Research on Sustainable Design of Consumers’ Influence Factors of Huaihe Willow Weaving Based on AHP

Abstract

Technology advancements and modern lifestyle changes have posed a threat to the preservation and development of traditional skills. This research focuses on the sustainable development of Huaihe willow weaving techniques, an intangible cultural heritage of China, with a specific focus on economic and environmental sustainability. The initial step involved analyzing the purchasing intentions of 350 consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region through a questionnaire survey. Based on this analysis, four theoretical hypotheses were formulated. Subsequently, an analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model consisting of four standard layers and 20 factor layers was constructed. By utilizing judgment matrices, the relative weight values of the standard and factor layers were calculated. Notably, B4 (sustainable innovation) holds the highest weightage at 49%, followed by B2 (product innovation) and B3 (process innovation), each accounting for 20%. B1 (authentic innovation) has a weightage of 11%. This study delves into the interrelation among the crucial factors influencing design innovation in Huaihe willow weaving. Lastly, based on the outcomes of the AHP model, four sustainable design improvement strategies for the development of new Huaihe willow weaving products in the Yangtze River Delta region are proposed. This research sheds light on the sustainable effects of design innovation in the willow weaving traditional craft on commercial and economic progress, from the perspective of consumers. Additionally, it offers experimental data and strategic support for local willow weaving enterprises in the Yangtze River Delta region, aiding in the development of new products.

1. Introduction

Since the industrial revolution, the overexploitation of natural resources has led to their rapid depletion. Presently, 86% of the world’s population resides in countries with ecological deficits [1,2]. China has achieved remarkable economic accomplishments that have gained worldwide recognition. However, these achievements have come at a significant cost to resources and the environment. Currently, there exists a critical imbalance between environmental protection and economic development in the country [3,4]. Within the past 50 years, the Ecological Footprint (EF) has escalated by approximately 190%, while biocapacity has only risen by 27%. Consequently, humanity is consuming resources at a rate of 1.56 times more than what the Earth can regenerate [5,6]. Hence, it is imperative to strike a balance between production and consumption while fostering environmental ethics and promoting ecological civilization. These measures are crucial for the preservation of our planet and the promotion of sustainable human development [7].

SDG-8 emphasizes the significance of advancing sustainable economic development through technological innovation and diversification. Economic growth is closely interlinked with a country’s development, the government’s ability to create better living conditions, and overall societal well-being [8,9,10]. In the past, traditional skills played an essential role in economic activity, contributing significantly to the progress of human society and increasing living standards. However, the rapid industrial revolution and modern lifestyle transformations have made it challenging for traditional handicraft skills to adapt to contemporary society’s development needs [11,12,13]. On the one hand, sustainable development encourages cultural diversity and technological innovation, while on the other hand, traditional skills—as carriers of local characteristic culture—are continually impacted by new technologies, rendering many of these skills on the verge of extinction [14,15,16].

SDG-7 aims to increase the adoption of economy, efficiency, and renewable energy in reducing carbon dioxide emissions and promoting sustainable global development. Economies worldwide are actively pursuing different paths of environmentally sustainable development to achieve long-term economic sustainability. To counteract the negative environmental impact of economic activity, countries are maximizing their level of economic complexity [17,18]. The integration of cultural and creative industries with high technology has played a significant role in promoting sustainable economic and environmental development. As China’s economic leader, the Yangtze River Delta region (Shanghai, Jiangsu, Zhejiang, and Anhui) has accumulated valuable experience in cultural and creative industries and intangible cultural heritage skill innovation, providing an important blueprint for other economies to promote cultural diversity and sustainable economic and environmental development [19,20,21,22].

In recent years, China has taken significant steps to support the preservation and development of traditional crafts in modern society. Notably, in 2016, the national “13th Five-Year Plan” incorporated the objective of the “revitalization of traditional crafts”. Subsequently, in 2017, the “Chinese Traditional Crafts Revitalization Plan” was introduced, followed by the release of the “Guiding Opinions on Promoting the Cultivation of Rural Craftsmen” in 2022 [23,24,25]. The implementation of these policies has provided crucial support for the preservation and revitalization of traditional skills, playing a pivotal role in their ongoing development [26].

Nonetheless, the revitalization of many traditional skills often fails to address real consumer needs, resulting in issues such as homogenization, low-end production, mechanization, and a lack of cultural connotation and practicality [27,28]. The challenge of developing traditional skills lies in the fact that their production activities continue to follow past modes that are incompatible with the current consumption patterns and living demands of the population, hindering the commercial development of traditional skills in contemporary society [29,30,31].

Willow weaving is a vital weaving technique in China, with a history spanning over 7000 years [32]. This intangible cultural heritage is mainly concentrated in the towns of Chenghe, Zhuji, and Shuanggou in Xiangfan City, Hubei Province, as well as the counties of Linshu, Tancheng, Junan, and Boxing in Shandong Province, Funan (e.g., Huanggang, Caoji, and Gaotai towns) and Huoqiu (e.g., Linhuaigang, Linshui, and Zhouji towns) in Anhui Province, and Gushi County, and the town of Sanhejian in Henan Province. The style of willow weaving primarily concentrated in the provinces of Anhui and Henan on both sides of the Huaihe River is collectively known as “Huaihe willow weaving”. In 2010 and 2011, the counties of Huoqiu and Funan in Anhui Province were included in the National Intangible Cultural Heritage list.

Huaihe is the birthplace of Chinese willow weaving, and its wicker products boast distinct representative and unique characteristics that require attention for the preservation and transmission of traditional weaving skills and the development of industrial clusters. In 2009, the counties of Funan and Huoqiu were granted the titles of the “National Geographic Product Indication Protection”, the “Hometown of China’s Willow Weaving”, and “China’s Willow Weaving Capital”. In 2012, they received recognition as a “National Foreign Trade Transformation and Upgrading Base”, with three significant industrial clusters gradually emerging in Gushi, Funan, and Huoqiu. Over the past five years, the export volume of Huaihe willow weaving products has accounted for nearly half of the country’s willow wood exports, making it the most influential willow cultural product export base in China (Figure 1). Nevertheless, with the rapid advancement of information technology and the subtle shift in consumer preferences, there exists a considerable gap between actual consumer purchase intentions and the development of wicker weaving products, making it challenging for Huaihe wicker weaving to continuously capture domestic consumers’ interest. Therefore, how to gain cultural acceptance from consumers and promote sustainable local economic development through the continuous innovation of traditional skills remains a demanding issue for Huaihe wicker weaving.

Several studies have conducted theoretical and practical research on consumers’ purchase intentions toward the development of traditional skills, such as those by Tian Tian and Zhu Liping. However, they have not focused on the correlation between the traditional skills and impact factors that affect consumer purchases [33,34]. Moreover, the existing literature lacks empirical research that employs the AHP method and survey data from consumers intending to buy traditional products in the Yangtze River Delta region, highlighting a literature gap.

This study focuses on the traditional willow weaving technique of Huaihe River and surveys consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region. This research investigates the design innovation of willow weaving techniques and their impact factors on local economic development from the perspective of economic and commercial sustainability. This paper’s contribution includes three main aspects: Firstly, it is the first attempt to reveal the sustainable impact of business and economy through the design innovation of traditional techniques, providing significant contributions to the literature. This study incorporates four consumer impact factors into the theoretical hypothesis, considering comprehensive factors for the sustainable development of the economy and environment. Secondly, this article constructs an innovative analytic hierarchy process (AHP) model for the design innovation of wicker traditional crafts, including 4 standard layers and 20 factor layers. It analyzes the key factors that affect consumers’ purchase intentions and explores possible reasons for the emergence of these factors. Thirdly, this study adopts a unique combination of qualitative and quantitative methods, providing experimental data and strategic support for sustainable economic development in the Yangtze River Delta region through the design innovation of traditional willow weaving techniques.

The AHP analysis method is a combination of qualitative and quantitative tools that offer systematic, flexible, and concise advantages. However, its limitation is that the existing analysis results cannot directly provide new decision-making schemes. It is necessary to combine qualitative research and literature references to propose reasonable decision-making suggestions. In the discussion and results section of part four, this study analyzes the tendencies of the AHP structural model and proposes four sustainable improvement strategies for developing new products. Combining the AHP analysis with qualitative research and literature references, this paper offers practical decision-making suggestions for sustainable economic development.

The structure of this paper consists of an introduction in the first part, a research framework in the second part, a methodology in the third part, results and discussion in the fourth part including data analysis and corresponding strategies, and a conclusion in the fifth part.

2. Study Framework

2.1. Theoretical Hypotheses

As globalization rapidly develops, people’s lifestyles and consumption patterns have undergone significant changes. Consumption forms have shifted from material to immaterial, and user needs have shown trends such as diversification, personalization, naturalization, and leisure [35]. The development of industrialization and globalization has adversely affected the production and sale of handicrafts, making the innovation of traditional handicrafts an important issue for countries during modernization. Yanagi Soetsu, the father of Japanese folk art, said: “It is our unshirkable mission to rediscover the unique beauty of Japanese artifacts, examine their traditional values, and promote their sound development” [36,37]. Reasoned action theory suggests that consumers’ attitudes influence intentions, and intentions influence actions. Therefore, consumers’ attitudes toward product innovation may be an important mediator in investigating consumers’ adoption of innovative products. Understanding consumer tastes is thus a necessary factor for the success of handicrafts [38,39,40]. However, research measuring consumers’ attitudes toward innovation in traditional craft products remains scarce. Handicraft enterprises involved in willow weaving need to understand consumers’ views and attitudes toward willow weaving product innovation to provide the impetus and competitive advantage for subsequent handicraft innovation.

Based on the Diffusion of Innovation (DOI) theory, four hypotheses are proposed. In 1962, Rogers conducted an in-depth study of the concept, elements, and processes of innovation diffusion, which established a theoretical framework for modern innovation diffusion research. According to Rogers, innovation diffusion refers to the process by which innovation spreads through specific channels at a specific time within a specific community. The theory of innovation diffusion incorporates three levels of connotation: the innovation itself, communication channels, and adoption and application [41,42].

Consumer innovation (CI) is a critical indicator of the DOI and is widely used to test new products and services [43]. However, innovative product designs can introduce additional risks and costs to consumers, and each product category has specific features and attributes. Many studies have focused on the application of innovative organizations while ignoring the influence of consumers’ attitudes toward innovation. Few scholars have comprehensively evaluated and empirically studied the design innovation process of traditional skills from the consumer’s perspective [44]. With the increasing importance of design innovation in driving economic development, consumer acceptance or resistance to innovation in traditional craft products is likely to have a significant impact on the development of cultural and creative industries. Based on the theory of the DOIs, this study focused on Huaihe River willow weaving in the Yangtze River Delta region and evaluated the evaluation process, adoption behavior, causes, and consequences of willow weaving product innovation from the perspective of consumers who accept innovation in traditional willow weaving skills. This research developed a multi-item measurement scale to assess consumers’ attitudes toward and influencing factors related to wicker product innovation. This study also explored the relationship between consumers’ attitudes towards willow weaving product innovation and the causes and consequences of product innovation.

The DOIs theory defines innovation as “an idea, practice, or project that is considered new by an individual or other adopter”. Potential consumers evaluate innovations based on their relative strengths, complexity, compatibility, experimental qualities, and observability [41]. These evaluations are theoretical assumptions. Due to the external environment, this study focuses on consumers’ attitudes toward innovation in Huaihe willow weaving in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The innovation diffusion theory suggests that the speed of innovation adoption is influenced by comparative advantage, compatibility, observability, complexity, and experimental ability [45]. With the participation of 10 focus group members, including 4 design graduate students, 2 designers, 2 university associate professors, and 2 users, this study proposed and discussed relevant factors of product innovation. These include key factors of comparative advantage, the presentation process of compatibility, identifiable and observable elements of product design innovation, complexity factors of the coordinated and unified development of the environment, economy and culture, and applicability requirements of new products in different scenarios. Subsequently, we conducted in-depth interviews with people from different age groups in the Yangtze River Delta. Based on the five influencing factors of innovation diffusion theory, the relevant literature, and the results of in-depth user interviews, we selected four consumer characteristics as possible antecedents of wicker weaving product innovation, shown in Figure 2. These include authenticity (locality) innovation, traditional process innovation, product innovation, and sustainability innovation. The specific hypotheses are outlined below:

H1. 

Authentic innovation refers to new ways for wicker products to express product authenticity to consumers while maintaining their traditional characteristics and natural attributes. The goal is to show the relative advantages of the new product and make the product more attractive.

Many consumers buy handicrafts because they desire authenticity. Nakatani (2001) analyzed the promotion of handicrafts in Southeast Asia and argued that enthusiasm for exotic cultures and the need for authentic products are important reasons for Japanese middle-class women to buy textile handicrafts [46,47]. Additionally, the story of the product’s origin and unique name enhances consumers’ perception of authenticity. Pan Lusheng (2018) proposed “promoting the development of traditional craft through brand design innovation,” while Zhang Jing (2016) suggested that innovation in willow weaving has played an essential role in promoting the protection and transmission of willow weaving skills [48,49,50]. This hypothesis of innovation in authenticity includes local brand and label innovation for the product, the lineage story of the craftsman, authentic innovation in marketing, the certification of relevant industries, and intellectual property rights (such as winning awards in design competitions).

H2. 

Product innovation refers to the innovation in wicker products in terms of function, shape, color, or packaging, among other aspects, while paying attention to the innovation of product categories. Its purpose is to present the observable and recognizable appearance of new products, enhance consumers’ memory points and stimulate their desire to buy.

Pan Hongfei (2013) suggested that innovation in willow weaving material is an important means for traditional skills to adapt to the development of the times and meet the aesthetic needs of modern people [51]. Mao Zuguang (2016) proposed innovative methods of Funan willow weaving in terms of form, material, process, category, and color, among other characteristics, and analyzed the process of design innovation [52]. Professor Qin Dali of the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts organized the teaching achievements of the four major Chinese art academies—the China Academy of Art, the Sichuan Academy of Fine Arts, the Shandong Academy of Arts and Crafts, and the Guangzhou Academy of Fine Arts—which integrate traditional weaving into modern appreciation methods. He discovered a unique new vocabulary of modern basket weaving in terms of modeling language, life concepts, and functional aesthetics, among other elements, providing new perspectives and new thinking for innovation in traditional willow weaving techniques [53] (Figure 3).

With the rapid development of big data, the internet, and information technology, traditional skills must be combined with digital technology to adapt to current development trends. For instance, Li Xiaomeng (2019) proposed establishing a digital protection platform for willow weaving in Boxing based on the current situation in Shandong Province [54]. Gui Mengya (2019) proposed the technical strategy of digital protection for Fuyang willow weaving [55]. This hypothesis of product innovation focuses on various aspects such as innovation in willow weaving product categories, functional innovation (whether it leads to a new lifestyle), intelligent interaction functions (whether they can bring users a beautiful emotional experience), appearance innovation, packaging design innovation, and cultural value-added innovation (the integration and innovation of the local regional culture and traditional willow weaving skills).

H3. 

Process innovation refers to innovation based on the protection of the traditional skills of willow weaving—that is, innovation without changing the cultural value and technical attributes of the original skills. Its purpose is to present compatibility innovations with new materials and new technologies, further develop the potential of the consumer market, and promote local economic development.

At the 2010 Shanghai World Expo, the Spanish pavilion was woven with 60 tons of wicker by craftsmen from Baoxing County, Shandong Province, led by Sun Jianguang, which amazed the world [56]. Chen Xiaowei (2020) conducted research on the transmission and development of willow weaving craftsmanship, looking at cultural, scientific, and technological aspects, along with the industrialization of willow weaving [57]. Xu Ying et al. (2021) proposed their own development path for the productive protection of willow weaving in Gushi County, Henan Province [58]. Zhang Linlin et al. (2020) researched the fusion design and application of willow woven materials and ceramic materials [59]. Wang Zhelin et al. (2021) sorted out the production process and development context of willow weaving in Jiuzhishe, Fenyang City, Shanxi Province [60]. Pan Lusheng (2018) suggested that preserving the genetic matrix in innovation is important and gave traditional skills more cultural connotations [49]. Thus, this hypothesis on process innovation includes several dimensions such as the use of high-quality willow weaving materials, the advocacy for the integration and innovation of traditional skills and new technologies, product quality control (i.e., exquisite process technology), and the integration and innovation of willow weaving materials and other mixed material processes.

H4. 

Sustainable innovation refers to the fact that wicker products should follow sustainable design ethics and have a positive impact on the development of the surrounding environment, society, economy, and culture. Its purpose is that the development of new products should take into account the complex relationship between society, economy, culture, and environment, and at the same time, consider its high adaptability in different scenarios.

As a renewable and degradable natural material, willow has natural advantages over other chemical materials. In the process of innovation, traditional skills of willow weaving should actively promote local economic development and provide an effective driving force for enterprises to drive rural revitalization. Chen Qilong (2016) proposed a Linshu County willow weaving development strategy with a low-carbon concept as the core [61]. The author (2019) proposed a basic strategy for the sustainable development of Huaihe willow weaving from the perspective of a life cycle assessment (LCA) [62]. More attention should also be paid to how to integrate regional culture with willow weaving innovation to promote the continuation and dissemination of cultural context. Therefore, this hypothesis of sustainable innovation primarily includes replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly/safe materials, product materials that are recyclable or can be naturally degraded, designing willow products from the whole life cycle, and having a positive impact on the dissemination of traditional intangible cultural heritage and regional culture.

2.2. Research Framework

Based on the previous four theoretical hypotheses, this study constructed a research framework for factors influencing user acceptance of innovation in traditional willow weaving craft products. The first step was to explore the correlation between consumers’ attitudes toward innovation in wicker products. Based on the literature review and a focus group, four hypothetical factors were proposed, and each was then subdivided to establish a conceptual model for the four hypotheses. Second, based on the previous literature, a user questionnaire survey, and relevant expert scoring, the orderliness of the subsystem was comprehensively assessed, and the weight value of the subsystem was calculated. Third, the weight of the evaluation factors for the design innovation of traditional willow weaving techniques was screened, and the three levels of the AHP evaluation model were determined: the target layer, the criterion layer, and the factor layer. Twenty evaluation factors were generated. Finally, based on the AHP evaluation model, the results were discussed, and strategies and paths for the design innovation of traditional willow weaving techniques were proposed. The overall research framework is shown in Figure 4.

3. Methodology

3.1. Data Collection

As the leader of China’s regional economy, the attitudes of consumers in the Yangtze River Delta toward traditional wicker technology play a crucial role in demonstrating innovation in wicker products. This questionnaire is primarily targeted at young and middle-aged users, aged between 20–45 years, in the Yangtze River Delta region. These include the three consumer groups of the 1980s generation, 1990s generation, and 2000s generation who exhibit innovative attitudes toward wicker products. The post-1980s and post-1990s generations represent the emerging middle class, whose purchasing power and innovation factors have played a vital role in promoting the development of the willow weaving industry. The 2000s generation is a new rising group with distinct differences in their consumer views and innovation levels compared to the previous two generations. Therefore, a comprehensive examination of the innovation factors related to wicker products among these three consumer groups will aid in the profound development of subsequent design innovations in willow weaving techniques.

To gain insights into the factors influencing consumer acceptance of wicker product innovation and how these innovations impact their purchase needs, we conducted an online questionnaire focused on authentic innovation, design innovation, process innovation, sustainability innovation, and other aspects of consumers in the region. The survey included 26 items to test consumers’ acceptance of innovative wicker products. The questionnaire was designed with the participation of 10 experts and professors from diverse fields such as design, management, sociology, marketing, and related disciplines who provided feedback on the content and surface validity. Additionally, 30 participants aged between 21–30 years were invited to assess the clarity and relevance of the questionnaire items, and any potential issues were identified and eliminated. Ultimately, the number of questionnaire items was reduced to 20, and all items were evaluated using a seven-point Likert scale (1 = “strongly disagreed” to 7 = “strongly agreed”) to measure consumers’ willingness to buy a particular type of innovation.

3.2. Sampling Method

This questionnaire adopted online and offline random sampling methods, and the main distribution areas of this questionnaire were Shanghai, Nanjing, Hangzhou, Hefei, Suzhou, Zhenjiang, and Bengbu, among other places. A total of 361 questionnaires were collected, and 11 unqualified questionnaires were eliminated, leaving a total of 350 valid questionnaires obtained. The valid questionnaire rate was 96.9%. As shown in Figure 5, 60% of the survey population were women and 40% were men. In terms of age distribution, the 2000s generation population was the main force of the survey, accounting for 64%, the 1990s generation accounted for 21%, and the 1980s generation accounted for 15%. The monthly income and education levels are shown in Figure 6: 13% had a monthly income of less than CNY 5000, 14% had CNY 6000–10,000, 15% had an income above CNY 10,000, and 58% were students (no income). Among the survey population, 89% had a college degree or above and 11% had a high school (technical secondary school) degree or less. In addition, the relevant research questions in this questionnaire were designed according to the theoretical assumptions proposed above. A total of 33 questions were designed for this questionnaire, and a total of 20 valid questions were screened for data after screening the collected questionnaire and removing the basic information and invalid questions. The statistical results are shown in

Table 1. Statistical analysis of questionnaire data.

Four Hypotheses	Hypothetical Factors	Corresponding Questionnaire Questions	Questionnaire Statistics
B1: Authenticity innovation	Local branding and label innovation of products	We think it is important to localize branding and label innovation for new products. Do you think this is important?	1803
	Authentic innovation in artisan brand stories	We believe that willow weaving innovation should focus on “authentic innovation of the inheritor’s brand story”. Do you think this is important?	1930
	Authentic innovation in marketing	Do you think it is important that the marketing of our products should be consistent with the authenticity of the products?	1904
	Certification of relevant industries	Under the premise of a certain difference in price, are you more willing to buy a new product with industry certification?	1726
	Intellectual property rights (winning works of the design competition)	Under the premise of a certain difference in price, are you more willing to buy a willow weaving product with a design patent, with a utility model patent, or from a well-known domestic and international design competition?	1720
B2: Product innovation	Category innovation	We believe that in addition to the willow weaving household category, we should develop more willow weaving public art, willow weaving architectural sketches, willow weaving public facilities, and willow weaving micro exhibition halls with regional characteristics to beautify the urban environment. Do you think this is important?	1837
	Functional innovation	Do you think it is important that functional innovation in willow weaving products should lead to a new way of life?	1831
	Intelligent interactive innovation	We believe that the innovation of willow weaving products should have intelligent interaction functions and bring users a beautiful emotional experience. Do you think this is important?	1836
	Design and appearance innovation	We believe that the design innovation of willow weaving products should focus on the appearance and shape and should be in line with the aesthetic trend of the times. Do you think this is important?	1867
	Cultural value-added innovation	Do you think it is important that the innovation of willow weaving products should focus on cultural value-added innovation, such as integrating local culture with traditional willow weaving skills?	1877
	Packaging design innovation	Do you think the packaging design of new products is important?	1829
B3: Process innovation	Adoption of high-quality original materials	Do you think it is important that high-quality willow weaving raw materials should be used for willow weaving process innovation?	1926
	Integration and innovation of willow weaving materials and other mixed material processes	We believe that willow weaving products should consider the integration and innovation of willow woven materials with other hybrid materials. Do you think this is important?	1837
	Integration and innovation of traditional skills and new technologies	We believe that the innovation of willow weaving process should consider traditional skills and new technologies of convergent innovation. Do you think this is important?	1887
	Excellent quality, strong, and durable	We believe that the innovation of the willow weaving process must control the quality of the product—for example, the product must have a delicate edge closure, and it must be strong and durable. Do you think this is important?	1941
	Micro-innovation of process structure	Do you think it is important that the willow weaving process structure should be continuously micro-innovated according to the needs of users?	1918
B4: Sustainable innovation	Economically sustainable (replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly/safe materials)	We believe that the materials of willow weaving products need to be environmentally friendly/safe replacing hazardous materials. Do you think this is important?	1940
	Social sustainability (life cycle assessment (LCA) design)	We believe that willow woven products need to be designed from the perspective of LCA (LCA refers to the reasonable design of products in the five stages—design and development, manufacturing, use, maintenance, and recycling). Do you think this is important?	1901
	Environmentally sustainable (products can be recycled or naturally degraded)	Do you think it is important that willow weaving products should be made with minimal material use and recyclable or naturally degradable materials?	1935
	Cultural sustainability (transmission and inheritance of willow weaving traditional skills and culture)	We think willow weaving product innovation should promote the spread of traditional culture and have a positive impact on the inheritance of intangible cultural heritage skills. Do you think this is important?	1945

.

Table 1 presents corresponding hypothetical factor analyses for the first four hypotheses. Each hypothetical factor corresponds to a questionnaire question, which is answered using the 7-point Likert scale method. The data were imported into SPSS for statistical analysis of each questionnaire question. For instance, in the B1 (authentic innovation) hypothesis, it includes five hypothetical factors, such as the local branding and label innovation of products, authentic innovation in artisan brand stories, authentic innovation in marketing, the certification of relevant industries, and intellectual property rights (winning works of the design competition). The hypothetical factors correspond to five question options in the questionnaire, and the total score of each question’s survey is presented on the right side of it. For example, the total score of the consumer survey data on the local branding and label innovation of products is 1803, the total score of survey questions on authentic innovation in artisan brand stories is 1930, and the total score of survey questions on authentic innovation in marketing is 1904. Additionally, the total score of the certification of relevant industries is 1726, and the total score of the intellectual property rights (winning works of the design competition) question survey is 1720.

3.3. Research Method

In the early 1970s, American operations researcher Saaty proposed the famous analytic hierarchy process (AHP), which is a decision-making method based on qualitative and quantitative analysis. This method has the advantages of being systematic, flexible, and concise [63].

The main idea of the AHP method is to decompose a complex problem into several levels and factors, make comparative judgments on the importance between two indicators, establish a judgment matrix, and calculate the maximum feature value of the judgment matrix and corresponding feature vector. The weight of different schemes can be obtained using this method, providing a basis for selecting the best solution [64]. Basic principles and calculation methods of the AHP have been introduced by Qin Ji (1999), Deng Xue (2012), and others [65,66]. The AHP is often used in the sustainable evaluations of urban green landscapes, and many scholars have discussed its application in green buildings [65,66,67,68]. Additionally, it can be utilized in the selection of urban livable plots, the protection of traditional villages, and the construction of cultural heritage corridors [69,70,71,72]. However, the application of the AHP to the development of new products in traditional techniques, particularly for sustainable evaluation studies of design innovations related to willow weaving traditional techniques, is almost absent in the literature.

The steps of the AHP method in this paper include first establishing a hierarchical structure model, secondly, constructing all judgment matrices at each level, thirdly, conducting hierarchical single sorting and consistency testing, and finally, conducting hierarchical total sorting and consistency checking. In the results and discussion section, the ranking weights of the four criterion layers and 20 factor layers are extensively discussed based on the calculation results and are combined with previous theoretical assumptions and literature references. Moreover, a sustainable strategy for the new product development of wicker weaving is proposed.

4. Results and Discussion

4.1. AHP Structure Model Analysis

Based on the theoretical hypotheses and questionnaire surveys proposed earlier, an AHP model for factors influencing consumer acceptance of innovation in the traditional design of willow weaving techniques was established. The target layer proposed was the evaluation of the influencing factors of consumers’ acceptance of design innovation of traditional willow weaving skills. There were four criteria layers, namely, B1 (authentic innovation), B2 (product innovation), B3 (process innovation), and B4 (sustainability innovation). Additionally, there were 20 factor layers, with B1 (authentic innovation) corresponding to factor layers C1, C2, C3, C4, and C5; B2 (product innovation) corresponding to factor layers C6, C7, C8, C9, C10, and C11; B3 (process innovation) corresponding to C12, C13, C14, C15, and C16; and B4 (sustainability innovation) corresponding to C17, C18, C19, and C20. The overall hierarchy analysis model is presented in

Table 2. Hierarchical analysis model of consumer-influencing factors in the design of traditional willow weaving techniques.

Target Layer A	Criterion Level B	Factor Layer C
A: Evaluation of the influencing factors of consumers’ acceptance of the design innovation of willow weaving traditional techniques	B1: Authenticity innovation	C1: Local brand and label innovation of products
		C2: Authentic innovation in artisan brand stories
		C3: Authentic innovation in marketing
		C4: Certification of relevant industries
		C5: Intellectual property rights (winning works from design competitions)
	B2: Product innovation	C6: Category innovation
		C7: Functional innovation
		C8: Intelligent interactive innovation
		C9: Design and appearance innovation
		C10: Cultural value-added innovation
		C11: Packaging design innovation
	B3: Process innovation	C12: Adoption of high-quality original materials
		C13: Integration and innovation of willow weaving materials and other mixed material processes
		C14: Integration and innovation of traditional skills and new technologies
		C15: Excellent quality, strong, and durable
		C16: Micro-innovation of process structure
	B4: Sustainable innovation	C17: Economically sustainable (replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly/safe materials)
		C18: Social sustainability (life cycle assessment design)
		C19: Environmentally sustainable (products can be recycled or naturally degraded)
		C20: Cultural sustainability (transmission and inheritance of willow weaving traditional skills and culture)

.

One of the advantages of this model is that it classifies and deals with several complex factors for the development of new willow weaving products. It comprises three levels: the target level, criterion level, and factor level, providing a simple, systematic, and practical analysis method for new wicker product developments. The calculation of the judgment matrix enables obtaining the total ranking of each level, which provides a scientific evaluation basis for a later-stage willow weaving innovation design. However, one of the disadvantages of this model is that it cannot provide a new scheme for decision-makers and can only select a better solution from alternatives. To obtain the best scheme, it needs to be combined with qualitative methods. In the latter part of this paper, the quantitative analysis results and literature references will be combined, and a comprehensive analysis and discussions using both qualitative and quantitative methods will be conducted on this model before drawing a conclusion.

4.2. Sustainable AHP Design and Analysis

The comprehensive evaluation system comprises four major criteria and 20 indicators, and their importance in the comprehensive evaluation varies. Understanding their relative importance is critical for determining which criteria should be given more weight or less weight. The weight was determined using an analytic hierarchy to yield the weight vector of each evaluation index.

Firstly, a judgment matrix was established to construct the pairwise comparison of the relative importance of the elements in the comprehensive evaluation layer. This was performed for the target layer. The 1–9 scale method was used, and the meaning and description of the digital scale are presented in

Table 3. Importance comparison evaluation table.

Aij	Definition	Aij	Definition
1	Ai is as important as Aj	2	Somewhere between equally and slightly important
3	Ai is slightly more important than Aj	4	Somewhere between slightly and obviously important
5	Ai is significantly more important than Aj	6	Between obviously and very obviously important
7	Ai is obviously more important than Aj	8	Somewhere between obviously and absolutely important
9	Ai is absolutely more important than Aj	reciprocal	Aij is the importance comparison of indicators i and j, aij = 1/aji

.

According to the comparison of the importance of each indicator, the judgment matrix for the target layer was obtained (see

Table 4. Target layer judgment matrix.

Evaluation Indicators	B1: Authentic Innovation	B2: Product Innovation	B3: Process Innovation	B4: Sustainable Innovation	Wi
B1: Authentic innovation	1	1/2	1/2	1/3	0.1162
B2: Product innovation	2	1	1	1/3	0.1954
B3: Process innovation	2	1	1	1/3	0.1954
B4: Sustainable innovation	3	3	3	1	0.4930

).

From Table 4, λ_max = 4.0604, CI = 0.0201, RI = 0.9, CR = 0.0224, and CR < 0.1, which showed satisfactory consistency. The detailed calculation process for the judgment matrix weight is outlined below.

First, the product of each row of elements in the judgment matrix was calculated: $m_i={\displaystyle {\displaystyle \prod }_{j=1}}{a}_{ij}$ = [0.0833, 0.6667, 0.6667, 27.0000].

Then, the nth power root of m_i was calculated: $w_i^{*}=\sqrt[n]{m_i}$ = [0.5373, 0.9036, 0.9036, 2.2795].

Then the vector was normalized: $w_i=w_i^{\ast }/{\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^n{w}_i^{\ast }}$ = [0.1162, 0.1954, 0.1954, 0.4930], where the maximum eigenvalue λ_max was calculated: ${\lambda }_{\max }=\frac{1}{n}{\displaystyle \sum _{i=1}^n\frac{\left(Aw\right)i}{w_i}}$ = 1/4 × 16.2417 = 4.0604.

In this equation, Aw_i = [0.4759, 0.7875, 0.7875, 2.0141]. The CI of the obtained consistency index was $CI=\frac{{\lambda }_{\max }-n}{n-1}$ = (4.0604 − 4)/(4 − 1) = 0.0201. From the RI table, it appeared that when the judgment matrix was of order 4, RI was 0.9. The average consistency obtained was CR = CI/RI = 0.0201/0.9 = 0.0224 < 0.1, which passed the consistency test.

Similarly, this method is used to calculate the factor layers of each target layer, thus obtaining the judgment matrices shown in

Table 5. Judgment matrix of factor layers C1–C5.

Evaluation Indicators	C1: Local Brand and Label Innovation of Products	C2: Authentic Innovation in Artisan Brand Stories	C3: Authentic Innovation in Marketing	C4: Certification of Relevant Industries	C5: Intellectual Property Rights (Winning Works of the Design Competition)	Wi
C1: Local branding and label innovation of products	1	1/2	1/2	2	2	0.1660
C2: Authentic innovation in artisan brand stories	2	1	1/2	3	5	0.2853
C3: Authentic innovation in marketing	2	2	1	4	4	0.3814
C4: Certification of relevant industries	1/2	1/3	1/4	1	1	0.0879
C5: Intellectual property rights (winning works from design competitions)	1/2	1/5	1/4	1	1	0.0794

,

Table 6. Judgment matrix of factor layers C6–C11.

Evaluation Indicators	C6: Category Innovation	C7: Functional Innovation	C8: Intelligent Interactive Innovation	C9: Design and Appearance Innovation	C10: Cultural Value-Added Innovation	C11: Packaging Design Innovation	Wi
C6: Category innovation	1	2	2	1/2	1/2	2	0.1733
C7: Functional innovation	1/2	1	1/2	1/2	1/2	2	0.1092
C8: Intelligent interactive innovation	1/2	2	1	1/2	1/2	2	0.1375
C9: Design and appearance innovation	2	2	2	1	1/2	2	0.2183
C10: Cultural value-added innovation	2	2	2	2	1	2	0.2751
C11: Packaging design innovation	1/2	1/2	1/2	1/2	1/2	1	0.0866

,

Table 7. Judgment matrix of factor layers C12–C16.

Evaluation Indicators	C12: Adoption of High-Quality Original Materials	C13: Integration and Innovation of Willow Weaving Materials and Other Mixed Material Processes	C14: Integration and Innovation of Traditional Skills and New Technologies	C15: Excellent Quality, Strong, and Durable	C16: Micro-Innovation of Process Structure	Wi
C12: Adoption of high-quality original materials	1	2	2	1/2	2	0.2447
C13: Integration and innovation of willow weaving materials and other mixed material processes	1/2	1	1/2	1/2	1/2	0.1065
C14: Integration and innovation of traditional skills and new technologies	1/2	2	1	1/2	1/2	0.1405
C15: Excellent quality, strong, and durable	2	2	2	1	2	0.3229
C16: Micro-innovation of process structure	1/2	2	2	1/2	1	0.1854

and

Table 8. Judgment matrix of factor layers C17–C20.

Evaluation Indicators	C17: Economically Sustainable (Replacing Hazardous Materials with Environmentally Friendly/Safe Materials)	C18: Social Sustainability (Life Cycle Assessment Design)	C19: Environmentally Sustainable (Products Can Be Recycled or Naturally Degraded)	C20: Cultural Sustainability (Transmission and Inheritance of Willow Weaving Traditional Skills and Culture)	Wi
C17: Economically sustainable (replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly/safe materials)	1	2	2	1/2	0.2383
C18: Social sustainability (life cycle assessment design)	1/2	1	1/2	1/5	0.0948
C19: Environmentally sustainable (products can be recycled or naturally degraded)	1/2	2	1	1/5	0.1340
C20: Cultural sustainability (transmission and inheritance of willow weaving traditional skills and culture)	2	5	5	1	0.5329

.

The above calculations yielded the final weight summary calculation results, which are shown in

Table 9. Final weight summary calculation results.

Criterion Level	Relative Weight	Factor Layer	Relative Weight	Absolute Weight	Sort
B1: Authenticity innovation	0.116195	C1: Local brand and label innovation of products	0.166004	0.019289	17
		C2: Authentic innovation in artisan brand stories	0.285323	0.033153	12
		C3: Authentic innovation in marketing	0.381377	0.044314	8
		C4: Certification of relevant industries	0.087918	0.010216	19
		C5: Intellectual property rights (winning works from design competitions)	0.079379	0.009223	20
B2: Product innovation	0.195416	C6: Category innovation	0.173281	0.033862	11
		C7: Functional innovation	0.10916	0.021332	15
		C8: Intelligent interactive innovation	0.137533	0.026876	14
		C9: Design and appearance innovation	0.21832	0.042663	9
		C10: Cultural value-added innovation	0.275066	0.053752	5
		C11: Packaging design innovation	0.08664	0.016931	18
B3: Process innovation	0.195416	C12: Adoption of high-quality original materials	0.244679	0.047814	6
		C13: Integration and innovation of willow weaving materials and other mixed material processes	0.106503	0.020812	16
		C14: Integration and innovation of traditional skills and new technologies	0.140531	0.027462	13
		C15: Excellent quality, strong, and durable	0.322856	0.063091	4
		C16: Micro-innovation of process structure	0.185432	0.036236	10
B4: Sustainable innovation	0.492973	C17: Economically sustainable (replacing hazardous materials with environmentally friendly/safe materials)	0.23832	0.117485	2
		C18: Social sustainability (life cycle assessment design)	0.094764	0.046716	7
		C19: Environmentally sustainable (products can be recycled or naturally degraded)	0.134017	0.066067	3
		C20: Cultural sustainability (transmission and inheritance of willow weaving traditional skills and culture)	0.532899	0.262705	1

.

Table 9 indicates that B4 (sustainability innovation) is the most important criterion, followed by B2 (product innovation), B3 (process innovation), and finally B1 (authentic innovation). This suggests that consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region are more inclined toward the development of new willow weaving products that contribute to sustainable economic and environmental development. Regarding B2 (product innovation), consumers prefer C10 (cultural value-added innovation), indicating that users are interested in the sustainable development of local culture. In B3 (process innovation), consumers are more focused on high-quality products with excellent durability and quality, highlighting the importance of investing more in high-quality process research and development for the successful development of new wicker products. This paper will combine the AHP analysis model and focus on the weight relationship between the four criterion layers and the 20 factor layers in this area based on the above weight calculation results.

The analysis shows that consumers in this region consider sustainable innovation to be particularly important, with a relative weight of 49.3%, far exceeding the other three criterion layers (Table 9). Among the four factor layers of sustainability innovation, C20 (cultural sustainability) (the transmission of traditional willow weaving skills and culture) had the highest absolute weight, with a relative weight of 53.3%. C17 (economic sustainability) (using environmentally friendly/safe materials instead of hazardous materials) had the second-highest absolute weight, with a relative weight of 23.8%, while C19 (environmental sustainability) (products can be recycled or naturally degraded) ranked third, with a relative weight of 13.4%. Interestingly, C18 (social sustainability) (LCA life cycle design) ranked seventh in absolute weight, with a relatively lower value of 9.5%. This suggests that consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region are paying increasing attention to the ecology and sustainability of new wicker products. Furthermore, with the revival of Chinese traditional culture, the cultural transmission of new wicker products occupies an increasingly important position.

According to the questionnaire survey, consumers believe that the wicker process and product innovation are equally important, accounting for 19.5% each (Table 9). Among the five factor layers in B3 (process innovation), C15 (which has excellent quality, strength, and durability) had the highest relative weight with a rank of fourth. This was followed by C12 (high-quality raw materials), ranked sixth. C16 (micro-innovation of process structure) ranked tenth, and finally, C14 (the integration and innovation of traditional technology and new technology) and C13 (the integration and innovation of wicker material and other mixed materials) ranked thirteenth and sixteenth, respectively. Among the six factor layers in B2 (product innovation), C10 (cultural value-added innovation) had the highest relative weight, with a value of 27.5% and an absolute weight rank of sixth. The absolute weight of C9 (design appearance innovation) ranked ninth, followed by C6 (category innovation), which ranked eleventh. C8 (intelligent interactive innovation), C7 (functional innovation), and C11 (packaging design innovation) had relatively lower weights, ranking fourteenth, fifteenth, and eighteenth, respectively. The results indicate that consumers in this region pay more attention to the cultural value-added innovation of new wicker products, which differs from the C20 (cultural sustainability) (the transmission of traditional willow weaving skills and culture) factor layer. The latter emphasizes the integration of the local regional culture with traditional willow weaving skills and focuses more on the local culture of new willow products.

Regarding authentic innovation in willow weaving, consumers in this region did not pay much attention to this aspect, with its relative weight being the smallest at 11.6% (Table 9). Among the five factor layers of authentic innovation, only C3 (authentic marketing innovation) had an absolute weight in the top 10, ranking eighth. The relative weight of authentic innovation in C2 (artisan brand stories) was 28.5%, and its absolute weight ranked twelfth. C1 (local brand and label innovation), C4 (related industry certification), and C5 (intellectual property rights) (design competition-winning works) all ranked in the bottom 15. These results indicate that consumers in this region are not very concerned about authentic innovation for new wicker products but pay more attention to whether the marketing of new wicker products is consistent with the authenticity of the product.

4.3. The Sustainable Analysis

4.3.1. The Sustainable Key Factor Innovation Discussion

Sustainable innovation of new products has become a crucial factor in the Yangtze River Delta region. The above results show that B4 has the highest weight, indicating that with the implementation of a scientific development outlook, sustainable design has gradually become a widespread ethical practice in the design industry and is being widely adopted (Table 9). Consumer concerns about environmental quality align with the assumption of sustainable innovation in new product developments [62,63].

Drawing inspiration from nature, leveraging long-standing skills, and rich cultural connotations, wicker products themselves serve as models of sustainable design. However, the challenge lies in how to synergistically address the relationship between culture, economy, society, and the environment, which has become a crucial element in the development of new wicker products.

Firstly, it is essential to excavate and sort out the intangible cultural heritage skills and culture of Huaihe willow weaving, including identifying key traditional weaving skills and cultural transmission, such as the various types of weaving, including flat, vertical, path, strangled, twisting, winding, and masonry. The next step would be to discover sustainable innovation points between traditional skills and modern aesthetics. Secondly, there is a need for an in-depth understanding of consumer willingness to consume, as the industry strives to combine traditional willow weaving skills with modern craftsmanship, driving employment of local farmers through cultural innovation and promoting the development of the local township economy. Simultaneously, the impact on the surrounding environment during production, processing, transportation, and use should be fully considered in the development of new products. Finally, through the development of new wicker products with cultural creativity, a new market with regional characteristics can be gradually formed, playing an exemplary role in the cultural transmission, local economic development, and social progress of Huaihe willow weaving.

4.3.2. Cultural Value-Added Innovation Discussion

The value-added innovation of intangible cultural heritage and local culture in new wicker products will serve as a built-in driver for design innovation. From the above results, it is evident that the total absolute weight of sustainable and cultural value-added innovation of willow weaving technology culture is 31.7%, accounting for approximately one-third of the factors shaping consumer views (Table 9). Mr. Pan Lusheng, a renowned Chinese arts and crafts master, has always believed that giving more cultural connotations to traditional skills is crucial [49]. The new modern wicker products organized by China’s four major academies of fine arts have given new cultural connotations to traditional techniques and garnered widespread attention in local society [53]. New wicker products for cultural consumption should pay more attention to creative concepts in production and consumption. The younger generation, especially those born in the 2000s, can obtain identity and emotional satisfaction by consuming the culture behind wicker products [73]. This indicates that with the strengthening of national cultural self-confidence and the protection of traditional skills, consumers are eager to have new creative products with high added cultural value.

The Yangtze River Delta region, consisting of the Shanghai municipality, Jiangsu Province, Zhejiang Province, and Anhui Province, is closely linked in terms of economic development, resulting in frequent population flow, leading to consumer tendencies in this area having a certain degree of unity. However, there are still significant cultural differences between the regions of the provinces and cities in the Yangtze River Delta, including the Shanghai culture of Shanghai, the Huizhou culture of Anhui, and the Jiangnan culture of Jiangsu and Zhejiang. Therefore, how to carry out value-added innovation between the technological culture of willow weaving and local culture effectively while creating emotional resonance and cultural identity with local consumers will become an essential driving force for the design innovation of Huaihe willow weaving.

4.3.3. Urgent Demand Analysis of the New Willow—Woven Categories

Functional innovation of new wicker products has taken a back seat, and the development of more new wicker products of different categories has become an essential area for consumers. According to this survey, consumers prioritize the exquisite craftsmanship, added cultural value, and environmental protection of new products over their functionality. This indicates that the decorative significance of wicker products far outweighs their practical value. Many consumers purchase handicrafts due to the cultural identity behind the products, whereas functional needs take a back seat [51,52]. For category innovation, around 70.57% of the consumers believe that it is more critical to develop more wicker public art with regional characteristics, as well as willow cultural and creative gifts, willow architectural sketches, and willow public facilities. For instance, Liu Jinyu (2020) uses willow weave in product packaging design, opening up a new category of willow weave packaging design [74].

Therefore, in the process of developing new wicker products, it is crucial to maintain a deep understanding of consumer purchase intentions and thoroughly explore the regional characteristics and local culture of various regions in the Yangtze River Delta. The focus should be on the decorative cultural value of new wicker products and developing more new categories that align with user needs.

4.3.4. Integration Analysis of Wicker Weaving Process and New Technology

Consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region prioritize the integration of the willow weaving process and new technology and advocate for high-quality raw materials. They are willing to pay a higher price for durable and robust new wicker products that maintain their quality over time. Integrated with ceramic, metal, and plastic materials for innovation, the sustainable development of new wicker products presents new opportunities [57,58,59]. The new generation of consumers has a significant impact on the consumer market, and their consumption behavior is a combination of rationality and emotion, including a strong sense of participation [75]. Therefore, the cultural and emotional interaction between products and users is crucial in promoting new products in this region. The data demonstrate that with the rapid economic development of the Yangtze River Delta, consumers in this area prefer high-quality, high-emotion, durable, and locally adaptive new willow woven products. Chinese consumers show a significant preference for locally adaptive products over globally standardized products [76].

As a result, with the rapid development of information technology and the Internet of Things, integrating traditional techniques with information technology while maintaining their craft characteristics and opening up new consumer markets in the field of digital design and interactive design will become a new trend in future developments.

This paper conducted a comprehensive analysis of the factors influencing the design innovation of the traditional techniques of willow weaving in the Yangtze River Delta region through a questionnaire survey of consumers, using the AHP methodology. This study drew four key conclusions. Firstly, an AHP evaluation model consisting of four criterion layers—authentic innovation, product innovation, process innovation, and sustainable innovation—and 20 factor layers was constructed. The weight relationship between consumer evaluation factors in the Yangtze River Delta region was obtained. Secondly, sustainable innovation of new wicker products in the Yangtze River Delta region was found to be the focus from the perspective of the horizontal criterion layer. From the vertical development of the factor layers’ perspective, the use of high-quality raw materials, added cultural value innovation focusing on traditional skills, the development of the whole life cycle of new products, and the production of high-quality, strong, and durable wicker products are important driving forces for the development of new products. Thirdly, consumers in the Yangtze River Delta region prioritize the micro-renewal of traditional skills and the development and innovation of new categories, while product appearance and function take a back seat. Finally, consumers in this region are eager to obtain new products with high added cultural value but are relatively indifferent to brand recognition and industry certification.

4.4. The Sustainability Improved Measurement

Based on the weight relationship of the AHP model with 4 criterion layers and 20 factor layers, this paper proposes that the design innovation of new willow weaving products should adapt to the market development demand of B4 (sustainable innovation) in the criterion layer. The focus should be on cultural value-added innovation in B2 (product innovation). In the process innovation of the criterion layer (B3), there should be an active exploration of integrating new processes and high-quality raw materials. More research and development costs should be invested in the aspects of the high quality and durability of products. In criterion layer (B1), authentic innovation should focus on the real user experience of consumers and satisfy their cultural identification and identity of wicker weaving’s new products through different ways. Based on the above analysis, this paper proposes the following four strategies for the sustainable improvement of new willow weaving product developments.

4.4.1. Cultural Sustainable Innovation Strategy

Consumers often purchase handicraft products for their unique handmade attributes, and cultural innovation that preserves traditional characteristics is more appealing [77,78,79]. Therefore, constructing the core elements of design innovation driven by regional culture and handicraft characteristics of the Yangtze River Delta region is crucial.

In order to build the core elements of design innovation driven by the regional culture and handicraft characteristics of the Yangtze River Delta region, it is essential to deeply explore traditional willow weaving skills and local cultural connotations. This involves transmitting and deepening the characteristics of traditional crafts, giving them contemporaneity and modernity, and creating new wicker products that present a new form with regional characteristics. For example, in consideration of Shanghai’s cultural characteristics, one could integrate traditional willow weaving skills and develop a series of wicker home decoration products, setting a new example of creative wicker culture. By excavating local cultures, it is evident that traditional skills and cultural connotations of willow weaving are closely integrated with them. New wicker products with local characteristics can be developed for regions such as Anhui, Jiangsu’s Huai’an Qingliangang culture, Gaoyou’s Longqiu culture, Hai’an’s Qingdun culture, Suzhou’s Caoshoeshan culture, Nanjing’s Jinling culture, and Changzhou’s weidun culture. These new products would not only play a significant role in promoting the development of the local regional culture but also promote the protection and living inheritance of willow weaving skills.

4.4.2. LCA-Sustainability Development Strategy

To build a sustainable innovation mechanism in the development of new wicker products in the Yangtze River Delta region, it is essential to follow the LCA strategy. Willow is a renewable and biodegradable natural material with significant advantages over other materials. The development of new wicker products in this region should be constructed holistically from design and development to production and processing through logistics and transportation to use and maintenance and finally to recycling [61,62]. As shown in Figure 7, the first step is to carry out a targeted and effective design respecting traditional willow weaving skills and integrating the regional culture of various parts of the Yangtze River Delta region while considering the ecology and recyclability of willow as a material. Detachable and modular designs could be included. In the production stage, more attention should be paid to the micro-renewal of traditional skills, reducing energy consumption, controlling waste generation, and making the most of the material. In the logistics and transportation stage, reduced packaging design and recyclable packaging materials should be used to reduce transportation costs. In the use and maintenance stage, partial updates to product design would facilitate maintenance and upgrades, enhancing the service life of the product. Finally, in the recycling stage, following the circular economy theory, the design of the recycling path of products should focus on designs that can be taken apart, recycling and reusing waste products as much as possible, striving to achieve a closed loop for the recycling of waste products from cradle to cradle. In summary, developing and designing new products based on a LCA would form a complete closed loop from design and development to recycling and reuse, effectively controlling all links from design, production, logistics, use, and recycling. The sustainable innovation of traditional willow weaving skills would gradually drive local economic development and promote the harmonious coexistence of the local environment and society.

4.4.3. New Process Improvement Strategy

Creating new traditional wicker handicrafts with exquisite craftsmanship, excellent quality, and outstanding characteristics for the Yangtze River Delta region is critical. This can be achieved by relying on the Yangtze River Delta Vocational Education Group and focusing on the transmission of traditional willow weaving skills and culture. School-enterprise joint training should be strengthened, a traditional willow weaving skills transmission base and training center jointly established, and cooperation with willow weaving artisans initiated to create new wicker products with excellent quality and craftsmanship [80,81]. Firstly, while respecting traditional willow weaving skills, new materials such as composite materials, metal, and new technological materials should be integrated, and 3D printing and digital technologies should be boldly adopted to develop new categories of willow weaving. Secondly, quality control should be strictly implemented, including the active implementation of quality system certification and compliance activities and the strict control of quality in the details of wicker processing. Finally, focusing on the culture of the Yangtze River Delta region, wicker products with regional characteristics and humanistic care should be created according to the characteristics of the city and user needs. An example of this would be the wicker public art design for the National Forest Park in Chongming District, Shanghai (Figure 8), where the wicker animals complement the surrounding landscape and have become a major feature of the landscape park.

4.4.4. Digital Design Strategy

It is crucial to continuously lead the needs of users in the Yangtze River Delta region and combine information technology to develop new categories of digital design. With the rapid development of the Internet, big data, and blockchain, it is necessary to integrate and innovate traditional skills with information technology. This could include innovation in aspects such as digital wicker collections, digital micro-exhibition halls, and intelligent installation art design.

Currently, only a small number of scholars have made preliminary explorations in the digital design and development of willow weaving. The theory and practice related to willow weaving digital design are still lacking. Therefore, building a digital protection and development platform for traditional wicker weaving techniques, developing more wicker weaving digital products with new technologies, and promoting the further development of the wicker weaving digital economy is a long-term goal [54,55].

In the process of developing new categories, we should pay attention to their cultural and decorative nature and enhance users’ emotional experience through virtual technology and sensors. Blockchain technology can cater to the digital experience of emerging consumers and be combined with traditional willow weaving skills to develop digital collections in different categories, such as souvenirs, handicrafts, or decorative paintings. These digital collections could provide new ideas for intellectual property protection and content value mining. Through the development of digital collections, traditional weaving skills and culture can transcend the limitations of time and space, region, and country, and be more widely disseminated. This would allow people from different parts of the world to appreciate and learn about traditional willow weaving skills and cultural connotations, further promoting and preserving this ancient craft.

Currently, the exhibition hall for willow weaving is limited to wicker production areas such as Anhui Province and Shandong Province. To break the limitations of physical space imposed by the traditional willow weaving exhibition hall, it would be necessary to use virtual reality and develop a digital willow weaving micro-exhibition hall. Through the construction of a digital scene for willow weaving transmission, users can visit and browse through the hall using their mobile phones or computer at any time, immersing themselves in the breadth and depth of intangible cultural heritage. Additionally, the development of a series of modular and intelligent wicker designs for art installation could gradually implant wicker in the indoor and outdoor spaces of the city, playing an important role in promoting the quality of these areas. For example, the Wanda Plaza in China could install public wicker art installations in different shapes, combining intelligent voice, weather forecasting, direction-asking inquiries, local history, and culture with plastic arts to promote the dissemination and transmission of willow weaving skills and culture. This approach would allow people to appreciate and learn about willow weaving skills and cultural connotations in a more immersive way, further promoting and preserving this ancient craft.

5. Conclusions

In this paper, the analytic hierarchy process (AHP) is adopted to conduct a comprehensive analysis and study on the new product development of Huaihe River wicker intangible cultural heritage technology from the perspective of commercial and economic sustainable developments in the Yangtze River Delta region. This is conducted through a large number of consumer questionnaire surveys. By establishing an analytic hierarchy model, this paper conducts an important analysis of consumer demand and sustainable development factors of the local regional economy and puts forward corresponding sustainable innovation strategies.

The final conclusions are as follows:

Firstly, wicker enterprises should integrate their own industrial development characteristics and rediscover the cultural significance in terms of product categories, user needs, and product positioning. They need to find their distinctive cultural positioning in the Yangtze River Delta market. For instance, Funan County in Anhui Province has over 300 wicker enterprises and more than 10,000 willow weaving varieties, but their positioning is not clear and lacks uniqueness. Furthermore, many small- and medium-sized enterprises have similar products, leading to intense price competition. It is essential for wicker enterprises to align their product characteristics with regional culture and redefine their positioning. Additionally, the government should provide increased support to small- and medium-sized enterprises and collaborate with local college teachers and renowned designers in the Yangtze River Delta region to create new product categories that showcase rich regional cultural characteristics.

Secondly, the establishment of a sustainable innovation mechanism in the development of new wicker products will serve as a significant driver for economic growth in the Yangtze River Delta region. Consumers highly value the sustainable innovation of new willow weaving products and desire their development to consider the harmonization of economy, culture, and environment (Table 1). However, most local wicker enterprises are primarily small- and medium-sized enterprises that mainly engage in OEM production, making it challenging to establish a robust sustainable development mechanism solely relying on these enterprises. This necessitates government departments to collaborate with local enterprises in formulating relevant sustainable policies and offering financial subsidies to enterprises willing to implement sustainable development strategies. By doing so, the implementation of local sustainable development strategies can be systematically promoted.

Thirdly, young and well-educated consumers are more inclined toward technological innovation and seek high-quality and emotionally engaging new wicker products. However, existing wicker products tend to be too traditional, making it challenging to sustain the interest of younger generations (Figure 1). Wicker enterprises should thoroughly understand the actual needs of young people, particularly those born in the millennial generation, and consistently innovate in areas such as cultural creative products, public art, public furniture, and home products related to willow weaving. Simultaneously, while respecting traditional skills, there should be continuous integration of new materials and bold innovations in process structure, pattern weaving techniques, and diverse categories of willow weaving.

Finally, the preservation and transmission of traditional skills should leverage the power of information technology and establish new avenues in digital protection, design, and communication. For instance, in Funan County, there is only one national non-genetic heir of wicker weaving, along with nine municipal and county non-genetic heirs, whose average age exceeds 50 years old. Non-genetic inheritors are faced with the risk of losing their skills, making it crucial to digitally safeguard intangible cultural heritage techniques through platforms such as wicker digital exhibition halls and digital archives for non-genetic inheritors. Additionally, the development of new willow weaving products can incorporate VR technology and intelligent interaction technology, resulting in a series of digital design collections that showcase willow weaving. This approach can create a digital intellectual property (IP) related to willow weaving that appeals to online audiences and opens up new avenues for digital communication in the realm of willow weaving.

The findings of this study make valuable contributions to the protection and preservation of intangible cultural heritage related to willow weaving. They provide policy support and empirical data for practitioners in the Yangtze River Delta region regarding the development of new willow weaving products, ultimately contributing to the sustainable growth of the industry. However, it is important to note that the sample collection in this study is limited to the Yangtze River Delta region. Additionally, various characteristics of the survey participants, such as education level, age, income, and geographical location, may influence consumers’ purchase intentions, thus impacting the sustainable development of the local business economy. Furthermore, the data collection process lacks a sampling survey of local wicker weaving enterprises and relies solely on in-depth interviews. Future research should aim to conduct sample collections from local wicker enterprises, compare the data with consumer demands, and empirically investigate real product developments in the field of wicker weaving. This will enable a comparative analysis of data results between consumers and enterprises, leading to more accurate and effective research outcomes. In conclusion, promoting design innovation in traditional willow weaving skills can significantly contribute to local economic development, environmental conservation, and the preservation of traditional skills and culture. By continuously improving our understanding of consumer needs and preferences, we can develop new products that align with market demands while prioritizing sustainability and cultural heritage.