Beyond the price tag.
Why do people choose one handmade product over another? A question from my small craft business became the starting point for my interest in consumer behavior and economics.
From making things to understanding why people value them.
Entrepreneurship → Observation → Research
A small business. A bigger question.
Both of my parents are entrepreneurs, so I grew up wondering how ordinary things become products people want to buy. I started experimenting early, drawing illustrations on textbook covers, reselling anime merchandise, and making my own Perler bead products.
I expected that lowering my prices would attract more customers. It didn’t work the way I imagined. Other sellers seemed able to charge more and still attract interest. I began thinking about everything besides the price: the design, the presentation, and what the product meant to the buyer.
I could change the price. But I still needed to understand the value.
Taking the question into a real store.
Working at a physical Perler bead shop gave me the opportunity to move beyond my own online business and observe how people make choices in a shared creative space.
I developed a customer questionnaire and asked about why people visited, the designs they preferred, how they felt during and after the activity, and what made the experience worthwhile. I organized the responses to look for recurring preferences and motivations.
Feedback from a UC Irvine computer science professor also helped me become more thoughtful about choosing sources, evaluating claims, and revising my research writing.
- 01Identify a question from a real business experience
- 02Collect customer responses in the store
- 03Compare preferences and reported experiences
- 04Refine the interpretation through research and feedback
Choices are shaped by more than price.
The survey revealed common patterns in who visits, what designs attract attention, and how customers describe the experience of creating something themselves.
of visitors were with friends
selected cartoon or anime themes
reported a sense of accomplishment
Look closer at the survey
What brought people into the shop?
Motivations mentioned by survey participants
What are people really paying for?
Perceived value
The materials that make up a product are only part of its appeal. Design, presentation, perceived quality, and personal preferences may change how much customers believe it is worth.
The experience itself
A craft shop can offer more than a finished item. Making something, choosing colors, and spending time with friends may be part of what customers enjoy.
A question worth testing
My experience sparked questions about pricing and consumer behavior. A future experiment could compare how buyers respond to different prices and presentations under controlled conditions.
The objects behind the questions.
A closer look at the colors, characters, and handmade details that make each piece feel different.
Learning to question my own assumptions.
“In the past, I mainly looked for sources that supported what I already believed.”
At first, I thought research would mean receiving a topic and following instructions. Instead, I chose a question, developed an outline, studied sources, and revised my writing after discussing it with a professor.
I began to understand the difference between noticing something in my business and making a conclusion supported by evidence. That change in thinking is what made economics feel like the right field for me.
From curiosity to economics.
I want to study economics to better understand how people choose, how businesses respond, and why the value someone sees in a product can differ from its price. I hope to connect research with the practical decisions entrepreneurs face every day.
- What I want to studyStatistics, econometrics, and behavioral economics
- What I want to investigateConsumer preferences, price sensitivity, and product positioning
- Where I hope it leadsBetter questions, better experiments, and more informed business decisions