못생겨도 괜찮아: 손글씨 서체가 못난이 채소의 구매의도에 미치는 영향

초록

Imperfect produce is often neglected due to visual irregularities, which contributes significantly to food waste and environmental problems. Despite the growing importance of this issue, limited research has explored effective marketing communication strategies to improve consumer perceptions of such produce. This study investigates the role of visual communication elements, specifically, typeface style (handwritten vs. mechanical), in influencing consumers’ purchase intentions toward imperfect produce. Two experiments were conducted to test the proposed hypotheses. Results from Study 1 revealed that the use of a handwritten typeface significantly increased purchase intention (H1), and this effect was mediated by consumers’ perceived tolerance toward visual irregularities (H2). Study 2 further demonstrated that the positive effect of handwritten typefaces was more pronounced when the social presence of the producer was low; conversely, when social presence was high, the effect diminished, indicating a moderating role of perceived social presence (H3). These findings offer theoretical and practical implications. They empirically demonstrate the potential of affective design elements and message framing strategies to foster more positive consumer evaluation of visually imperfect yet sustainable agricultural products.

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