Brand Management and Female Entrepreneurship, 2019–2025

Abstract

This article analyzes the adoption of brand management strategies implemented through the registration of a trade name by women entrepreneurs enrolled in the Simplified Regime for Entrepreneurs and Small Businesses (RIMPE) in the province of Guayas, Ecuador, during the period 2022–2025. Objective: To determine whether there is a statistically significant association between the taxpayer’s gender and the adoption of a trade name, and to identify the economic sectors and cantons with the highest concentration of female-owned brands. Methodology: A descriptive-comparative quantitative approach was used on a census sample of 24,958 records from the SRI-Guayas, disaggregated by gender (F, M, O). Frequency analyses, contingency tables, and Pearson’s chi-square test were applied. Results: 47.1% of taxpayers are women (n = 11,747). Of these, 39.5% have a business name, compared to 32.6% of men, a statistically significant difference (χ² = 78.4; p < 0.001). The five dominant sectors for women are: personal services (S960907, 13.9%), grocery retail (G471101, 12.4%), restaurants and food services (I561001, 10.0%), clothing (G477111, 5.8%), and hair salons (S960200, 3.9%). Conclusions: Women entrepreneurs in Guayas adopt branding strategies with relatively greater frequency than men, especially in the service and retail sectors. However, more than 60% still operate without a formal brand identity, suggesting a significant gap in the implementation of strategic marketing within the RIMPE ecosystem.