Design and validation of a digital marketing measurement instrument for native product firms in Peru

Abstract

This study aimed to design and validate a psychometrically sound instrument to measure digital marketing among firms that commercialize native products in the jungle regions of Peru, an underexplored, low-infrastructure, emerging-market context. A quantitative, non-experimental, cross-sectional design was employed. A 12-item questionnaire was developed and structured around four theoretically grounded dimensions: social media, search engine optimization (SEO), search engine advertising (SEA), and web analytics, and was administered to 60 formally registered firms in the native product commerce sector. Data were analyzed using exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses, and instrument reliability was assessed with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed adequate sampling adequacy across all four dimensions, with KMO values ranging from 0.728 to 0.774 and statistically significant Bartlett's tests (p = 0.000). Confirmatory analysis yielded an overall KMO of 0.932, and the four-factor model collectively accounted for 88.686% of total variance. Both Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega reached 0.983, reflecting outstanding internal consistency. The resulting 12-item, five-point Likert scale instrument offers entrepreneurs, researchers, and policymakers a scientifically validated diagnostic tool to assess digital marketing maturity, identify competitive gaps, and support evidence-based strategic decision-making within the native product commerce sector. By providing a validated measure tailored to a low-infrastructure, emerging-market setting, the study extends digital marketing measurement research beyond conventional urban and developed-market contexts and supports more evidence-based strategy among rural entrepreneurs.