Head Off Rejection of the Handmade

Handcrafted items appeal to shoppers because they seem to incorporate the essence of the creator more than do machine-produced items. But researchers at University of Liverpool Management School, Lingnan University, and Hong Kong Polytechnic University identify a circumstance in which the perceived presence of the essence instead turns prospects against the handcrafted. This occurs when the prospect feels their personal control is at risk.
     Some study participants were asked to describe an incident in which they’d lost personal control of a situation. Such an incident might be the breakup of a romantic relationship when the other party pulls away or the need to move from an apartment when the rent is raised. The other study participants were asked to describe a typical day. Each participant was then asked to evaluate a coffee mug. For some participants the mug was described as handcrafted, while for the others, it was not.
     Among those participants asked to describe a typical day, favorability ratings were higher when handcrafted was in the product description. Among those participants asked to recall the loss of control, a handcrafted description led to lower overall ratings. Additional experiments in the set showed this effect with other items you might find at craft fairs—a scarf and a woven coaster.
     Shoppers who lack confidence in their personal control aim to restore that confidence by establishing psychological ownership over their products. This effort is more challenging when the shopper perceives that a craftsperson has contaminated the product's ownership.
     Other studies have analyzed additional explanations for the general attraction to the handmade: 

• More effort to produce than the machine-made, so greater significance 
• Increased authenticity 
• Greater creator pride in production, which deserves to be rewarded 
• Unavoidable variations, so item uniqueness 
• Closer attention to detail, so higher quality

     When researchers at Cornell University, WU Vienna University of Economics and Business, and Technische Universität München statistically controlled for these five, yet another factor emerged: Shoppers intending to show love to recipients prefer handcrafted to machine-produced. This shows in stronger purchase intentions for handmade products when buying gifts for loved ones.
     If an item is intended to express love, highlight the handcrafted aspects. In times of widespread consumer doubts about personal control, such as during a natural disaster or pandemic, deemphasize the handcrafted aspects. Also stay aware that even in stable times, some individuals may feel low personal control.

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