The role of artificial intelligence personalisation in e-commerce: Customer purchase decisions in the retail sector

South African Journal of Information Management

 
 
Field Value
 
Title The role of artificial intelligence personalisation in e-commerce: Customer purchase decisions in the retail sector
 
Creator Moodley, Kebashnee Sookhdeo, Lavina
 
Subject Information Technology artificial intelligence; personalisation; e-commerce; loyalty; purchase intention; repeat purchase intention.
Description Background: Online shopping in South Africa grew significantly during the pandemic, highlighting its potential across income groups. Leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) is crucial for e-commerce businesses to enhance customer experiences and stay competitive in the digital age.Objectives: This study aimed to explore how AI-driven personalisation in e-commerce influences customer purchase decisions in the retail sector in South Africa.Method: A quantitative approach within a post-positivist paradigm assessed how factors such as perceived usefulness (PU), perceived ease of use (PEU), relative advantage (RA), and voluntariness of use (VOU) impact purchase intention (PI), repeat purchase intention (RPI), and loyalty (LO). Data were collected through a 5-point Likert scale survey distributed to 175 South African e-commerce consumers using convenience sampling, with structural equation modelling (SEM) used for analysis.Results: The study showed mixed results. Perceived usefulness had a negative but insignificant impact on purchase decisions, possibly because of unmet expectations or price sensitivity. Perceived ease of use also showed a negative but insignificant effect, suggesting that ease alone is insufficient if personalisation quality is lacking. Conversely, relative advantage and voluntariness of use positively influenced purchase decisions, with customers valuing time savings and control over their data.Conclusion: This study highlights the importance of AI-driven personalisation in South African e-commerce, emphasising the balance between functional and emotional factors to build customer loyalty and influence purchase decisions in a growing market.Contribution: The study offers practical implications for African businesses and suggests further research into generative AI and cross-country comparisons.
 
Publisher AOSIS
 
Contributor
Date 2025-04-16
 
Type info:eu-repo/semantics/article info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion — Survey
Format text/html application/epub+zip text/xml application/pdf
Identifier 10.4102/sajim.v27i1.1926
 
Source South African Journal of Information Management; Vol 27, No 1 (2025); 16 pages 1560-683X 2078-1865
 
Language eng
 
Relation
The following web links (URLs) may trigger a file download or direct you to an alternative webpage to gain access to a publication file format of the published article:

https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1926/3141 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1926/3142 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1926/3143 https://sajim.co.za/index.php/sajim/article/view/1926/3144
 
Coverage — — —
Rights Copyright (c) 2025 Kebashnee Moodley, Lavina Sookhdeo https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0
ADVERTISEMENT