On November 2, 2024, after I finished the interview with the expert, I went to the Pop Mart store to do an on-site intervention as I had planned. I prepared the survey, art toys, and illustrations to show them.
I arrived at Pop Mart on Oxford Street at 3 p.m. It was crowded, and there were many people inside the store. After looking around for 20 minutes, I met two Thai people who had just purchased art toys. Then, I asked them to participate in my intervention.
I introduced a short brief about my project and let them do the pre-survey. Then I showed them a video of making art toys, both Pop Mart and my art toy. I also showed them my illustrations and art toys and explained the meaning of each art toy. Then, I let them do the post-survey task.
After finishing the survey, one of the participants said, “I never know how the art toys are made because I never want to know about it. I just love to see the cute product and buy it.” Another participant said, “I like to buy Pop Mart art toys because they are cute and neat compared to your art toys. They are handmade but have many defects, making me prefer Pop Mart. If your art toy is more neat, I might consider interest in it.”
These responses are a key challenge in my project: changing consumer perceptions from valuing trends and appearance to appreciating the effort and creativity behind the works. Despite showing them the process and sharing the story behind each piece, both participants seemed more focused on the final product’s look and quality rather than the craft.
This suggests that exposing consumers to the making process may not be enough to change their perceptions. For some, the expectation of “neatness” and “perfection” in art toys remains a priority, which can overshadow the appreciation for the handmade aspect.
However, I got only 2 participants, which I think is not enough for the feedback. So, I waited for another hour, but there was no Thai consumer. I decided to leave and plan to go back again. And I will post the survey on my Instagram, which I hope will get me feedback.