{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2025,10,9]],"date-time":"2025-10-09T18:41:33Z","timestamp":1760035293885,"version":"build-2065373602"},"reference-count":56,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"7","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,5]],"date-time":"2025-07-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1751673600000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"Centros Culturales de M\u00e9xico (Universidad Panamericana, Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda)"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Systems"],"abstract":"<jats:p>This study examines the identity of nanostores\u2014micro, independent grocery retailers\u2014through a systemic, stakeholder-informed lens to promote their survivability and competitiveness. Moving beyond traditional operational descriptions, it introduces a multidimensional framework that examines what nanostores do (X), how they do it (Y), and why they matter (Z), which is complemented by the use of the TASCOI tool to produce identity statements. Based on survey data collection and a thematic analysis of nanostore stakeholder responses in Mexico City, the research categorises identity statements into six 2 \u00d7 2 matrices across four dimensions: operational, functional, relational, and adaptive. This analysis yields twenty-four archetypes that capture the diversity, complexity, and adaptability of nanostores. The findings reveal that nanostores are not a homogeneous category. They simultaneously exhibit characteristics of multiple archetypes, blending retail function, social embeddedness, and entrepreneurial adaptation. This study contributes to the nanostore and micro-enterprise literature by operationalising identity description and offers practical insights for supporting diverse shop types through context-sensitive policy and business strategies. While this study ensures internal validity and reliability through systematic coding and stakeholder feedback, it acknowledges limitations in its generalisability. Future research may build on this work through comparative studies, longitudinal tracking, and direct engagement with nanostore owners and their communities to further understand the dynamics of their identity and their resilience in evolving retail landscapes.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/systems13070546","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,7]],"date-time":"2025-07-07T06:03:13Z","timestamp":1751868193000},"page":"546","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":0,"title":["Beyond the Counter: A Systemic Mapping of Nanostore Identities in Traditional, Informal Retail Through Multi-Dimensional Archetypes"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"13","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-7919-4885","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"David Ernesto","family":"Salinas-Navarro","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Facultad de Ingenier\u00eda, Universidad Panamericana, Augusto Rod\u00edn 498, Ciudad de M\u00e9xico 03920, Mexico"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4551-8327","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Eliseo","family":"Vilalta-Perdomo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Aston Business School, Aston University, Birmingham B4 7ET, UK"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-4601-2459","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Christopher","family":"Mej\u00eda-Argueta","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Center for Transportation & Logistics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA 02142, USA"}],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2025,7,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","unstructured":"Escamilla Gonz\u00e1lez Arag\u00f3n, R., Fransoo, J.C., Mej\u00eda Argueta, C., Vel\u00e1zquez Mart\u00ednez, J., and Gast\u00f3n Cedillo Campos, M. 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