able to observe the immediate
effects of the pandemic and the long quarantine periods in some European countries prior to their
arrival in our country, we can also witness its consequences in the medium and long term in
various aspects, and obtain information from the experience of these countries that may allow us
to generate guidelines applicable to the Chilean case, one of these experiences being precisely the
repercussions on the business models of small companies (who have been most affected in the
sale and delivery of their products), which constitute more than 98% of companies in EU countries,
create two out of every three jobs in the private sector and contribute to more than half of the
total added value generated by companies in the Union (Court of Auditors of the European
Parliament , 2020), and where in most countries they are a more relevant local economic engine,
as it is in the Italian case where more than 70% of the workforce is absorbed by SMEs (Bloch &
Oddone, 2007), and in the case of Spain, where 99.8% of companies are SMEs, they account for
66% of total employment and 62% of GDP ( understanding that the sustenance of the Spanish
economy are SMEs) (Directorate General of Industry and Small and Medium-sized Enterprises of
the Government of Spain, 2019), just to consider some previous examples. The Spanish case is also
approachable in terms of the digitization of SMEs in that country, considering that as of 2019 only
14% of Spanish SMEs had a digitization plan (European Commission, 2019). That said, the research
problem that arises is related to the product delivery system, that is, the delivery of small business
products. Because leaving home represents a risk for consumers, they have changed their
behavior and practically all products must be shipped to their homes, but not all small businesses
in the country are prepared for this challenge, either because They do not have the financial
resources or because they do not have the necessary knowledge to face it. Through this study, it is
intended to solve this problem by formulating initiatives that promote delivery in small companies,
based on existing literature and the analysis of the experiences of countries that have faced similar
situations, in order to determine a policy promotion of delivery that helps the development of
small companies in Chile, reducing negative externalities for society. The question arises, Has
something similar been formulated or implemented before in other countries that faced the
pandemic before Chile? It has worked? And based on this, can economic strategies of European
countries with greater economic development be successfully implemented in Chile? Can these
initiatives be sustained in the post-pandemic economic context?