The Power of AI in Retail E-Commerce: What Drives Online Customer Word-of-Mouth Intention Toward AI-Powered Shopping Applications?
Ghada ElSayad, Hebat Allah Mamdouh Mostafa · International Journal of Human-Computer Interaction · 2025
Scholars have shown a prominent interest in studying customer behavioral intentions toward the adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) within the retail e-commerce industry. Despite this, there is little attention given to customer intentions to spread word-of-mouth (WOM) in this context. This study addresses this gap by investigating the factors influencing customers’ intentions to engage in WOM communication for retail applications powered by AI. Data from 284 Gen Z and millennial respondents was analyzed using partial least squares structural equation modeling. The findings revealed that perceived usefulness and trust influence WOM intention and mediate the relationship between customization and WOM intention. Additionally, customization, perceived performance risk, and trust influence perceived usefulness, which mediates the relationship between perceived performance risk and WOM intention. This study emphasizes the importance of understanding customers’ WOM intentions in AI-driven retail contexts, offering valuable theoretical and practical implications for the advocacy of smart technologies in retail e-commerce.