Intention to purchase sustainable craft products: a moderated mediation analysis of the adoption of sustainability in the craft sector

In the modern world, the management of companies has evolved from a model characterized by the extraction, transformation, and generation of waste towards a more sustainable model. This transition affects even more traditional sectors, such as crafts. A key aspect of the transition towards more sustainable models is knowledge of the disposition of consumers with respect to these new artisan products. To date, few works have addressed this research problem, so this paper analyses consumer behaviour towards sustainable craft products empirically. To accomplish this goal, the effect of the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers on their purchase intention is studied. Attitudes towards sustainable crafts, purchase intention, degree of consumer involvement and degree of knowledge concerning sustainability are considered as moderating variables. A questionnaire was distributed to a sample of handicraft consumers, and confirmatory factor analysis and an ordinary least squares regression model were used to study the data thus obtained. The results showed that the image of sustainable craft products as perceived by consumers influences their purchase intentions. In addition, this influence is increased when consumer attitudes towards and involvement with sustainable craft products increase. The results of this study can be useful for the sustainable crafts sector with respect to incorporating more sustainable products and designing marketing and communication strategies to help consumers learn about sustainability.