Focusing on playhouses in Golestan Province that aim to foster entrepreneurial skills in children, this study examines the impact of service marketing on customer subscription renewal as well as the behavioral differences of parents based on gender.

Methodology: This study was designed with a quantitative and survey-based approach. In terms of purpose, it is descriptive-analytical and seeks to identify and prioritize the factors influencing parents’ decisions to renew or cancel their child’s membership in child-centered playhouses. The statistical population consisted of customers of private children’s playhouses in Golestan Province. Given the unlimited population size, Cochran’s formula was employed to determine the sample size. For data collection, a two-stage cluster sampling method was applied. In total, 450 questionnaires were distributed among the customers (parents) of playhouses, of which 413 were completed correctly and included in the analysis. The reliability of the questionnaire was confirmed using Cronbach’s alpha, and its validity was verified through content validity assessment. In the first stage, to describe the statistical population and evaluate sample homogeneity or heterogeneity, gender was used as the clustering criterion for one of the demographic characteristics. In the second stage, to evaluate the indicators affecting customer behavior, the information gain ratio weighting index was applied to construct a decision tree for each cluster. Data analysis was carried out using RapidMiner software.

Findings: The results indicated that parents rely on multiple complex and diverse criteria when deciding to cancel or renew their children’s memberships in playhouses, and this decision-making process becomes more intricate when gender is taken into account. Applying the information gain ratio index to prioritize 34 service marketing indicators separately for male and female clusters revealed substantial behavioral differences between the two groups, highlighting the significant role of gender in customer decision-making. To better explain these behavioral differences, decision tree analysis was employed. The optimal decision tree for the male cluster, with a prediction accuracy of 76.36%, showed that the mobile text messaging indicator played a crucial role in distinguishing customers in this cluster regarding membership cancellation/renewal, occupying the root node (node zero). In contrast, the optimal decision tree for the female cluster, with a prediction accuracy of 76.07%, demonstrated that the good reputation and positive image of the playhouse was the most influential factor in distinguishing customers’ decisions in this cluster, also occupying the root node.

Conclusion/ Implications: The findings of the study revealed that parents’ loyalty to child-centered playhouses is influenced by environmental, service-related, and communication factors, with clear behavioral differences based on parental gender. Providing a clean and well-equipped environment, ensuring continuous communication, enhancing reputation and brand image, and designing services tailored to the preferences of both male and female parents were identified as key practical strategies to increase membership renewal and customer loyalty. These insights can serve as a foundation for strategic decision-making by managers to improve service quality and ensure the economic sustainability of child-centered businesses.