Impact of Artificial Intelligence Assistance on Customer Awareness, Attitudes, & Gratification in Online Buying: A Study of Technology Readiness and Purchase Decisions

Abstract

The rapid adoption of Artificial Intelligence (AI) has revolutionized the Indian e-commerce market, but consumer acceptance is still affected by the digital literacy and psychological preparedness. This research examines the effect of AI support on the customer awareness, attitudes and satisfaction in the online buying environment. As part of their research, the primary data gathered through a structured questionnaire using a descriptive research design comprised 160 online shoppers. The methodological study utilized the One-way ANOVA and the Tukey HSD post-hocs to test the difference in AI awareness between different educational backgrounds and Multiple Linear Regression was used to test the predictive value of Technology Readiness Index (TRI) dimensions. The ANOVA statistics show that the impact of education on AI awareness is of a very high significance, F (4, 155) = 301.03, p < 0.001 with the highest level of comprehension among the Postgraduates. The regression analysis showed that the model lies behind 64.2% of the variance of consumer attitudes (R2 = 0.642). Coming to significant positive predictors of favorable AI attitudes, Optimism (β = 0.520, p < 0.001) and Innovativeness (β = 0.497, p < 0.001) were identified. On the other hand, discomfort and insecurity did not have any statistically significant negative effect, which implies the increasing ability to withstand technological intricacy among Indian consumers. The study concludes that e-commerce systems should ensure that AI interfaces are compatible with the digital literacy of various population groups. The results give a guideline to developers on how they can improve user satisfaction using consumer optimism and innovativeness.