The Premium Psychology of Blind-Box Economy: A Study on Pop Mart Consumers

Hotel and Tourism Management, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macau, China

^* Corresponding author: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Abstract

Amid the booming domestic consumption and the rapid expansion of the blind-box economy, consumers’ willingness to pay a premium far exceeding the production costs and functional value of trendy-toy products has become a key research topic in marketing. This study takes Pop Mart consumers as the research object, exploring the psychological mechanism of premium formation in blind-box consumption through in-depth interviews and thematic analysis. It finds that blind-box product premiums are jointly driven by uncertainty-induced emotional experiences, scarcity-based purchase anxiety, emotional sustenance-derived value identification, and social interaction-facilitated identity expression, rather than being solely determined by product functionality or brand value. Shifting the research perspective of domestic brand premium from macro-brand mechanisms to micro-consumer psychology, this study fills the literature gaps in the neglect of trendy-toy scenarios, random consumption patterns and individual decision-making psychology. It enriches the theoretical explanations of domestic brand premiums and youth consumption behaviors, and provides practical references for IP operation, product design and market strategies of trendy-toy enterprises.