<p>Cognitive schema is pivotal for understanding consumer buying patterns, encompassing attitude, objective knowledge, and subjective knowledge. While prior studies have examined these elements separately, their integrated role, mediated by social media and moderated by income, remains underexplored, and their predictive capability has not been empirically established. This study investigates the predictive power of cognitive schema and their role in buying patterns using a hybrid structural equation modelling and artificial neural network (SEM–ANN) approach. Data were collected from 607 respondents across five Indian cities using non-probability sampling. The findings suggest that, after controlling for social media as a mediator&#xa0;and income as a moderator, attitude does not significantly influence buying patterns, whereas objective and subjective knowledge are significant predictors. In the absence of a moderator and mediator, all components substantially influenced the buying patterns. The integrated SEM–ANN model predicted buying patterns with 83% accuracy within the sampled population. This study advances the understanding of how cognitive schema affect buying patterns through social media and across income levels. From a managerial perspective, enhancing consumer knowledge through data-driven and income-sensitive social media strategies can strengthen buying patterns. The generalisability of the findings is limited by the study’s cross-sectional design and non-probability sampling, suggesting the need for longitudinal and cross-cultural validation using neuro-analytic techniques.</p>