Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

[Link]

The self-creation effect: making a product

supports its mindful consumption and the consumer’s
well-being

Johanna Brunneder 1 & Utpal Dholakia 2

Published online: 7 August 2018

# Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature 2018

Abstract
Popular cultural movements such as Slow Food and the Maker Movement emphasize
product self-creation―personally creating products, then consuming them, as a core
value. We present the first research to examine how product self-creation affects the
individual’s consumption experience of such products and their well-being. Seven field
and lab studies provide evidence that when consumers self-create a product, they
appreciate it to a greater degree, are likely to consume it more mindfully, and experi-
ence greater domain-specific and general well-being. The individual’s private self-
consciousness strengthens the effect. Self-creating products offers consumers with a
practical, versatile, and personal interest-driven way to transcend their traditional role,
to consume more consciously and sustainably, while concurrently enhancing the
enjoyment of their consumption experience.

Keywords Product self-creation . Mindfulness . Mindful consumption . Consumer well-

being . Consciousness

1 Introduction

Product self-creation, defined as instances where consumers make the product

themselves before consuming it, is an integral part of consumer culture.

* Johanna Brunneder
[Link]@[Link]

Utpal Dholakia
dholakia@[Link]

1
EDHEC Business School, 393 Promenade des Anglais, BP 3116, F - 06202 Nice Cedex 3, France
2
Jones Graduate School of Business, Rice University, 6100 Main Street – MS 531, Houston,
TX 77005, USA
378 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

Consider the broad acceptance of 3D printing technology that allows consumers

to create personalized products such as custom-fitted earphones, jewelry, and
shoe inserts (Zaleski 2016). Or consider the size of the Do-It-Yourself (DIY)
home improvement market, which has grown to $200 billion in the USA alone.
In 2016, over 80% of surveyed consumers who were planning home improve-
ments said they would do at least some of the work themselves (Craig 2016).
Numerous other self-creation activities such as cooking, gardening, and sewing
are also widely popular.
Existing research shows that when consumers design a product or assemble
it themselves, they place greater financial value on it relative to similar ready-
made items (Atakan et al. 2014; Franke et al. 2010; Norton et al. 2012). They
also like self-prepared food more than food prepared by someone else (Dohle
et al. 2014). However, what about subsequent consumption of self-created
products, and its effect on consumers’ well-being (Sirgy and Lee 2007)?
Specifically, can product self-creation lead to more mindful product consump-
tion and greater well-being? And if so, why?
In this research, our central thesis is that when consumers make a product
themselves, they will be likely to consume it more mindfully, which in turn
will be associated with greater well-being. We reason that by putting con-
sumers in control of product creation, self-creation strengthens their appreci-
ation for the product they have created and increases their attention during the
experience of its consumption. We develop a conceptual framework that
develops our primary thesis that self-creation enhances mindful consumption,
and identifies a core mediator, product appreciation, and a core moderator of
this relationship, the consumer’s self-consciousness. This conceptual frame-
work is shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 1 Conceptual framework

Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389 379

2 Development of research hypotheses

We define mindful consumption as Bthe amount of conscious and sustained attention

the consumer gives to the activity and experience of consumption.^ Our definition is
close to, and draws from, definitions of mindfulness espoused by scholars and
practitioners of Buddhism like Hanh (1976) who defines it as Bkeeping one’s con-
sciousness alive to the present reality^ (p. 11), and social psychologists such as Brown
and Ryan (2003) who define it as the Bpropensity or willingness to be aware and to
sustain attention to what is occurring in the present.^ (p. 822). We focus more narrowly
on the attention the consumer gives to a particular consumption experience.

3 The relationship between self-creation and mindful consumption

In recent years, a number of studies have considered the effects of different forms of
consumer engagement in the production process. Particularly noteworthy is the research
on the BIKEA effect^ (Norton et al. 2012) and the BI designed it myself effect^ (Franke et al.
2010). In a set of four laboratory studies that involved performing tasks such as assembling
IKEA boxes, folding origami, and building sets of Lego, Norton et al. (2012) found that
self-creating customers valued their creations more than those given equivalent ready-made
products. In one study, for example, those who assembled IKEA boxes were willing to pay
$.78, but those who received pre-assembled boxes were prepared to pay only $.48. Franke
and Schreier (2010) studied product design and showed that after controlling for the
consumer’s satisfaction with the product’s features (or Bpreference matching^) and the
amount of effort expended on its design, self-designed products still generated a greater
willingness to pay among consumers.
We study product self-creation across different consumption domains. Examples of self-
creation activities from our studies include cooking a meal from scratch, sewing a garment,
making an object using 3D printing technology, and completing a DIY home improvement
project. Two aspects of the self-creation process are particularly amenable to mindful
consumption (Brown et al. 2007). First, mindfulness is more likely to occur when the
behavior, its underlying motivations, goals, and values are unique, and the person is doing
something where habitual routines cannot be readily deployed. This is the case for products
self-created with skill, effort, and engagement. Second, mindfulness in consumption is likely
to be supported when the person imbues the product creation activity with personal signif-
icance and meaning (Lips-Wiersma and Morris 2009) and transfers this generated meaning to
the consumption experience. Consuming something that has been created effortfully and with
the exercise of skill and care qualifies for meaning transference. Therefore:

& Hypothesis 1: The product’s self-creation will have a positive effect on its mindful
consumption.

4 Mindful consumption and consumer well-being

Well-being can be construed as a constellation of positive emotional and cognitive

responses to one’s current state. Brown et al.’s (2007) explanation in understanding
380 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

well-being was that Bmindfulness may facilitate well-being directly, by adding clarity
and vividness to current experience and encouraging closer, moment-to-moment sen-
sory contact with life, that is, without a dense filtering of experience through discrim-
inatory thought^ (p. 219). Well-being characterizes what one values and finds fulfilling
and the positive psychological state its acknowledgment produces. Well-being can be
domain-specific, for example, about one’s health or financial state, or it can be about
one’s life a whole, in which case, it is called general well-being. We consider both types
in our studies.
There is considerable evidence in the literature about specific benefits of mindful-
ness on well-being. Clinical psychologists have found that after inducing a
mindfulness-based cognitive therapy intervention, study participants show significant
reductions in anxiety and depressive symptoms (Evans et al. 2008; Hofmann et al.
2010). Brown and Ryan (2003) found that trait mindfulness, as measured using their
mindful attention and awareness scales, was associated with lower levels of depression
and anger-hostility, and higher levels of life satisfaction, optimism, self-esteem, and
autonomy. Consider then how much the experience of consuming something mindfully
that one has created themselves and generated personal meaning for is likely to affect
the consumer’s well-being. We hypothesize:

& Hypothesis 2: Mindful consumption of the self-created product will affect the
consumer’s well-being positively.

5 The mediating role of product appreciation

The meaning generated and ascribed to the product during self-creation increases the
product’s psychic value, by providing a first-hand understanding of all the good things
it contains and all the personal energy and skill that have gone into creating it (Lips-
Wiersma and Morris 2009). Analogous to the handmade effect (Fuchs et al. 2015)
which has shown that buyers value the artisan’s essence and see it as symbolically
embedded in the handmade product through the physical process of artisanal creation,
consumers will perceive their essence imbued in the product and appreciate it to a
greater degree. Because of product appreciation, we argue that consumers will be more
amenable to devote conscious awareness and attention to the act of consuming it. In
other words, they will value the self-created product and appreciate it enough to attend
closely when consuming it to extract and experience the greatest degree of pleasure and
enjoyment from consumption. Thus:

& Hypothesis 3: The consumer’s appreciation for the self-created product will medi-
ate the effect of self-creation on mindful consumption.

6 The moderating role of private self-consciousness

While there could be many potential boundary conditions, the one we focus on within
our conceptual framework and this research is a core trait that is closely associated with
psychological processes that support consciousness and favor inward attention: the
Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389 381

consumer’s private self-consciousness. Private self-consciousness is a trait aspect of the

individual’s personality that is relevant to supporting the processes of personal meaning
generation and transference that are integral to the act of product self-creation and
consumption. Private self-consciousness refers to the consumer’s Btendency to think
about and attend to the more covert, hidden aspects of the self, aspects that are personal
in nature and not readily available to the scrutiny of other persons^ (Scheier and Carver
1985).
Our expectation is based on the idea that consumers who are prone to self-
examination will be likely to reflect more on the personal significance of their self-
creation activity while they are performing it (Fenigstein et al. 1975) and draw more
meaning from their acts of self-creation. To them, the process of self-creating a product
will make a greater contribution to the construction of their identity, and therefore, they
will be more likely to consume the product mindfully. Thus:

& Hypothesis 4: The consumer’s private self-consciousness will moderate the effect
of self-creation on mindful consumption such that higher self-consciousness will
strengthen this effect.

We tested our proposed conceptual framework with a set of seven studies that include a
combination of longitudinal field studies, survey-based investigations of the self-
creation effect in different settings such as cooking, sewing, and 3D printing, and a
laboratory study in which self-creation was manipulated through preparation and
consumption of pancakes.

7 Study 1: cooking class field study

We collaborated with the chef-owner of a Houston-based cooking class compa-

ny. In these cooking classes, participants learn to make simple main courses,
side dishes, and desserts. The course offerings range in duration from 2 to
4 weeks, and each class session is 90 minutes long. Novice cooks of this
cooking class were study participants.

Method and measures Forty-one cooking class customers (68% female, age range =
21–66, average age = 39 years) participated in the two-stage field study in exchange for
a $10 Amazon e-gift card. Each participant was surveyed twice (see Table 1 for
measurement scales), once in the beginning before receiving cooking instruction, and
then after the course, when they had learned to cook simple meals at home.

Results After completing the cooking class and cooking at home themselves,
participants reported more mindful consumption of food relative to their initial
levels (Mbefore = 3.71; Mafter = 4.21; paired samples test: t(40) = 3.33, p = .002).
Study participants ate their food more mindfully after taking the cooking class
and learning how to cook. They also indicated a higher level of health well-
being after the course (Mbefore = 4.33; Mafter = 4.56; paired samples test: t(40) =
3.32, p = .002). Eating food they had cooked themselves was positively associ-
ated with health well-being.
382 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

Table 1 Study measures

Self-creation* [studies 2, 3A, and 5]

(1) I am an avid home cook.
(2) I love experimenting with new recipes.
(3) It gives me great pleasure to create a dish using basic ingredients.
(4) I really enjoy the process of creating a meal from scratch.
(5) I shop for all the ingredients that I use in my cooking myself.
(6) I find ways to use leftovers creatively in other meals.
Mindful consumption* [studies 1, 2, 3A, 4, and 5]
(1) I keep track of what I eat every day
(2) Focusing on the experience of eating is very important to me.
(3) When eating, I like to take my time.
(4) I pay attention to every bite of food that I eat.
(5) It is very important for me to be mindful when eating.
(6) When eating, I am good at knowing when to stop.
(7) I think it is important to serve myself only as much as I can eat.
Product appreciation* [studies 3A, 3B, 3C, and 5]
(1) I have an appreciation for the food I eat.
(2) When eating a meal, I value it.
(3) When sitting down to eat, I respect the food that is in front of me.
(4) I am grateful for the food that I eat.
Well-being (health) [studies 1, 2, and 3A]
(1) Are you satisfied with your current weight?
(2) Overall, I would say that my health is _____?
(3) How would you describe your current eating habits?
Well-being (general) Diener et al. scale (1985) [studies 3B, 3C, and 5]
(1) In most ways, my life is close to my ideal.
(2) The conditions of my life are excellent.
(3) I am satisfied with my life.
(4) So far I have gotten the important things I want in life.
(5) If I could live my life over, I would change almost nothing.
Private self-consciousness Scheier and Carver’s scale (1985) [study 5]
(1) I am always trying to figure myself out;
(2) I often daydream about myself;
(3) I never take a hard look at myself; (R)
(4) I generally pay attention to my inner feelings;
(5) I think about myself a lot;
(6) I sometimes step back (in my mind) in order to examine myself from a distance;
(7) I am constantly thinking about my reasons for doing things;
(8) I am quick to notice changes in my mood; and
(9) I know the way my mind works when I work through a problem.

*Items were adapted to the specific study contexts

8 Study 2: meal kit field study

We collaborated with HelloFresh, a well-known and fast-growing meal kit delivery

company. The meal kit setting is particularly appropriate to study customer self-creation
and test our hypotheses because when they order meal kits, consumers are typically
replacing either eating out or ordering take-out food with cooking from scratch at
home.
Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389 383

Method and measures Two hundred nine US-based HelloFresh customers participated
in this two-stage field study (91.9% female, age range = 21–75; average age = 39).
Participants completed two surveys, designed by the author team and sent out by the
company, 3 weeks apart. As an incentive, the company entered participants who
completed both surveys into a raffle to win one of seven $100 Amazon gift cards.
Respondents completed measures of mindful consumption, self-creation, and well-
being both times (see Table 1). We also measured the respondent’s gender, age, income,
and education, which are used as demographic controls in the analysis.

Results We regressed the dependent variable at time 2 on its time 1 counterpart, the
predictor’s difference score, and the demographic controls using a step-wise approach.
For instance, our first set of regressions predicted mindful consumption at time 2 with
demographic controls in the first step, mindful consumption at time 1 in the second
step, and ΔSelf − creation = SC2 − SC1) in the third and final step. Similarly, to predict
the respondent’s well-being at time 2, we entered demographics in the first step, well-
being at time 1 in the second step, and ΔMindful consumption = MC2 − MC1) in the
third step.

& Hypothesis 1. In the first step, age (β = .17, t = 2.33, p = .02) was a significant
predictor of MC2, explaining 2.4% of the variance. When MC1 was added, it was a
significant predictor (β = .62, t = 11.29, p = .00). Explained variance increased to
39.7%. In the last step, adding ΔSC yielded a significant coefficient (β = .26, t =
4.97, p = .00), with explained variance increasing to 46%, a boost of 6.3%. These
results support H1.
& Hypothesis 2. With the step-wide approach, adding ΔMC in the third step yielded a
significant coefficient (β = .15, t = 3.60, p = .00), with the explained variance
increasing to 68%, an increase of 1.9%. These results support H2.

Mediation effects Using the PROCESS macro (Hayes 2012), we tested the extent to
which the effect of self-creation (ΔSC) on well-being (WB2) is mediated by mindful
consumption (ΔMC). Results revealed that using 10,000 bootstraps (Preacher and
Hayes 2004), the indirect effect is positive and significant (a × b = .046), with a 95%
confidence interval excluding zero [.023, .130]. Since the total effect (path c) is
significant (β = .141, p = .015) and a × b × c = .307 × .151 × .141 = .007 is positive,
the mediation is complementary mediation. These results support H3.

Discussion The two field studies support the hypotheses. The cooking school study
revealed that eating mindfully is associated with taking the cooking classes and
learning to cook. In the meal kit study, after ordering meal kits and cooking at home,
consumers showed more mindful food consumption and greater well-being.

9 Studies 3A–3C: cooking, sewing, and 3D printing enthusiasts

These three studies were conducted with the dual goals of investigating the mediating
role of product appreciation in the self-creation—mindful consumption relationship,
384 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

and generalizing our findings in other contexts. Accordingly, studies 3A–3C are
conducted with cooking, sewing, and 3D printing enthusiasts, respectively.

Method and measures Study 3A included 157 cooking enthusiasts (60.5% female,
average age = 53). Study 3B included 157 sewing hobbyists (66.9% female, average
age = 48.5 years). Study 3C included 121 3D printing enthusiasts (84.3% male, average
age = 35). Participants of studies 3A and 3B were online panelists recruited using a
large US-based market research company. For study 3C, we contacted managers of 14
fabrication laboratories and asked them to solicit participants from their members.
Respondents were given $10 for completing the study.

Results The results of step-wise regressions of mindful consumption conducted in the

three samples are provided in the top half of Table 2. They show consistent results
supporting Hypothesis 1. For cooking enthusiasts, self-creation is a significant predictor
(β = .24, t = 3.00, p = .003) with a 4% boost in explained variance. For sewing enthu-
siasts, the effect is even stronger (β = .47, t = 6.04, p = .00). The explained variance
increases from 10% with demographics alone to 27%. For 3D printing enthusiasts, self-
creation predicts mindful consumption (β = .51, t = 6.12, p = .00), with an increase in
explained variance from 2 to 25%.
Hypothesis 2 predicted that the consumer’s mindful consumption would have a
significant impact on their welfare. Note that study 3A measures well-being focused on
satisfaction with health, and studies 3B and 3C measure it more broadly through
satisfaction with one’s life. In study 3A, mindful consumption was a strong predictor

Table 2 Hierarchical linear regressions, studies 3A–3C

Study 3A Study 3B Study 3C

Step 1 Step 2 Step 1 Step 2 Step 1 Step 2
Dependent variable = mindful consumption
Gender − .09 − .06 − .26** − .04 .18* .05
Age − .01 − .00 .09 .10 − .01 − .02
Income .02 .03 .14 .13 – –
Education − .08 − .06 .13 .10 – –
SC – .24** – .47*** .51***
R2 .00 .04 .10 .27 .02 .25
ΔR2 .04 .17 .23
Dependent variable = well-being
Gender − .01 .04 − .21** − .16* − .12 − .15
Age − .06 − .06 − .01 − .03 .11 .11
Income .15 .14 .35*** .33*** – –
Education .01 .05 − .05 − .07 – –
MC – .55*** – .17* .16
R2 .00 .30 .11 .13 .01 .02
ΔR2 .30 .02 .01

Standardized regression coefficients are reported in the table; *p < .05, **p < .01, ***p < .001; SC self-
creation, MC mindful consumption, WB well-being
Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389 385

of health well-being (β = .55, t = 8.21, p = .00), with explained variance increasing from
0 with demographics alone to 30%. In study 3B, mindful consumption had a significant
effect (β = .17, t = 2.07, p = .04), with a 2% increase in variance from 11% with
demographics alone to 13% with mindful consumption. In the 3D printing sample,
the effect of mindful consumption on well-being is positive but not significant at the
p = .05 level (β = .16, t = 1.74, p = .08). These results support Hypothesis 2.
Hypothesis 3 posited that product appreciation would mediate the effects of self-
creation on mindful consumption. For cooking enthusiasts, results revealed that using
10,000 bootstraps with the PROCESS macro (Hayes 2012), product appreciation
(β = .33, t = 5.05, p = .00) was predicted by self-creation. Mindful consumption, in
turn, was predicted by product appreciation, but not by self-creation (βself-creation = .10,
t = .89, p = .37; βproduct appreciation = .67, t = 5.48, p = .00). The indirect effect of product
appreciation is significant .163, 95% CI = [.081, .272]. A Sobel test confirms this
conclusion: Z = 3.68, p = .000. Indirect effects (through product appreciation)
accounted for 70% of the total effects.
For sewing enthusiasts, product appreciation (β = .14, t = 3.11, p = .00) was predicted by
self-creation, and in turn, both predicted mindful consumption (βself-creation = .22, t = 5.00,
p = .00; βproduct appreciation = .59, t = 7.93, p = .00). The indirect effects of product appreciation,
.124, 95% CI = [.041, .223] were significant, Z = 2.87, p = .004. The indirect effect through
the mediator was 28.1% of the overall effect of self-creation on mindful consumption.
For 3D printing enthusiasts, product appreciation was predicted significantly by self-
creation (β = .27, t = 3.49, p = .00) were predicted by self-creation, and in turn, both
predicted mindful consumption (βself-creation = .32, t = 4.80, p = .00; βproduct appreciation =
.69, t = 9.11, p = .00). The indirect effect of product appreciation, .37, 95% CI = [.068,
.311], was significant, Z = 3.24, p = .001. The indirect effect was 36.9% of the total
effect. Together, these results indicate strong and consistent support for Hypothesis 3.

Summary The results of the three studies provide support for the self-creation effect
across different settings and consistently find product appreciation to be a mediator.

10 Study 4: making pancakes in the laboratory

The purpose of study 4 was to investigate the causal relationship between self-creation
and mindful consumption. Accordingly, participants were randomly assigned to make
pancakes themselves or were given equivalent ready-made pancakes, and their subse-
quent consumption was assessed.

Method and measures Sixty-five students (mean age = 20 years, 66% female) of
EDHEC business school in France participated in exchange for a five-Euro cafeteria
voucher. Participants were randomly assigned to either the self-creation or ready-made
conditions and completed the study in groups of one to four.
Participants in the self-creation condition made pancakes from scratch. They
were given the ingredients and the recipe. They mixed the ingredients, poured
the mixture onto the griddle, and cooked and plated the pancakes. Those
assigned to ready-made condition were served warmed ready-made pancakes
prepared with the same recipe. All participants were invited to eat as many
386 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

pancakes as they wished and could choose to add whipped cream, chocolate
spread, and icing sugar as toppings. The amount of time each participant took
to eat the pancakes was recorded by a confederate.
After they had finished eating, participants completed a second questionnaire. They
indicated their mindful consumption using the same scale as previous studies, α = .82,
and the number of pancakes they ate. Finally, they were thanked and debriefed.

Results and discussion The main dependent variable in the study is the amount of
time spent eating pancakes. Results showed that those who made the pancakes
themselves spent an average of 8.75 minutes eating them, whereas those who
received ready-made pancakes spent 4.61 minutes, a statistically significant
difference (F(1, 63) = 29.8, p < .001). These results coincided with participants’
assessment of their mindful consumption, MSelf − creation= 4.97 vs. MReady − made=
4.20, F(1, 63) = 6.44, p = .014. Interestingly, and consistent with Dohle et al.
(2014), those participants who made the pancakes themselves also ate more,
M = 2.73, compared to those who were given ready-made pancakes (M = 1.58,
F(1, 63) = 28.5, p < .001). These results provide causal evidence supporting the
self-creation effect.

11 Study 5: DIY home improvement enthusiasts

Method and measures Study 5 was conducted to test the moderating role of the
consumer’s private self-consciousness on the self-creation effect. Participants were
301 DIY home improvement enthusiasts (47.2% female, average age = 35–44,
average income = $75–100 K) who were recruited through Amazon Mechanical
Turk and paid an incentive for their participation. We selected participants after
asking them two screening questions, (1) whether they considered themselves to
be DIY home improvement enthusiasts, and (2) to describe a recent DIY home
improvement project they had completed. After passing these screens, respondents
completed study measures and provided their demographics.

Results Tests of H1–H2. The results of step-wise regressions showed support for H1,
by showing self-creation to be a significant predictor of mindful consumption (β = .67,
t = 15.52, p = .000) with a 44% boost in explained variance from 1.9% with demo-
graphics alone to 45.9% with the addition of self-creation. Supporting H2, mindful
consumption was a significant predictor of general well-being (β = .22, t = 3.97,
p = .000). Explained variance increased from 6.9% with demographics alone to
11.4% by adding mindful consumption.
Tests of H3–H4. We ran the PROCESS macro. Its results showed that
product appreciation was predicted by self-creation (β = .63, t = 14.34, p = .00),
and in turn, both predicted mindful consumption (βself-creation = .33, t = 6.87,
p = .00; βproduct appreciation = .57, t = 11.72, p = .00). The indirect effect of product
appreciation, .35, 95% CI = [.263, .438], was significant, as confirmed by a
Sobel test Z = 9.06, p = .000. The indirect effect was 52.3% of the total effect of
self-creation on mindful consumption, supporting Hypothesis 3.
Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389 387

Results also showed that the self-creation × private self-consciousness interaction

emerged as significant (β = .08, t = 2.07, p = .039). At one standard deviation below the
average of private self-consciousness, the conditional direct effect of self-creation on
mindful consumption was .272, 95% CI = [.167, .376], and it increased to .424, 95%
CI = [.282, .566], indicating a strengthening of the effect of self-creation on mindful
consumption with increasing private self-consciousness. In addition, the Johnson-
Neyman result identifies 2.3447 as a point of transition. For all values above 2.3447
(99.331%) of the self-consciousness scale up to the maximum value observed (7), the
self-creation–mindful consumption effect is statistically significant and positive. So the
region of significance for the effect covers all values of self-consciousness equal or
higher than 2.3447. These results provide support to H4.

12 General discussion

Marketing practitioners give far too much weight to the psychological processes
leading to a product’s purchase, but less consideration to what happens during its
consumption or afterward (Donnelly et al. 2017; Trudel et al. 2016). Cultural
trends such as Slow Food and the Maker Movement broaden the scope of the
consumer’s role and highlight the importance of skillful consumption. They
advocate a greater and more conscious place for the consumer in processes of
production and consumption. Against this backdrop, our conceptual framework
situates product self-creation as one particular way to cultivate mindful consump-
tion and contribute to the consumer’s well-being. In contexts that included
cooking from scratch, sewing garments, making products using 3D printing
technology and completing DIY home improvement projects, and using a combi-
nation of field and lab studies, we consistently found evidence for the occurrence
of the self-creation effect. When consumers create a product themselves, it is
associated with its more mindful consumption. We also consistently found that
one way that self-creation encourages the individual to consume mindfully is
through a raised appreciation for the created product. This is consistent with
discussions in the Slow Food and Maker Movement circles about the significance
that the created product takes on for the creator. Our studies also showed that
mindful consumption of the self-created product has a positive effect on the
consumer’s well-being, whether it is measured at the domain-specific level (e.g.,
satisfaction with one’s health) or the general level of life satisfaction. This finding
further underscores the importance of looking beyond purchase to what happens to
the consumer afterward as they use and consume products.
The self-creation effect we discovered in this research provides a concrete and
compelling set of reasons why consumers should consider making products themselves
instead of simply going to a store and purchasing ready-made items. The core takeaway
from this paper is that product self-creation provides individuals with a practical,
versatile, and personal interest-driven means of expanding their traditional role beyond
remaining passive consumers of ready-made items. It allows them to become active
creators, to consume products prudently and consciously, to enjoy the consumption
experience, and to add to their well-being within the domain of the product’s reach as
well as more generally, as defined by their life satisfaction.
388 Marketing Letters (2018) 29:377–389

Acknowledgements The first author would like to thank the Swiss National Science Foundation and
EDHEC Business School and the second author would like to thank the JGSB for the financial support in
conducting this research. Both authors would like to thank Ellen Schwartz of Chef Ellen Cooking Classes for
her help with study 1, and Hellofresh for its collaboration in study 2.

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