Post-Pandemic Entrepreneurship and the Role of Delivery Services in Fostering Innovative Business Growth: Evidence from La Libertad, Peru

In post-pandemic Peru, delivery platforms have become key market-access infrastruc-ture for microenterprises, yet regional evidence remains limited. This study examines whether—and under what conditions—adopting delivery services fosters the growth of innovative businesses in La Libertad (2021–2025). We conducted a cross-sectional survey of 200 microentrepreneurs (August–September 2024) to measure delivery adoption, business model innovation (BMI), digital capabilities, institutional environ-ment, and performance. Using PLS-SEM (SmartPLS 4) with bootstrapping and com-plementary regressions, we tested direct, mediating, and moderating effects with con-trols and robustness checks. Delivery adoption was positively associated with business growth (β = 0.29, p < 0.001); part of this effect operated through BMI (indirect = 0.106, p < 0.001). Digital capabilities strengthened the adoption–growth relationship (inter-action β = 0.13, p = 0.011), and a more favorable institutional environment increased the odds of formalization among firms using delivery (OR = 1.68; 95% CI [1.20, 2.41]). Model fit and predictive relevance were acceptable. We conclude that delivery can catalyze growth and formalization when coupled with business-model redesign and capability building within supportive local conditions. Given the cross-sectional, non-probabilistic design and the absence of objective environmental metrics, causal claims and generalizability are limited; this study addresses economic and social di-mensions of entrepreneurship, with environmental sustainability requiring future re-search with verified data.