“Modeling the Impact of Artificial Intelligence Adoption on Purchase Intention among Generation Z”
Subject Areas : Technology Transfer and Commercialization of Researches
Elham neyband
1
,
Hossein Hajibabei
2
1 - Department of management, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, Malayer University, Malayer, Iran
2 -
Keywords: Artificial Intelligence, Purchase Intention, Generation Z, Structural Equation Modeling,
Abstract :
The purchasing behavior of Generation Z consumers. Given the ongoing digital transformation and the rapid advancement of AI, Generation Z—recognized as the first cohort to grow up alongside these technologies—demonstrates distinct reactions toward their use. Accordingly, this research seeks to identify and model the key dimensions of AI and their influence on Gen Z’s purchase intentions. To achieve this, an extensive review of prior studies was conducted, hypotheses were developed, and a conceptual model was formulated. Data were collected through a structured questionnaire, and 384 respondents were surveyed using purposive sampling. Structural equation modeling was then applied to test the proposed model and hypotheses. The findings reveal that perceived enjoyment and ease of use exert the strongest effects on Gen Z’s adoption of AI in purchasing, whereas perceived usefulness did not show a significant impact. Moreover, AI utilization was found to strongly enhance conversion rate optimization and cognitive engagement with social media platforms. Customer experience also played a powerful mediating role between AI adoption and purchase intention, subsequently fostering electronic word-of-mouth (eWOM). These results underscore the critical importance of emotional and social factors in shaping technology acceptance among Generation Z
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