Artificial Intelligence Driven Personalisation and Online Purchase Intention: The Mediating Role of Consumer Awareness and the Influence of Consumer Attitude toward AI in an Emerging Market

Artificial intelligence (AI) has become an essential part of modern e-commerce, primarily through algorithm-driven personalisation that customises product suggestions and content for individual consumers. Although AI applications are spreading rapidly, there is limited empirical evidence on how AI-driven personalisation influences online purchase intentions in emerging markets, particularly regarding the psychological processes underlying this relationship. This study investigates the impact of AI-driven personalisation and consumer attitudes towards AI on online purchase intentions, with consumer awareness acting as a mediating variable.
Rooted in the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB), the study uses a quantitative, cross-sectional research design. Data were gathered from online shoppers in major cities across South-East Nigeria through a structured questionnaire. Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to examine both direct and indirect relationships among the study’s constructs.
The results show that consumer attitude towards AI has a significant positive direct effect on online purchase intention. Conversely, AI-driven personalisation does not significantly influence purchase intention. Instead, its impact works indirectly via consumer awareness. Further analysis reveals that consumer awareness significantly mediates the relationship between consumer attitude towards AI and online purchase intention, emphasising awareness as a vital cognitive pathway through which positive perceptions of AI are converted into behavioural intention.
The study concludes that AI personalisation alone is not enough to encourage online purchasing in emerging markets unless consumers clearly understand how AI systems operate and the value they offer. By empirically positioning consumer awareness as a key mediating factor, the study expands TAM and TPB in AI-enabled consumption contexts. It offers practical insights for e-commerce platforms seeking to deploy AI responsibly and effectively in emerging digital economies.