Impacto de las tiendas virtuales y del marketing online en las pequeñas empresas del ámbito rural

Abstract

The Digital Age offers new opportunities for small and medium-sized companies in rural areas that have been negatively affected by the current economic crisis and globalization. The study presented here is an initiative of the Centro International de Tecnologías Avanzadas (CITA – International Centre for Advanced Technolgies), aimed at establishing a practical model to facilitate the use of ICT in rural SMEs and micro-enterprises. The methodology is both qualitative and quantitative, employing the focal group technique and a questionnaire. The sample comprises 48 business owners. Results show that virtual shops are rarely used as a resource by these companies owing to a lack of adaptation of current technological services to the needs of rural SMEs and microenterprises, scarce financing of ICT and lack of preparation on the part of entrepreneurs.