Emotional bonding with personalised products

This study investigates the effect of personalising a product's appearance on the emotional bond with a product. We present a conceptual model for the relationships between the effort invested during the process of product personalisation, the degree of self-expression, and the degree of emotional bonding. Data from a questionnaire study in which respondents (n = 149) filled out questions concerning their (non-) personalised bicycle support our expectations. By personalising the product's appearance, a person invests effort in the product. Our findings show that the amount of effort invested has a direct effect (as a result of the extended period of time spent with the product) and an indirect effect (via the personalised product's self-expressive value) on the strength of the emotional bond with the product. The paper concludes by discussing the implications of these findings for product designers.