The impact of customer engagement on user retention in E-commerce apps in Vietnam

This study examines how customer engagement impacts user retention in Vietnamese e-commerce apps, focusing on symbolic, hedonic, and utilitarian dimensions. A survey of 465 Vietnamese Millennials and Gen Z users (18–34) who used Shopee and/or Lazada in the past six months found symbolic engagement, aligning apps with users' values and identity, to be the strongest predictor of retention. Hedonic engagement showed a minor negative impact, while utilitarian engagement had no significant effect. The findings underscore the importance of symbolic engagement in offering actionable insights for branding and retention strategies in Vietnam’s e-commerce market.