The Impact of AI Chatbots on the Purchase Intention of Gen Z in Ho Chi Minh City
Corressponding author's email:
lananhnt@hcmute.edu.vnDOI:
https://doi.org/10.54644/jte.2026.2348Keywords:
AI Chatbot, Gen Z, User Attitude, Purchase intention, SOR modelAbstract
As AI Chatbots are increasingly adopted in e-commerce, examining the impact of AI Chatbot characteristics on Gen Z consumers’ purchase intention in Ho Chi Minh City has become essential. This study investigates the factors influencing Gen Z’s purchase intention in Ho Chi Minh City by integrating the Stimulus–Organism–Response (SOR) model. The stimuli from AI Chatbots include information quality, service quality, perceived usefulness, interactivity, and anthropomorphism. Data were collected from 290 valid questionnaires and analyzed using the Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM) approach. The results indicate that all five factors positively influence users’ attitudes toward AI Chatbots (p < 0.05), with anthropomorphism having the strongest effect (β = 0.251). Users’ attitudes play a mediating role and significantly enhance purchase intention (β = 0.625; p < 0.001). These findings highlight that Gen Z prefers chatbots with more human-like and socially engaging communication styles rather than mechanical responses. This study contributes to extending the SOR framework by identifying AI Chatbot characteristics as important stimuli and clarifying the mediating role of attitude in driving purchase intention. Furthermore, the study provides practical implications for businesses to optimize chatbot functionalities by developing natural communication styles and enhancing perceived value to encourage consumer purchasing behavior.
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