Interplay of digital trust alliance, entrepreneurial orientation and use of digital payments: digital shift of rural MSMEs to survive COVID-19

Through the lens of digital trust alliance and entrepreneurial orientation, this paper investigates the usage of digital payments among rural MSMEs during COVID-19 pandemic. Quantitative data were collected through survey from owners and managers of various micro, small and medium-sized enterprises across different industrial sectors. The study contributes to the survival of MSMEs using digital strategy during crisis. Digital trust alliance emerges as a significant element in usage of digital payments. It has been discovered that entrepreneurial orientation amplifies the ability of MSMEs to endure significant disruptions in business environment. The originality of the paper lies in the establishment of the moderating role of entrepreneurial orientation between the independent variable (digital trust alliance) and dependent variable (usage of digital payments). Additionally, it is one of a few studies looking into rural MSMEs digital shift to survive COVID-19 in India.