Artificial intelligence technology application on e-commerce platforms influences Chinese consumers’ purchase intention

Academic perspectives differ greatly regarding the influence of artificial intelligence (AI) technology application in e-commerce settings on consumers’ purchase intention. Thus, exploring the internal mechanism of this relationship is of great practical value. This study analyzed data from 387 valid questionnaires collected from users of major Chinese e-commerce platforms (JD.com, Alibaba/Taobao, and Pinduoduo) using Mplus 8.0. The results showed that AI technology application on e-commerce platforms was positively related to purchase intention. Further, perceived benefits and psychological resistance mediated the relationship between AI technology application and purchase intention, and brand attachment moderated this relationship. These findings enrich marketing and consumer psychology theories and offer useful references for e-commerce platforms to design targeted marketing strategies and boost consumers’ purchase intention.