AI-based recommendations are revolutionising the digital marketplace by impacting the impulse buying behaviour. This research addresses the psychological effect of AI-based recommendations by examining certain pivotal variables, which include perceived urgency, emotional engagement, relevance, and trust. A mixed-methods approach with 200 respondents was employed to investigate the power of these factors for spontaneous purchasing intention. It shows that urgency, emotional engagement, and perceived relevance are the strongest drivers of impulse buying; whereas, the role of trust is significantly reduced. The regression model explains the variance in impulse buying behaviour is 58%, highlighting that how powerful the psychological triggers utilised through AI enabled personalisation are. Theoretical contributions can be found in the emerging research on ethics related to AI while practical implications make this study important for marketers to develop AI systems and recommendations ethically as well as for promoting awareness amongst consumers and protecting data privacy. The article also contributes to critical discussions about responsible AI use and the ethics of behavioural targeting.
Artificial Intelligence, Recommendation Systems, Impulse Buying, Consumer Psychology, Emotional Cognitive Biases, Consumer Autonomy.