Handicraft production or
craft production is a
small–scale production of
products using manual labor. It was especially common in the
Middle Ages, during the era of the
Industrial Revolution it was mainly supplanted by
mass production, however, it still exists for the production of goods such as
luxury goods. The "handmade effect" is a phenomenon where consumers exhibit a preference for products that are crafted by
human labor rather than produced through automated or
robotic processes. This preference is particularly pronounced for products with higher symbolic value, where expressing one's
beliefs and
personality holds greater significance.
Consumers, especially in contexts emphasizing symbolic consumption, have a stronger motivation for
uniqueness and associate human labor more closely with product uniqueness. In product categories where
mechanical production is common, consumers are more attracted to products labeled as handmade. The positive handmade effect on
product attractiveness is driven, in large part, by the perception that handmade products symbolically "contain
love." The handmade effect is influenced by two key factors. Firstly, consumers express stronger intentions to purchase handmade products when buying
gifts for loved ones, compared to more distant recipients. Secondly, they are
willing to pay a higher price for handmade gifts when the purchase is motivated by the desire to convey love rather than simply acquiring the best-performing product. The handicraft method of production has been used by people since ancient times. Initially, people engaged in handicraft production aimed to satisfy the needs of their own economy, however, with the development of
commodity–money relations, an increasing number of
goods produced by them began to be supplied to the
market. Mostly these were household products: dishes, furniture, jewelry, souvenirs, clothes, shoes. However, over time, other goods, such as
weapons, began to go on sale. In
pre–revolutionary Russia, handicraft production was quite widespread: about 30% of all manufactured products were produced by handicraft methods. Products were sold at
fairs, and
barter exchange was widespread. Some state economies, such as
that of Vietnam, are largely based on handicraft production. For example, in the 1950s in
North Vietnam, there were more than 100,000 handicraft enterprises. In the early 1970s, even before the end of the
war, handicraft production provided about half of all the products of the local industry and almost a third of the total industrial production of the republic. By 1977, after the reunification of Vietnam, there were 700,000 handicraftsmen in
South Vietnam. Handicraft production in
Nepal withstands competition with industrial production and foreign goods, which is explained not only by economic and natural–geographical factors, but also by the support and encouragement of the handicraft industry from the state.
Craft production at the community scale Craft production is a part of the informal economy in many cities, such as Istanbul, Turkey where the informal craft economy is a vital source of income for the Turkish craftspeople. Craft markets are highly dependent on social interactions, and verbal training which results in variations in the goods produced. Often, the craft economy consists of craft neighbourhoods, by which a community is structured on the craft activity present in the area. Often used in the household, many craft goods such as historic Mumun Pottery in Korea, originated from the need for economic alternatives to meet household needs. Changes in the craft economies have often coincided with changes in household organization, and social transformations, as in Korea in the Early to Middle Mumun Period. Given that craft production requires an intimate knowledge of methods of production from an experienced individual of that craft, the connection between trades people is highly evident in craft communities. The production of many crafts have a high technical demand, and therefore require full-time specialization of the skill-set in the form of workshops, or verbal, hands-on training. These communities are often tight-knit, with strong linkages to materials produced and sold, as well as mutual respect for fellow tradesmen in the market place. == List of common handicrafts ==