IMPACT OF ADVERTISEMENT ON CUSTOMER ENGAGEMENT AND RETENTION IN SMALL AND MEDIUM ENTERPRISES (SMEs) IN NIGERIA

This study scrutinizes the Impact of Advertisement on Customer Engagement and Retention in Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) in Nigeria. The expanding significance of advertising as a marketing strategy for drawing clients, boosting engagement, and fostering long-term business sustainability in a highly competitive corporate climate served as the impetus for the study. The study's two main objectives were to assess how advertisements affected customer engagement and retention among Nigerian SMEs. The study design used was a descriptive survey. Customers of particular SMEs made up the study population, and 220 respondents were chosen using a convenience sampling technique. A structured questionnaire with a Yes/No style was used to gather data. The study questions were analysed using frequency and percentage, and the hypotheses were tested at a significance level of 0.05 using the Chi-square (χ²) statistical approach. The results showed that advertisements have a big impact on consumer engagement because they draw attention, promote interaction, and pique interest in goods and services. Additionally, the study discovered that advertisements have a favourable impact on client retention through fostering customer relationships, increasing consumer loyalty, and fostering trust. Both null hypotheses were rejected as a consequence of the Chi-square results, which showed computed values for customer engagement and customer retention of 61.46 and 90.78, respectively, exceeding the critical value of 3.84. According to the study's conclusion that advertisements play a significant role in improving customer engagement and retention, and recommended that SMEs in Nigeria should invest in consistent, creative, and digital advertising strategies to improve customer relationships and achieve sustainable business growth.