A study on the consumption demand and design of Chinese red cultural and creative products based on grounded theory and the analysis hierarchy process

Addressing the challenges of symbolization and homogenization faced by red culture in contemporary consumption transformation, this study aims to achieve effective dissemination and inheritance of revolutionary culture and spirit by exploring consumers’ deep-seated needs. Employing a mixed research paradigm combining grounded theory and the Analytic Hierarchy Process, the study systematically collected and deeply analyzed online consumer reviews of red cultural and creative products on e-commerce platforms. A three-dimensional theoretical model of red cultural consumption demand—comprising Value-based, Perceptual, and Interactive—was constructed, revealing its underlying mechanisms. Findings indicate that cultural-educational demand constitutes the “meta-attribute” distinguishing red cultural products from ordinary commodities. Emotional resonance holds significantly higher weight than visual esthetics within the perceptual dimension, while interactive demand reflects consumers’ deep-seated motivation to accumulate “objectified cultural capital.” Based on this, the study calculated the weighting of each demand level and guided a set of red cultural and creative design practices, validating the model’s effectiveness. By applying a mixed-methods approach, this study offers a more multidimensional theoretical perspective for understanding the mechanisms of spiritual consumption of cultural products, and provides a scientific basis for decision-making regarding the modern design adaptation of China’s revolutionary culture.