Why Consumers Value Traditionally Made Products

In an age of mechanized mass production, people have increasingly yearned for products made in more traditional ways. Handmade goods and artisanal foods are not just fads; they continue to have a significant impact in the marketplace. Anecdotally, it seems that consumers value these products because they think they're higher in quality. There are plenty of reasons why this might happen. Maybe people assume that traditionally made products are built with superior craftsmanship or are rare.

But what if it's simpler than that? We wondered if people's preference for these products is less about the practical benefits of traditional production methods and more about what those methods symbolize.

Testing People's Preferences for the Traditional

Traditional production methods rely on skills, knowledge, tools, and techniques that have been used by a group or society for a long period of time. Traditionally made products encompass those made completely or partially by hand, as well as ones produced using traditional machines. This does not mean that traditionally made products avoid modern technology since there are often stages of a production process where the use of traditional methods is unfeasible. What matters is that a salient aspect of a product's production is drawn from the past, not the present.

To examine how people respond to the use of traditional production methods, we conducted six experiments with nearly 2,500 participants who evaluated products in a variety of categories such as wine, food, and clothing. Some were shown products described as made using a traditional method, while others saw similar products that were either described as made using a standard method or there was no mention of the production method. Respondents then rated the products' quality, and, in some studies, indicated their willingness to purchase the product.

We consistently found that participants rated traditionally made products to be higher in quality and were more willing to purchase them. These preferences did not occur simply because traditional production methods lead people to make assumptions about the company's size, product scarcity, or the time and effort invested in making the products.

Why Do Consumers Find Value in Traditional Production?

Perhaps people are quick to embrace traditionally made products as a reaction against modernization. Contemporary society has largely transformed from agrarian and traditional to industrial and modern. Although modernization has had many positive effects, some people worry that it has come at the cost of cultural heritage, such as traditional craftsmanship.

We proposed that when a company forgoes the benefits of modern production methods such as economies of scale in favor of traditional methods, people view the company as being concerned about preserving cultural heritage. Therefore, when people learn that a company uses traditional production methods, they believe the company is socially responsible and good for society. This belief spills over to perceptions of the quality of the company's products.

Consistent with this notion, our results show that people no longer have a bias toward traditionally made products when they believe a company is unconcerned about cultural preservation. For instance, in one study, participants judged a brand of bread to be higher in quality when they were told the bread maker used traditional tools and techniques to convert grain into flour. This effect went away, however, when they were led to believe the company only does this because its competitors launched brands that use a similar method. In another study, we found that people's positive evaluation of traditionally made chocolate disappears when they are told the chocolate is made by a multinational company since multinationals are often criticized for being unconcerned about cultural heritage.

Conclusion

Although there are numerous reasons to appreciate traditionally made products such as handmade goods and artisanal foods, we found that people also value how these products are made because they view traditional production as a form of cultural preservation. Since producers who use traditional methods only see a boost in consumer attitude when they're viewed as being motivated by cultural preservation, it is important for brands that use traditional production to convey authenticity so that consumers perceive their motives as pure.

For Further Reading

Wilcox, K., Laporte, S., & Ward, G. (2023). How traditional production shapes perceptions of product quality. Journal of Consumer Research, https://doi.org/10.1093/jcr/ucad073
 

Keith Wilcox is the Macy's Foundation Professor in the marketing department at the Mays Business School, Texas A&M University. His research examines branding, self-control, and consumer motivation.

Sandra Laporte is a Full Professor of Marketing at the Toulouse School of Management,  Toulouse Capitole University. Her research studies how individuals interact with and judge technology, and the development of false beliefs and opinion polarization in a misinformation context.

Gabriel Ward is a doctoral student at the Mays Business School, Texas A&M University. His research explores how consumers and brands interact with heritage and how social stigmatization affects consumers.