The Genuine Handmade: How the Production Method Influences Consumers' Behavioral Intentions through Naturalness and Authenticity

The present research suggests a new perspective to investigate the downstream effect of the production method on consumer responses. The authors propose that the higher behavioral intentions (e.g., likelihood to purchase and willingness to pay a premium price) assigned to handmade products can be attributed to the perceived naturalness and authenticity associated with the production method. The findings of three experimental studies confirm these predictions. They show that due to perceptions of naturalness, consumers view handmade products as more authentic and valuable than identical products made by machines or automated processes. This research has relevant implications for theories about production method and authenticity and its related psychological mechanisms in the consumption context as well as marketing practice.