[Research Contribution] Enhancing Customer Experience Over Time: Strategies for Promoting Customer Citizenship Behavior in the Retail Environment

In the context of increasingly fierce competition in the retail industry, as products and prices gradually become homogenized, customer experience has emerged as a decisive differentiating factor. Research by a team of authors from the University of Economics Ho Chi Minh City (UEH) indicates that experience is not a series of isolated touchpoints but a cumulative process over time, with long-term effects on customer behavior. When built positively and consistently, experience not only enhances satisfaction but also strengthens the bond with the brand, thereby promoting supportive behaviors such as referrals, feedback, and active engagement with the business. Consequently, the research suggests an important direction: businesses need to shift from a transactional mindset to developing sustainable relationships with customers.