🧸 “Rp250K for a plushie I didn’t even choose?”

That’s what I thought too, until I realized how brilliantly designed the blind box economy actually is.

Blind boxes like Pop Mart aren’t just cute little toys.
They’re an emotional experience,  built with the same mechanics used in mobile games, gambling, and psychological experiments.
It’s not irrational. It’s by design.

1. Skinner Box Effect: The Reward of Uncertainty

Ever played a mobile game where you “spin” or “pull” for a chance at a rare character?
That’s the gacha system.
Pop Mart uses the same logic — but in real life.

You pay → you get a random item → you feel joy → you repeat.

This follows the Skinner Box principle in behavioral psychology.
Just like lab rats pressing levers for snacks, humans repeat actions when they’re rewarded randomly. Our brains love surprises.

2. The Gambling Effect: It’s About the Thrill, Not Just the Prize

We know we might not get what we want — and yet we buy it anyway.
That thrill of “What if I get the rare one?” is enough to keep people coming back.

It’s not just about the plushie. It’s about the hope.

This is why rational economics doesn’t work here. The utility doesn’t diminish — it intensifies. We’re chasing emotional highs, not logical value.

3. The Sheep Effect: FOMO & Social Belonging

You see your friend post their haul.
You watch a TikTok of someone unboxing a secret toy.
You join a collector community.

And suddenly, you want in.
This is the herd mentality at work. People love being part of something — especially something cute, hype, and collectible.

4. The Genius Behind the Marketing Strategy

Behind the adorable packaging lies some serious marketing moves:

• 🎯 Sweet pricing: cheaper than designer toys

• 🎨 IP system: people already love the characters

• 🔥 Hunger marketing: limited editions fuel urgency

• 📦 Multi-channel: offline stores, online shops, livestreams

Pop Mart isn’t just selling toys. They’re selling emotional gameplay.

5. What I Learn as a Designer

As a UX designer, this taught me something powerful:

People don’t always buy for function.
They buy for feeling.

The blind box economy shows how good design, psychology, and marketing can create a loop people want to re-enter — even when logic says they shouldn’t.

And guess what?
These same mechanics are already used in digital products today:

• 🛍️ Shopee Mystery Box

• 🎁 TikTok Surprise Gifts

• 🎮 Mobile gacha games

• 🎡 Loyalty app “spin the wheel”

It’s all about emotional design.
And whether we like it or not — it works.

📚 Reference:

Qingchuan Xie. (2021). Study on the Consumption Behavior of Pop Mart’s Blind Box Based on Behavioral Economics. ICEDBC 2021. Atlantis Press. Read here