What is it?
The first time I heard about what a blind box is, I was skeptical about the appeal. The first blind box I ever got was gifted to me and they came from the Sonny Angel series. I wondered what about these mostly naked babies with their butt cheeks out could be cute and desirable by the masses. Little did I know that this would be the beginning of my blind box figurine collection.
The idea of blind boxes originated in Japan around the 1980s where the earliest form is called fukubukuro, also known as “lucky bag” (Tse 2023). Blind boxes contain collectable figurines that come packaged in a box where the buyer does not know what character they will receive. The figurine designs are often centered around different themes. Within each theme, there are secret figurines that are rare and there are often less than 1% manufactured out of the entire series (Nguyen 2024). This article explores the psychology behind a consumer’s motive on buying blind boxes and how it makes them feel.
Why do people buy blind boxes?
Places that sell blind boxes often have many options for customers to choose from. Due to the various selections possible, consumers are overwhelmed by curiosity and excitement surrounding which character they could pull. This is one of the biggest incentives for people to want to buy a blind box. When they open the box, they either feel happy for getting what they want or disappointment for getting a duplicate or feeling of wanting to buy another one to test their luck (Nguyen 2024). Consumers often want to obtain secret figurines or complete the series collection, which results in feeling the need to buy more. The act of purchasing a blind box draws upon the concept of sunk cost fallacy, where the amount already spent increases one’s commitment to continue buying until they achieve the desired result (Ronayne 2021).
The sunk cost fallacy effect is attributed to high-stakes decisions which can be applied to various scenarios such as the decision on whether to buy a blind box or not. In a research conducted by Harvard on the sunk cost fallacy, participants were tested with eight different scenarios on their decision making. The finding from this was that “those with above average susceptibility scores (10 or higher) were almost three times as likely (36% vs 13%) to fall prey to the effect than those scoring below the average (9 or lower) when money was on the table” (Ronayne 2021). This relates to consumers’ motive for buying blind boxes as the fallacy manifests when they continue buying blind boxes because they’ve already invested money, rather than evaluating each new purchase decision independently. Specific triggers for the sunk cost fallacy in blind box purchases include, trying to complete a collection, attempting to get rare or secret figurines due to its scarcity nature, wanting to “make up for” previous disappointing pulls, and the desire to keep trying after getting duplicates.
The uncertainty factor in blind boxes is attributed to positive emotion, information gap theory, uncertainty resolution, and innate optimism theory (Zhang 2022). Due to uncertainty in what character the buyer could obtain, it enables a higher arousal state in turn increases physiological arousal. This causes people to experience their emotions more intensely and so positive uncertainty increases consumers’ positive feelings when making purchase decisions (Zhang 2022). In terms of information gap, this theory explores the idea of “an information gap between the known information of a person and the unknown and desired information” (Zhang 2022). As a result, increasing one’s desire to know the information. This ties into the uncertainty resolution theory where “human beings are born with an inherent desire to solve uncertainty” (Zhang 2022). Furthermore, the innate optimism theory enables people to subconsciously perceive themselves as lucky, estimating outcomes optimistically, which drives their motivation to desire or logically believe they need to buy a blind box. These all contribute to consumer’s action and motive behind their purchases as they perceive the product’s value as beneficial.
Lastly, blind boxes build anticipation for its consumers. With the combination of uncertainty, dopamine is released when the consumer opens the box. The anticipation and surprise cause the release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with pleasure and reward. Additionally, opening the blind box triggers the brain’s reward circuitry, particularly pathways in the mesolimbic system that generate feelings of reward and enjoyment. (Nguyen 2024).
Expansion and Influence
Not only are consumers driven to buy blind boxes due to the overwhelming nature of displays when shopping in-person, but also the community it builds. Online, social media platforms feature communities dedicated to blind box culture. Collectors share unboxing videos, showcase their finds, and discuss their collections. These platforms allow consumers to connect with others who share their passion. As the popularity of blind boxes continues to rise, companies are finding new ways to innovate within this trend. Some examples are advent calendars or mystery items that come along with purchases, such as cosmetics. It is interesting to see how blind boxes have transformed today, and I’m excited to see how it continues to grow whether that is in popularity, influence, or in design concepts.
Sources cited
Nguyen, P. (2024, March 21). What psychological factors influence consumers’ decision about buying blind boxes? Cognitive NeuroEconomics @ UCSD. https://medium.com/cognitive-neuroeconomics/what-psychological-factors-influence-consumers-decision-about-buying-blind-boxes-a3440992273b
Ronayne, D., Sgroi, D., & Tuckwell, A. (2021, July 15). How susceptible are you to the sunk cost fallacy? Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2021/07/how-susceptible-are-you-to-the-sunk-cost-fallacy
Tse, A. (2023, March 24). Diving into blind box culture. Generasian. https://generasian.blog/2023/03/24/diving-into-blind-box-culture/
Zhang, Y., & Zhang, T. (2022). The effect of blind box product uncertainty on consumers’ purchase intention: The mediating role of perceived value and the moderating role of purchase intention. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 946527. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.946527
