Does ‘made with love’ sell? Research reveals who values handmade products the most
<p><em><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tuba-degirmenci-2291455">Tuba Degirmenci</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frank-mathmann-703900">Frank Mathmann</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gary-mortimer-1322">Gary Mortimer</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p>
<p>We’ve all seen the marketing message “handmade with love”. It’s designed to tug at our heartstrings, suggesting extra care and affection went into crafting a product.</p>
<p>As Valentine’s Day approaches, many businesses will ramp up such messaging in their advertising.</p>
<p>Handmade gifts are often cast as more thoughtful, special options than their mass-produced, machine-made alternatives.</p>
<p>But does “love” actually sell? Our new <a href="https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/cb.2455">research</a>, published in the Journal of Consumer Behaviour, reveals not everyone feels the same way about these labels.</p>
<p>Why do some people feel handmade products are made with love, while others don’t really care? We found it’s all about how they approach purchase decisions.</p>
<h2>A deeper, human connection</h2>
<p>Why do businesses market products as handmade? Previous research has shown handmade labels can lead to higher positive emotions. This tendency is known as the “<a href="https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1509/jm.14.0018">handmade effect</a>”.</p>
<p>In a world of seemingly perfect and polished products, <a href="https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/09590551211267593/full/html">research</a> shows consumers increasingly prefer human (as opposed to machine) interactions, including in their shopping experiences.</p>
<p>It’s also been shown that giving handmade gifts can <a href="https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11002-024-09722-w">promote social relationships</a>.</p>
<p>We often associated handmade products with smaller “cottage” retailers. But many major global retailers – including <a href="https://www.amazon.com/b?ie=UTF8&node=120955898011">Amazon</a> and <a href="https://www.ikea.com/au/en/new/handcrafted-textiles-for-a-better-future-pub6fc26570/">IKEA</a> – have strategically introduced handmade products, aiming to connect on a deeper emotional level with their consumers.</p>
<p>Our research found not all consumers respond in the same way to these marketing messages.</p>
<figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kYn-xUjv_qs?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe><figcaption><span class="caption">IKEA has previously run a dedicated handmade marketing campaign.</span></figcaption></figure>
<h2>Who cares about love?</h2>
<p>Across two studies, we found that the response to marketing products as “handmade” depends on a consumer’s locomotion orientation – put simply, how they approach decisions and other actions.</p>
<p><a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0022435917300155">Low-locomotion individuals</a> take things more slowly. They take their time and can thoroughly consider their purchase decisions. Think of them as the “mindful”.</p>
<p>In contrast, high-locomotion individuals are “doers”. They like to get things done quickly without getting stuck in the details. They are the “grab-and-go” shopper.</p>
<p>When the way they perform an action – such as making a purchase – matches their fast-paced mindset, something remarkable happens: they experience what’s called “<a href="https://myscp.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jcpy.1317">regulatory fit</a>”.</p>
<p>This fit boosts their emotions and engagement.</p>
<h2>Our first study</h2>
<p>In our first study, participants imagined buying a gift for a loved one. They were split into three groups and presented with a photo of the same mug.</p>
<p>One group was informed that the mug was “handmade”, one group informed it was “machine-made”, and the last group was not offered any “production cue”.</p>
<p>We also asked and measured how much “love” they felt the mug contained – and how much they would pay for it.</p>
<p>The handmade mug evoked more love and led to a higher willingness to pay – but only for those with a “low-locomotion” orientation.</p>
<p>High-locomotion individuals didn’t react in the same way. For these “doers”, the backstory of how the mug had been made wasn’t as important as just getting a product they needed.</p>
<p>For the “doers”, the benefits of marketing the mug as handmade actually backfired.</p>
<p>They felt more love for the mug if it had no label at all.</p>
<h2>Our second study</h2>
<p>By communicating with consumers on social media, marketers can trigger a mindset called “regulatory locomotion mode”. Put simply, this is the mode where we take action and make progress toward goals.</p>
<p>Marketers can do this by using <a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.79.5.793">locomotion-activating</a> words such as “move” and “go” to encourage active decision-making.</p>
<p>To borrow one famous example from Nike: “<a href="https://psycnet.apa.org/doiLanding?doi=10.1037%2F0022-3514.79.5.793">Just Do It</a>”.</p>
<p>Our second study examined the marketer-generated content of over 9,000 Facebook posts from the verified <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Etsy">Etsy</a> Facebook page.</p>
<p>We analysed how locomotion-activating words in social media posts for handmade products influence consumer engagement.</p>
<p>In other words, we wanted to understand how these words affected social media engagement with the potential consumers reading them, particularly in terms of social media shares.</p>
<p>We found the higher an individual’s locomotion orientation was, the fewer social media “shares” for handmade products occurred.</p>
<h2>So, does handmade really matter?</h2>
<p>As we get closer to Valentine’s Day, understanding these differences can help retailers tailor their marketing strategies.</p>
<p>For “mindful” customers, retailers should highlight the story of the craftsmanship, care, and love behind a handmade product for Valentine’s Day. Use emotional language such as “made with love”.</p>
<p>But be aware this mightn’t work on everyone. For a customer base of “doers”, keep it simple, leaving out unnecessary details about production methods.</p>
<p>There are a range of <a href="https://marketingplatform.google.com/about/">website analytical tools</a> that can help retailers identify how their customers approach their purchase decision-making.</p>
<p>Do they browse quickly, hopping from one product to the next, opting for “<a href="https://www.business.com/articles/one-click-purchasing-how-click-to-buy-is-revolutionizing-ecommerce/">one-click</a>” purchasing? Or do they take their time, browsing slowly and considering their product selection?</p>
<p>Personalised marketing messages can then be crafted to emphasise the aspects – love or efficiency – that matter most to each group. The key lies in knowing who you’re speaking to.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/247351/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /></p>
<p><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/tuba-degirmenci-2291455">T<em>uba Degirmenci</em></a><em>, PhD Candidate School of Advertising, Marketing and Public Relations, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/frank-mathmann-703900">Frank Mathmann</a>, Lecturer (Assistant Professor), <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/gary-mortimer-1322">Gary Mortimer</a>, Professor of Marketing and Consumer Behaviour, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/queensland-university-of-technology-847">Queensland University of Technology</a></em></p>
<p><em>Image credits: Shutterstock</em></p>
<p><em>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/does-made-with-love-sell-research-reveals-who-values-handmade-products-the-most-247351">original article</a>.</em></p>
