When AI Knows What You Want Before You Search: Impact of Predictive Marketing on Purchase Decisions Among College Students

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is transforming digital marketing by enabling businesses to move beyond responding to customer behaviour towards predicting customer needs and preferences.College students, as active users of digital platforms, are increasingly exposed to AI-driven recommendations, personalised advertisements and content based on their online activities.In several instances, products or services appear on digital platforms even before consumers actively search for them.This emerging pattern raises an important question: whether AI merely predicts consumer preferences or also influences the choices consumers eventually make.The present study aims to examine the influence of AI-driven predictive marketing on the purchase decisions of college students.The study focuses on key factors including personalised recommendations, predictive advertising, perceived relevance, consumer trust, privacy concerns and purchase intention.A descriptive and analytical research design will be adopted for the study.Primary data will be collected from college students through a structured questionnaire, supported by relevant secondary literature on Artificial Intelligence, digital marketing and consumer behaviour.The collected data will be analysed using appropriate statistical techniques to identify patterns and examine the relationship between exposure to AI driven marketing and purchase intention.The study seeks to understand how young consumers perceive marketing practices that appear to anticipate their needs and preferences.It will further examine whether predictive marketing is perceived as convenient and relevant or as intrusive and overly influential.The research is expected to provide insights into the changing nature of consumer decision-making in an AI driven digital environment and offer practical implications for marketers seeking to use predictive technologies while maintaining consumer trust, transparency and responsible marketing practices.