Customer Service and Customer Retention in Stationery Retail Shops: Evidence from Buea Municipality, Cameroon

Aim: The increasingly competitive market environment demands that businesses employ effective measures to build long-term relationships with their potential and existing customers, thereby increasing loyalty and retention. This paper sought to assess the effect of customer service on customer retention in stationery retail shops in Buea Municipality. Methods: The Leaky Bucket and the planned behaviour theories were employed to indicate the relationship that exists between the constructs. This study adopted a survey explanatory research design and used the convenience sampling technique. Data were collected through questionnaires administered to 395 customers of stationery retail shops in the Buea Municipality. Ordinary least squares regression was used to analyze the data. Results: Findings showed that employee attitude (0.162***), complaint handling (0.283***) and effective communication (0.402***) as customer service dimensions have a significant and positive relationship with customer retention in stationery retail shops in the Buea Municipality at 1% significance level, that is, a 99% confidence level. Conclusion: Overall, the results show that customer service is a significant tool for customer retention. Recommendations: The study recommends that the management of stationery retail shops in Buea Municipality should provide reliable information about their products and services. They should also invest in staff training and implement robust feedback mechanisms to strengthen customer relationships and enhance retention.