In 2023, brands are finding that mystery boxes, while not a new marketing tactic in the retail world, are a helpful way to move products, build online buzz, and offer a sense of novelty to buyers.
The approach is backed by science: Studies show that when our brains encounter a pleasant surprise, it triggers a dopamine release. Dopamine is the neurotransmitter that plays a role in how we experience feelings of pleasure and motivation. When consumers purchase a mystery box (the contents of which they do not know), they activate a dopamine response that produces positive feelings and spurs desire.
Ecommerce expert and brand owner Nik Sharma shared a few additional benefits to this sales tactic as well.
“Brands can include SKUs that historically have had a slower pace to sell-through, mix-and-match customer favorite SKUs with new SKUs to drive sampling, and also just create a fun content creation moment for customers,” he said.
Creators are indeed capitalizing on this moment for content creation. With the rise of the unboxing video trend on platforms like YouTube and TikTok, mystery boxes present a compelling premise that drives clicks and hooks viewers into watching. One mystery box unboxing video from The Royalty Family, for example, garnered more than 4.6 million views so far.
While it it is now more common across industries and continents, the mystery box trend largely originated in Asia, where toy retailers like Pop Mart began selling boxes of various figurines called “blind boxes.” Using this approach, Pop Mart has grown to a $4 billion market cap.
The trend extends to Veblen goods, too. Even luxury brands like Louis Vuitton, for example, have launched NFT-based mystery boxes, which are limited edition releases designed in partnership with celebrities like Pharrell Williams. According to Jing Daily, these retail for north of $40,000 each, and although they’re primarily digital items, are tied to physical items as well.
In the direct-to-consumer space, we also see examples of mystery boxes being put to use.
Jewelry brand Melinda Maria, for example, uses “Mel’s Mystery Boxes” to offer buyers a rare opportunity to purchase discounted merchandise. In 2023, they’ve sold more than 12,000 mystery boxes to date, and sales of said boxes are up 100% year-over-year, producing more than $30,000 in sales revenue for the brand.
Clothing retailer Johnny Cupcakes has also experimented with several variations on the theme of mystery boxes, including mystery boxes with various t-shirts inside, mystery-colored dice, “secret menu” items for in-store shoppers, and trading cards—some of which have completely sold out upon release.
His advice for fellow retailers considering launching a mystery box: “Approach it with the goal of surprising and delighting people. Delight them so much that they want to spread the word and post on social media.”
He went on to say that these items should have unique packaging that sparks curiosity and should include an exclusive item or extra aspect so that the mystery box doesn’t come across as a mere attempt to offload sale products.
With the holiday season on the near horizon, brands may consider mystery boxes as an interesting variant in the product lineup that fosters a sense of curiosity, surprise, and delight with their audiences.
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