From traditional retail to Marketing 5.0: digital transformation in nanostores

Abstract

The transition from traditional commerce to the Marketing 5.0 paradigm represents one of the greatest strategic challenges for nanostores in emerging economies. Therefore, this research evaluates the level of digital transformation among nanostores in Honduras and examines its direct and indirect effects on performance, while considering the mediating roles of adaptability, customer-centricity, and innovation orientation. A quantitative, cross-sectional, and correlational approach was used, applying a structured survey to a probabilistic sample of 486 nanostores. Three statistical models were used for hypothesis testing: simple linear regression, multiple hierarchical regression, and mediation models. The results show that digital transformation has a positive and significant impact on performance, explaining up to 29.9% of its variance when integrated with the nanostores capabilities. Customer-centricity emerges as the strongest mediator in the relationship between digital transformation and performance, followed by adaptability. In contrast, innovation orientation shows a weak mediating effect. The findings suggest that digitization alone does not guarantee improved performance; rather, its effectiveness depends on its strategic alignment with the customer, as well as economic, structural, contextual, and educational factors. The study contributes to the literature on Marketing 5.0 in informal micro-retail contexts and proposes a phased model of digital inclusion to reduce structural gaps in emerging economies