中国的盲盒经济

文/罗基·池（音译） 译/贺丛芝

到2030 年，中国的个人消费规模将达到惊人的12.7 万亿美元。在这样一个竞争激烈、不断壮大的市场中，各品牌需要脱颖而出。

2盲盒就是最近流行的一种新风潮，消费者购买某个品牌的盒子时，并不知道里面装的是什么产品。虽然盲盒这一概念本身并不新鲜（初见于20 世纪80 年代日本的扭蛋文化），但它成功激起了中国年轻消费群体的兴趣，逐渐风靡。

3在微博上，有关盲盒的阅读量已达到2.7 亿，相关讨论超过28.9万条。百度指数显示，盲盒相关数据的数量级与大受欢迎的密室逃脱游戏、KTV 酒吧和网吧相同。

4那么，对于品牌而言，盲盒值得一试吗？今天，我们就来简单介绍一下这个令人兴奋的中国新兴市场。

浪凡入局

5盲盒产品具有极强的社交属性。消费者购买到稀有款，会在社交平台上互相比较、讨论，分享他们的兴奋。

6正因如此，知名奢侈品牌浪凡利用这一社交热点，推出了七夕节活动：消费者支付500 元，在微信小程序上抽盲盒，然后通过浪凡的自动售货机兑换丝巾、运动鞋，甚至手提包等奖品。

7这个活动非常成功地引起了中国年轻消费者的注意，在一个月内吸引了五万多人参与游戏，日均浏览量是浪凡微信公众号文章的五倍多。

小盒子，大生意

8到2024 年，盲盒市场规模预计将猛增至300 亿元。

9盲盒是概率销售的一个案例，消费者即使在付款之后，也不知道里面有什么。从棒球卡、盒装泡泡糖到20 世纪90年代的宝可梦卡热潮，随机抽奖营销在世界范围内历史悠久。随着中国消费者日渐沉迷于那种令人上瘾的悬念感，盲盒这一概念在当今社会已经发生革命性变化。

10小小的盲盒吸引了大批白领阶层的高学历年轻消费者，这是一笔大生意。在盲盒销量中，女性（通常来自一线城市）消费占比超过62%。总体而言，18—34 岁的消费者占比高达74%。

11在中国，盲盒市场的领军者是泡泡玛特。它的玩具摆件以12 个为一套售卖（其中最为出名的是“莫莉”系列玩偶）。每一套都可能含有稀有隐藏款，但是大约每144 个盲盒里才会出现一个。

盲盒的吸引力在哪？

12各种各样的行业和品牌都在出售盲盒，这引起了Z 世代的注意。星巴克、麦当劳、品客、亚马逊和宜家等数十个品牌都加入了盲盒风潮，就连中国旅游业也紧跟潮流。航空公司开始销售目的地随机的国内盲盒航班。

13对于中国的Z 世代和千禧一代（在相对富裕的时代长大）而言，游戏般的惊喜感和兴奋感激发了他们作为买家的好奇心。强大的亚文化已经兴起，改装玩具和产品形成了另一个巨大的市场。

14联想等各大3C 品牌也开始关注游戏化的购物体验。联想和泡泡玛特联合推出了一个采用双盲玩法的“大盲盒”。打开盲盒，首先呈现的是联想小新Pro 14、联想小新×YUKI 联名摆件，以及其他随机选择的产品。开出稀有开“新”卡的幸运消费者还可以额外兑换高价值的联想产品，以及有收藏价值的玩偶。

15中国的Z 世代热衷于彰显自我表达、富有乐趣的消费体验，他们愿意为能满足情绪需求的爱好买单，而盲盒完美地契合了他们的需求。

各品牌如何乘上盲盒热潮的东风？

16盲盒概念的吸引力很大程度上来自等待包裹送达和拆包裹的体验，包含了收集、惊喜和社交成分。

17下面简单介绍几个可供各品牌促进消费、改善中国市场营销策略的方法。

线上线下融合

18盲盒促销为线上线下多渠道销售的融合提供了机会。

19以泡泡玛特为例，除了旗舰店，该品牌还拥有自营店、快闪店和自动售货机，都提供盲盒体验。除此之外，还有中国大型社交媒体上的营销活动和传统的线上销售。

20通过多种渠道，产品可以在更长的时间内展示给更多的人，由此增加曝光率，促进购买。

赢得当今Z 世代消费者的青睐

21打开盲盒的瞬间，肾上腺素飙升，带来无穷乐趣，让人沉迷其中，这使得盲盒深受中国消费者的欢迎。

22各品牌抓住这一点，不断提升产品的独特性。比如，河南博物院推出“考古盲盒”，消费者需要使用洛阳铲挖出盲盒里的宝物。

23中国的Z 世代和千禧一代非常注重情感价值。所以，针对中国市场的任何营销策略都应该把建立持久的互动、打造真诚的品牌联结作为核心要义。 □

By 2030, China’s private consumption is set to reach a staggering$12.7tn. In such a competitive and growing market brands need to stand out from the crowd.

2One recent trend is the blind box,where customers purchase a package from a brand containing unknown products.While the concept itself is nothing new(first appearing with Japanese gashapon culture in the 1980s), it’s a craze that’s grabbed the imagination of young Chinese consumers.

3On Weibo, the number of readings of blind box has reached 270m, with over 289,000 related discussions. According to the Baidu index, blind boxes now have the same order of magnitude as massively popular escape room games, KTV bars and internet cafes.

4So, are blind boxes a bet worth taking for brands? Today we provide a glimpse into this exciting new China market.

Lanvin’s on board

5Blind box products are incredibly social—with consumers comparing and discussing their excitement at rare finds over Chinese social media.

6That’s why renowned luxury brand Lanvin took advantage of this social buzz with its campaign for Chinese Valentine’s day. This involved a blind box lottery on its WeChat Mini Program,where for 500 yuan consumers entered a draw to redeem prizes at Lanvin vending machines containing silk scarves,sneakers and even handbags.

7The campaign was immensely successful at gaining the attention of young Chinese consumers, attracting over 50,000 game-players within a month and garnering over fvie times the daily average views of Lanvin’s WeChat articles.

Small boxes, big business

8The blind box market is predicted to soar to 30bn yuan by 2024.

9They are an example of probabilistic selling—where even after making payment, consumers have no idea what’s inside. Random-draw marketing has a long history worldwide, from baseball cards and bubble-gum packets to the Pokémon card craze of the 1990s. This concept has been revolutionized for the modern day,with Chinese consumers hooked on the addictive feeling of suspense.

10These small boxes are big business to the highly-educated, white-collar,youthful buyers they attract. Women(often from first-tier cities) account for over 62% of blind box sales. Overall, a staggering 74% of consumers fall between the ages of 18–34.

11The China market leader in this sector is Pop Mart. Its toy figurines are sold in sets of twelve (the most famous of which is the “Molly” doll). Each set has the potential to include one rare hidden figurine that only appears in around one out of every 144 boxes.

What’s the appeal of blind boxes?

12The sheer variety of industries and brands offering blind boxes has caught gen Z’s attention. Dozens of brands including Starbucks, McDonald’s, Pringles, Amazon and Ikea have jumped on the blind box bandwagon1jump on the bandwagon 赶时髦，追随潮流。. Even the Chinese travel industry has got on board,with airlines selling blind box domestic flights to randomly-chosen destinations.

13For Chinese gen Z and millennial generations (raised in periods of relative affluence), the game-like elements of surprise and excitement have stimulated buyer curiosity. Strong subcultures have emerged, with a large additional market for modified toys and products.

14Major 3C brands such as Lenovo are also taking notice of gamified shopping experiences. A “big blind box” was

launched jointly between Lenovo and Pop Mart, offering a double-blind form of gameplay. The first open revealed a Lenovo Xiaoxin Pro 14 and Lenovo Xiaoxin×YUKI figurine, as well as other randomly selected products. A rare open new card allowed lucky customers to redeem additional high-value Lenovo products and collectable dolls.

15With a strong preference for purchases allowing self-expression and a sense of fun, Chinese gen Z are willing to pay for hobbies that drive emotional satisfaction—and blind boxes are one extremely satisfying way to do this.

How can brands build on the blind box craze?

16Much of the appeal of the blind box concept lies in the delivery and unwrapping experience—with collection, surprise and social engagement all playing a part.

17Here’s a glimpse into just some of the ways brands can drive purchases and improve their China marketing strategy.

Online and offline intergration

18Blind box promotions provide opportunities to combine online and offline omnichannel sales.

19Take Bubble Mart as an example—as well as their falgship store, the brand owns self-operated stores, pop-up stores and unmanned vending machines, all offering blind box experiences. This is in addition to major Chinese social media campaigns and traditional online sales.

20With multiple channels, products are visible to more people more of the time—increasing exposure and promoting purchases.

Winning the hearts of today’s gen Z consumer

21The adrenaline rush involved in unwrapping a blind box contributes to the sense of fun and addiction that makes them so popular with Chinese consumers.

22Brands have taken advantage of this by increasing the uniqueness of their products—for instance, an “archaeological blind box” from the Henan Museum where consumers had to use a Luoyang shovel to dig out the contents of the blind box.

23With Chinese gen Z and millennials valuing emotional value highly, creating prolonged interactions and genuine brand connections should be central to any Chinese marketing strategy. ■