I genuinely recognize you: how technological engagement and privacy increase the online purchase intent of consumers

Purpose The purpose of the study was to explore the purchase intention of online consumers by proposing and validating a model supported by exhaustive reviews from top-rated journals, where digital technology, consumer privacy, consumer engagement and online advertising were the extracted constructs influencing consumer learning on digital platforms and finally evaluating the purchase intention of online consumers. Design/methodology/approach A questionnaire representing these constructs was then sent to the 470 respondents on LinkedIn, and then designations like business heads, managers and faculty from educational institutions were selected using a stratified sampling technique and, finally, PLS-SEM robust computation standards aided in research model assessment and validation. Findings Results predicted that the variance explained by individual independent constructs defines consumer privacy as a priority for companies, followed by online advertising, consumer engagement and digital technology while measuring the final purchase intent for online consumption. Also, with dynamism in consumer sentiments and a rapidly changing technological environment, the consumer’s digital behaviour may differ in the coming future in relation to their online purchase intent. Research limitations/implications Current research anticipates that the final online purchase intent of consumers has been vividly covered by our independent constructs, but an unexplained R 2 of 31% still promotes prospects related to the existing research. Furthermore, India has a huge rural population that, with a lack of money, has a complex behavioural mindset due to religious issues. Practical implications It is important to note that in a real-time market, a better understanding of the duality of persuasive and smart technology and the evaluation of the performance of social media helps in deciding the final online consumer intent. Originality/value The need for digital transformation has become an essential necessity for companies while managing the expectations and needs of the fastest-growing online consumers.