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The mediating effect of user satisfaction and the moderated mediating effect of AI anxiety on the relationship between perceived usefulness and subscription payment intention

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  • Liu, Yang
  • Park, Younggeun
  • Wang, Huizhong

Abstract

Generative AI applications like ChatGPT from OpenAI help users reach new levels of productivity. ChatGPT has gained countless new users signing up and sharing use cases online since its release. The paid version, GPT 4.0, was also recognized by some subscribers. However, there is a dearth of theoretical understanding regarding the generative AI subscription intentions of users. This study endeavors to explore the influence of ChatGPT users' perceived usefulness on both satisfaction and their intention to pay for a subscription, as well as the moderated mediating effect of artificial intelligence anxiety on the process of user decision-making. To achieve this goal, 274 samples were collected and validated for reliability analysis, validity analysis, regression analysis, and moderated mediation analysis by AMOS 28 and SPSS 27. The findings of this research demonstrate that perceived usefulness influences user satisfaction positively and further affects subscription payment intention. Furthermore, user satisfaction serves as a partial mediator in the connection between perceived usefulness and subscription payment intention. By employing moderated mediation analysis, this paper discovers that AI anxiety amplifies the aforementioned associations, which is counterintuitive yet intriguing. Overall, this study adds to the knowledge of generative AI users’ subscription payment intention and provides valuable insights for designing and popularizing generative AI tools.

Suggested Citation

  • Liu, Yang & Park, Younggeun & Wang, Huizhong, 2025. "The mediating effect of user satisfaction and the moderated mediating effect of AI anxiety on the relationship between perceived usefulness and subscription payment intention," Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:joreco:v:84:y:2025:i:c:s0969698924004727
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jretconser.2024.104176
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