Women MSMEs in times of crisis: challenges and opportunities

Purpose This study addresses the impact of the corona crisis on the performance of women small- to medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) and explores the adopted innovative strategies by these women to stay in their businesses. Design/methodology/approach Both quantitative and qualitative methods are used in this cross-sectional country-level survey. A representative sample of 260 Palestinian women businesses completed the questionnaire. As well, semi-structured interviews have been conducted with 15 female entrepreneurs who succeeded to survive to collect qualitative data. Frequencies, cross-tabulations and Chi-Square tests are used to analyze quantitative data and thematic analysis is used to analyze the qualitative one. Findings The main findings show that the corona crisis harms the performance of many women MSMEs in terms of production, turnover profit. To reduce their lost sales during the crisis, women are more likely to benefit from social media and promotions than other methods. This study highlights the innovation strategies applied by the women MSMEs who managed to survive such as, among others, cash management and digital marketing. Practical implications The innovation strategies could be a road map for other women struggling MSMEs businesses to re-enter businesses again. Originality/value So far, little research has focused on women MSMEs in developing countries. The identified innovation strategies will potentially help aspiring women MSMEs to survive during the economic crisis.