The Mediating Role of Perceived Enjoyment and Social Presence in Chatbot Commerce: Emphasizing the Effect of Anthropomorphism on Generation Z Consumers’ Purchase Intention

Abstract

The widespread adoption of intelligent technologies in marketing and sales processes has significantly transformed the way businesses interact with customers. Among these technologies, chatbots have emerged as one of the most important artificial intelligence-based tools, playing an increasingly prominent role in customer service delivery, guidance, and support throughout the purchasing journey. One of the key approaches in chatbot design and implementation is anthropomorphism, whereby chatbots are designed to exhibit human-like characteristics in terms of appearance, language, tone, and behavior. In the contemporary digital environment, the emergence of conversational commerce has established a new paradigm in brand–customer interactions, where conversations increasingly replace traditional website-based search activities. However, the success of this technology largely depends on how customers perceive their interactions with artificial intelligence systems. One of the most effective strategies for enhancing these interactions is chatbot anthropomorphism, which facilitates distinctive customer experiences by incorporating human-like attributes. In this context, Generation Z, as a digitally native cohort that conducts a substantial portion of its online shopping activities through messaging platforms, is particularly sensitive to the qualitative characteristics of chatbots. Despite the importance of this issue, a significant research gap remains regarding how anthropomorphism translates into purchasing behavior through psychological mechanisms such as perceived enjoyment and social presence. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the mediating role of perceived enjoyment and social presence in chatbot commerce, with a particular emphasis on the effect of anthropomorphism on the purchase intention of Generation Z consumers. This study is applied in terms of purpose and employs a survey-based research design for data collection. The statistical population consisted of active users of intelligent chatbot platforms in 2026. Given the unlimited population size, a sample of 190 respondents was determined using Cochran’s formula. Descriptive statistics and demographic data analysis were conducted using SPSS version 24, while inferential analyses were performed through Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) using SmartPLS 3 software. Data were collected using standardized questionnaires. The findings revealed that chatbot anthropomorphism plays a critical role in shaping positive perceptions among Generation Z consumers and significantly enhances purchase intention through two complementary pathways: perceived enjoyment and social presence.