Loading article...
Loading article...
Stream/Area:
-
Subject:
-
Paper ID:
IJSREM65233
Volume:
10 |
6 |
Jun 2026
Pages:
1-8
Publication Frequency:
Monthly (12 issues per year)
License:International Journal of Scientific Research in Engineering and Management follows the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 (CC BY 4.0) License, allowing free use and distribution with proper attribution.
Department of Master of Business Administration
MLR Institute of Technology
Department of Master of Business Administration
MLR Institute of Technology
Department of Master of Business Administration
MLR Institute of Technology
This study examines the comparative influence of AI-driven personalization and influencer marketing on the purchase behavior of Generation Z consumers in India, with specific reference to Myntra (fashion e-commerce) and Blinkit (quick commerce). Using a mixed-methods research design, primary quantitative data was collected from 77 Gen Z respondents (ages 18–29) through a structured Likert-scale questionnaire and analyzed using Ridge and Lasso Regression, t-tests, ANOVA, mediation analysis (Sobel test), and Pearson correlation. The findings reveal that AI recommendation engines are the strongest predictor of impulse purchases (r = 0.822, p < 0.001), while micro-influencers enjoy significantly higher trust than celebrity endorsers (t = 3.282, p < 0.01). The mediation analysis demonstrates that AI does not replace influencer marketing but amplifies its effectiveness through precisely timed content delivery (Sobel Z = 10.24, p < 0.001). Furthermore, privacy discomfort does not significantly erode platform loyalty when tangible personalization benefits are perceived. The study contributes an integrated AI-Influencer Hybrid framework and offers actionable recommendations for Indian e-commerce platforms targeting the projected USD 100 billion Gen Z digital spend by 2030.
KEYWORDS
This study demonstrates that for Gen Z consumers in India, AI-driven personalization and influencer marketing are not competing strategies but complementary forces. AI serves as the foundational infrastructure driving impulse purchases (r = 0.822), while micro-influencers provide the authentic human connection that algorithms cannot replicate. The evidence for full mediation confirms that the most effective approach combines both, using AI to optimize the timing and targeting of influencer content. As Indian digital commerce moves toward the projected USD 100 billion opportunity by 2030, success will depend on platforms' ability to integrate algorithmic precision with human authenticity across India's diverse geographic and linguistic landscape.
[1] Bain & Company, "How India shops online 2025," Bain & Company and Flipkart, 2025. [2] Deloitte India, "The rise of discovery commerce in India," Deloitte Insights, 2024. [3] V. Bhutani, "Recipe Rover: AI-driven meal recommendations in quick commerce," unpublished, 2023. [4] Meta and Bain & Company, "Influencer marketing in India: Trends and outlook," Industry Report, 2024. [5] I. Ajzen, "The theory of planned behavior," Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes, vol. 50, no. 2, pp. 179–211, 1991. [6] D. Gefen, E. Karahanna, and D. W. Straub, "Trust and TAM in online shopping: An integrated model," MIS Quarterly, vol. 27, no. 1, pp. 51–90, 2003. [7] M. Eisenbeiss, "The effects of personalized advertising on click-through rates," Journal of Interactive Marketing, vol. 31, pp. 13–24, 2015. [8] K. D. Martin and P. E. Murphy, "The role of data privacy in marketing," Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science, vol. 45, no. 2, pp. 135–155, 2017. [9] D. Grewal, A. L. Roggeveen, and J. Nordfalt, "The future of retailing," Journal of Retailing, vol. 93, no. 1, pp. 1–6, 2017. [10] K. Jarek and G. Mazurek, "Marketing and artificial intelligence," Central European Business Review, vol. 8, no. 2, pp. 46–55, 2019.
Publication Date
6/20/2026
Peer Review Type
Double-Blind Peer Review
Review Rounds: 2
Documents
Article Views
0
Total views since publication
PDF Downloads
3
Total downloads since publication
Geographic Reach
5
Digital Preservation: This article is permanently archived on Zenodo and complies with all data preservation standards across major indexing platforms.
Plagiarism Screening
This manuscript has been checked for plagiarism using TurnitinPlagiarismChecker software.
Conflict of Interest
The authors declare no conflict of interest related to this research work.
Funding Information
No funding information available for this research.
Related research in the same subject area
Loading similar articles...