Exploring the Communication Mechanisms of Blind Box Consumption: A Comparative Study of Brand Marketing and Social Media Communication
Abstract
Blind box consumption has become an increasingly popular consumer phenomenon among Generation Z in recent years. Existing studies mainly focus on the uncertainty of blind box products themselves and the emotional value brought by such uncertainty, but they have not paid enough attention to the role of different communication channels in shaping consumers' purchase decisions. Based on the Stimulus–Organism–Response framework, this paper compares the influence of brand marketing exposure and social media communication on blind box purchase intention, and further analyzes four psychological variables, which are curiosity, fear of missing out, brand credibility and emotional attachment. By combining a literature review and an exploratory questionnaire, this study conducted an online survey among consumers aged 16–27 and finally obtained 33 valid responses. The findings show that social media exposure is significantly positively related to FOMO, engagement and continuous purchase intention, while the effect of brand marketing exposure is relatively weaker. In other words, blind box consumption is not only connected with product uncertainty itself, but also closely related to the communication environment in which consumers are immersed. Social media content intensifies consumers' emotions and social identity, and thus more easily drives purchase behavior.
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