The impact of perceived experience with ChatGPT on online consumers' information searching behavior: an empirical study of Iranian college students

Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of perceived experience with ChatGPT on online consumers' information searching behavior. The study also examines the moderating effects of those relationships. Design/methodology/approach Primary data were collected through an online survey. In total, 370 eligible responses were received. This study applied partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) for data analysis. Findings The findings demonstrate that both perceived personalization and perceived relevance have a direct impact on online consumers' information searching behaviors. Additionally, the results also indicate that perceived accuracy and perceived convenience lead to positive online consumers' information searching behavior. Moreover, age and gender and education level play moderating mechanisms in this relationship. Practical implications Overall, the conclusions of this study provide valuable insights into the potential of ChatGPT to improve online consumers behavior. However, there are still many unanswered questions about the impact of ChatGPT on consumers' experience. Future research is needed to explore these questions and to further our understanding of the potential of ChatGPT to revolutionize online information searching and digital marketing. Originality/value To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this paper is the first of its kind to highlight the impact of perceived experience with ChatGPT on online consumers' information searching behavior of its extensive use in scientific research and academic work. The importance of this study lies in the fact that it presents the behaviors concerns and future fears of people in academia as they cope with and deal with the inevitable reality of artificial intelligence (AI) language models such as ChatGPT.